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Step right up! Playing the carnival pumpkin pond game at the school Halloween party is an easy way for kids of all ages to win prizes! This classic carnival game with a twist is a fun addition to a toddler or elementary school fall party.
Carnival Pumpkin Pond Game for Kids Halloween Party
An Carnival games There are so many different fun ideas Kids of all ages can actually enjoy a fun Halloween carnival pumpkin pond game. It’s a simple game that works for Also perfect for fall birthday parties!
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Harvest Festival
School carnivals are popular in the fall. These special events often incorporate carnival rides, hayrides, favorite festival food, and even cake walk games into the fun.
What is the duck pond game?
Carnival duck ponds are popular with all ages, and for good reason. Anyone can play and it’s an easy way to win prizes at a carnival. Aside from the amusement rides, a good classic carnival game is one of the first things people think of when it comes to a school carnival.
Colorful rubber ducks attached to a ring can often be found floating in a trough of water or kiddie pool at such events. The carnival duck pond game is usually played with a small fishing pole that has a plastic hook on the end. From there, players try to hook the rubber ducks floating in the pool of water. Hook a duck and then bring it safely outside of the pool without falling off the hook to win!
Another way to play the carnival duck pond game is to place a number or dot on the bottom of the duck. The player who selects a duck with the special mark on the bottom wins.
Here are some tips for playing the carnival duck pond game:
- Use a smooth, steady motion when casting your hook.
- Aim for the duck’s head or neck.
- Don’t jerk the hook. If you do, your duck will likely fall off.
- Be patient. It may take a few tries to hook a duck.
Halloween Pumpkin Pond Game
Like the popular carnival duck pond game, but with a twist!
What you’ll need:
- Plastic tote or tub for filling with water
- Mini pumpkins
- Prizes
I’m loving that McDonald’s brought back the Happy Meal Boo Buckets! How cute is this Mummy Boo Bucket?!
What you’ll do:
- Mark the bottom of a pumpkin using a permanent marker, sticker, etc.
- Fill plastic tote or tub with water and then float the pumpkins in it.
- Have kids pick a floating pumpkin. Turn the pumpkin over and if it’s marked on the bottom, win a prize!
Educational Science Lesson: Pumpkins Float in Water
This activity is perfect for toddlers, but also for elementary ages because you can teach the kids that while pumpkins are heavy, they will float in water!
Why do pumpkins float in water?
Pumpkins are a great example of what makes objects float in water, even if they are large or heavy. The following are reasons that
Air. Basically pumpkins float in water because, much like a balloon, they are filled with a lot of space on the inside. Naturally air also resides in this space along with the pumpkin guts and seeds.
Density. The more scientific explanation is that water is more dense than a pumpkin. While a pumpkin is heavy, as a whole it actually displaces more water than it weighs so when tossed into water it will float to the surface.
Physics. Water pushes up on the pumpkin with a force equal to the weight of the water that the pumpkin displaces. The force is called buoyancy and what helps items to float.
Size and shape. A larger pumpkin will in fact displace more water and thus be more likely to float. Pumpkins with a hollow interior (mini pumpkins in the gourd variety) will also be more likely to float over a pumpkin that is more solid. than a solid pumpkin of the same size.
Carnival Pumpkin Pond Game & Beyond
Other pumpkin ideas for the school Halloween party!
Pumpkin Bowling – Both a fun and active game for the classroom party! All you need to do is set up a bowling lane with large pumpkins instead of pins. Kids can then use either a mini pumpkin or another small object as their bowling ball. The player who knocks down the most pumpkins wins!
Pumpkin Ring Toss – This game is both fun and easy to set up. Just cut out several large pumpkin shaped rings from cardboard or foam. Place the rings upright on the ground and then have kids toss small pumpkins through the rings. Get the small pumpkin through the ring to win!
Pumpkin Contest – Carving is not the only way to decorate a pumpkin! Pass out some mini pumpkins and then turn the kids loose with any number of various types of craft materials and paint to create a truly unique decoration.
Pumpkin Spoon Race – All ages will enjoy this silly game. Give each child a large spoon and a mini pumpkin. Then have each kid race to the finish line without dropping their pumpkin. Of course the first player to cross the finish line with their pumpkin still on their spoon wins, but you can also do fun variations like going slow motion, blind folded, etc.
Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe – You can adapt the classic tic-tac-toe game for a pumpkin party theme. Simple draw out a tic-tac-toe grid on a large piece of paper or poster board. Then use small pumpkins (in orange and white) as the “X” and “O” markers. Just like regular tic-tac-toe, the first player to get three in a row wins!
Pumpkin Costume Contest – Have the kids make pumpkin costumes using paper plates, markers and green pipe cleaners.
Like this carnival pumpkin pond game for Halloween? Get more fun Halloween ideas HERE.
This post could contain affiliate links or be sponsored which means I earn from advertising. Also as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. More details here.