Fall Festival Activity "Pop-A-Pumpkin" NO DARTS Needed!
DIY Pop-A-Pumpkin Fall Fest Game!
Supplies for Fall Festival Activity Pop-a-Pumpkin Game:
1 Large Piece of Plywood (1/2 inch plywood shown above in picture)
Acrylic Paints & Paint Brushes (we used fall colored paints)
Medium Sized Clothespins - about 25
Orange Balloons (9 inch balloons shown in picture above)
2 or more Large Garbage Sacks to hold inflated balloons & weights
Ordinary Tacks (25 - 50)
Hot Glue Gun and glue sticks (for tacks)
1 inch, thin nails for attaching the Clothespins (about 25)
Bungee Cords for securing the game board
12 bean bags
Stand Behind Lines for players (tape, cones or chalk on the sidewalk)
Fall themed Prizes and Top Prizes for the winners!
How to Make Your Game:
Click to Download your FREE Pop-A-Pumpkin board pattern and enlarge (or use your own design). Using acrylic paint, have a volunteer paint a fall design on your plywood board on one side.
Tip: Keep it Simple! We found that acryiic paintworks well, but if you do only one coat, some of the natural wood design will show through the paint. Once thepainting was finished with our board, one coat seemed to be just fine!
Next, after the paint has dried, have an adult nail each clothespin on the side to the board directly on the stem of each pumpkin where you plan to place a balloon.
Note: Resist the tempatation to hot glue the clothespins flat to the board. We found in our testing that the bean bags can cause the balloons to come off the board frequently unless they are on their sides! By attaching the clothespins on their side using a nail through the metal part of the pin, this does not tend to happen!
To attach the tacks to the board, each tack should be about 4 - 5 inches below each clothespin AND "off center" by about 2 inches, using the hot glue gun. In testing, we found if the tacks were centered under the clothespins balloons were far to easy to pop!
Don't forget if you set this game up outside, to attach with bungee cords to ensure that a gust of wind does not knock this game over!
How to Play:
A few days before your festival, have adult volunteers inflate balloons and store in large, yard garbage bags so they are ready for the game. Note: prevent balloon bags from blowing away by weighting them with baseballs or other heavy objects.
Players are given 3 Bean Bags for a chance to pop 2 balloons to win a top prize.
0 balloons popped = a consolation prize
1 balloon popped = a middle prize
2+ balloons popped = a top prize
Feel free to test this game with a few dozen throws to make sure it is not too easy or too hard! For most festival games, you want to shoot for about 1 in 10 kids to win a top prize. If the game is too easy, move your lines back a bit (but remember to allow younger children to stand a little closer to have a chance to hit the board.)
Kids love to pop balloons, and this ia a fantastic and safer alternative to dart balloon game with a fall flair! Also, this DIY Fall Festival Game is sure to "advertise itself" with its large size, and bright colors that you can place leaning against a tree in the shade, a brick wall or even indoors!
Note: For younger children, you may wish to give them 4 bean bags or let them stand 1 - 2 feet closer to the board so they have a chance to win at this game too!
Please follow the guideline of the Consumer Product Safety Commission with regards to balloons, broken balloons and young children. Click here to download this child balloon safety pdf.
Allergy Information: We just learned that people who have severe latex allergies can have a reaction to bursting balloons. For schools, it may be wise to talk with administrators to verify all child allergies first. Also, consider changing this game to the "Pumpkin Pile Bean Bag Toss." Use our Free printable pattern above, and cut out 4 - 6 pumpkins as holes for the bean bags!
Fall Prizes and DIY Supplies for the Pop-A-Pumpkin Balloon Game!
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FREE Download -
Print Template and Enlarge!
Click Here for a FREE Download of this Pumpkin Stack Design for Your Board!
More Fun, Discount Fall Prizes!
Pumpkin Gumballs (Indiviually Wrapped)
Pumpkin Bouncing Balls
More Fall Festival Games!
Click Here to see More Fall Activities for your harvest fest, fall festival or carnival!
More Supplies or for This Game!
Medium Sized Clothespins
 Carnival Savers Tip:
Outdoor games are great fun, but don't forget that even heavy pieces of wood can be blown over by a gust of wind! Be sure to use Bungee Cords to secure your game!
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Add this fun DIY Fall Festival Game to Your Autumn event this year!
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