My Tip of the Week: Fall Carnival Ideas

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ently a lot of people have been searching ptotoday.com for information on carnivals and fall fairs. A fall carnival is a great event to create excitement among kids. It's also a terrific way to get parents involved and create camaraderie, since you'll need a lot of volunteers but the jobs are mostly fun.

Here are my top tips for running a carnival:

• Keep volunteer shifts short so parents can spend time with their children. If you need extra volunteers, tap high school service clubs or sports teams.


• If you plan to charge, take money in just one place and issue tickets. It's important to limit the number of people handling cash. Consider selling wristbands so kids can enjoy all the games without worrying about how much each one costs.


• Fun game idea: Create your own mini golf course. Even one hole will be popular, and it's a good project to get creative dads involved -- you might even find a crafty person to build a windmill for your course.

Here are three links with great resources for planning your carnival. Have fun!

• School Carnival Planning Basics


• Classic Carnival Activities


• Carnival File Exchange: Flyers, feedback forms, supply lists, and more