Ideas needed

[It'sasecret]

I volunteer for the local SPCA. We are going to have a Pet Fair and I have been put in charge of organizing the games!!!!! HELP I need some ideas. I have a few ideas but I need a few more. They must cheap and fairly easy to create. I would like them to be animal themed but I am open to ideas that are not as well. Thank you!

 

[EJFan]

are these games that the animals will participate in or is it purely for the people?

sorry if it's a silly question but i just wasn't sure and didn't want to list a bunch o' useless things because i had the wrong precept.

 

[It'sasecret]

Games for people, mostly children. Games such as a baby pool with rubber duckies. The kids get to pick one ducky and if the bottom as the "special star" or something, then they win.

 

[Eilan]

They always do the "fishing" game at my daughter's school carnivals. Also ring/beanbag toss kinds of things. Sand art (not a game, but the kids like it). Digging for "dinosaur" eggs. . .

You may be familiar with some of those already.

 

[EJFan]

Games for people, mostly children. Games such as a baby pool with rubber duckies. The kids get to pick one ducky and if the bottom as the "special star" or something, then they win.

oof. sorry then. i'm absolutely useless when it comes to children.

good luck though. sorry

 

[RavenousRae]

You could have a penny or ball toss into Goldfish bowls and have winners take home fish.
You could have a ring toss over some type of wooden/stuffed/metal animal - like a giraffe head.
You could have some type of jumping contest - like put out marks for this is how far a frog can jump, a rabbit, a kangaroo etc.. and see how far people can make it.

 

[It'sasecret]

Wow all great ideas! Keep them coming. Eilan- how does the digging for eggs thing work?

 

[RavenousRae]

Another easy one is putting magnets on the back of a picture of an animal (like a fish) and have the child have a "fishing pole" with a magnet on it and try and "fish."

 

[Eilan]

Eilan- how does the digging for eggs thing work?

At my daughter's school carnival, there was a plastic kiddie pool set up (though I imagine that anything similar would work). It had sand in it, and there were easter eggs with little cheapo trinkets in them buried in the sand. The kids were given sand shovels and were allowed to dig until they found something. That way, everybody wins.

 

[Ezzy]

I'm not sure the SPCA would approve, but you could always play...



























Pin the tail on the Donkey!

 

[It'sasecret]

I thought about pin the tail on the donkey too. I was thinking of putting a different spin on it though. Like maybe using an animal that was more related to the SPCA such as a dog or cat. And maybe instead of pinning a tail they could pin a dog tag or something.

 

[Cathleen]

Maybe something like a leap frog race - sort of like the potato sack races. Face painting is always fun, they could be a favorite animal, there are great books at the library for the 'how to face paint' so almost anyone can do it. Remember the game 'red rover, red rover'.... that might work.

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

 

[MR.GGG]

People could play a sort of positional musical chairs using a bunch of mats or something for bases. Everybody and their dog stands on a base and when the music plays everybody runs around the circle of bases. Meanwhile one base is removed. The music stops and whoever doesn't have a base to stand on gets eliminated. It is the kind of mindless fun you can play and include your dog too.

Problem is some skin headed freaky type with a 90lb pitbull is likely to "win."

 

[Eilan]

Face painting is always fun, they could be a favorite animal, there are great books at the library for the 'how to face paint' so almost anyone can do it.

Also--temporary tattoos.

 

[Private_Label]

I thought about pin the tail on the donkey too. I was thinking of putting a different spin on it though. Like maybe using an animal that was more related to the SPCA such as a dog or cat. And maybe instead of pinning a tail they could pin a dog tag or something.

Around here the dogs need to wear the rabies vaccination tag. It would work well as a "pin the tail" substitute - promoted vaccinations and the tags are all numbered for identification!

I'd suggest a spay/neuter themed game, but that one might not go over so well.

Others have already mentioned the fishing game.

Oh, hey, how about plastic animals and a "dog wash" for the smaller kids - they wouldn't be able to handle the live animals, but they could still feel like they got to participate!

How about a "consentration" type game with pictures of dog, cat, bone, ball - just print out pictures, and laminate (or use clear shelf paper/tape) so they don't fall apart if they get a bit wet from the dog wash.

 

[Weird Harold]

Also ring/beanbag toss kinds of things.

To make a ring toss game that is "animal themed" you could use pet collars for the rings, and/or cheap animal figurines for the targets. The collars would probably need some sort of stiffener unless you use heavy leather collars, but a little glue and some cardboord rings should do the job fairly well -- make a ring out of a cardboard strip and then size the collar to fit and glue them in place.

Printed pictures of animals glued to paper-towel or toilet paper tubes, set in a sand or soft dirt base will make acceptable targets if the budget doesn't extend to figurines or if you can't find suitable figurines. Using the tubes woull allow you to hide certificates for various prizes inside the tubes -- like a gift certificate for pet shots, or a free pet-grooming or the like.

If you use the actual figurines, then the figurines would be the prizes.


For a bean-bag toss, Kids' socks filled with dry navy beans, peas, sand or fine gravel and then "folded" by turning them back on themselves make quick and easy bean-bags. (and the beans or peas are easy to recover later to recycle as dinner.) A single pin or stictch to keep them folded wouldn't hurt, but isn't strictly necessary.

Use pet bowls for targets or just a flat sheet with circles on it -- like a Twister (tm) game sheet.

Another good use for bean-bags is a bottle game -- soda or beer cans are easy to stack in pyramids of three or six and harder to knock down that you might expect even when empty.

A variation on a ring-toss is a lasso game. Use targets like you would for the ring toss;, let people try to lasso them and pull them back over a line to win. You'll definitely need a wider spacing around contestants to keep them from whipping each other -- and spectators -- as the whirl the lasso around over their heads, but it's not a game you see at most "carnivals" and should prove popular for that reason alone. (not to mention, lassoing something isn't as easy as people think it is, so it should be profitable as well.)

A variation on the bottle game that is a bit easier for little ones is a variation on Skittles. Hang bean-filled socks a bit larger than you're using for tossing from a bar over the center of the stall, so that it will swing from the release line to the bottles. You may need a riser at the release line for short contestants and will definitely need stands for the "bottles."

You can arrange the "bottles" either in a bottle toss pyramid or a skittles/bowling triangle -- the latter configuration is harder to knock down with a pendulum and the basic Skittles game. The "bottles" should also be weighted in either configuration to provide the intertia required for "pin action" -- how much weighting will require experimentation, although I'd start with 16 or 20 oz. plastic soda bottles about half full.

One last thought -- no charity carnival would be complete without darts popping balloons. You don't even really need a wall, just a sheet, blanket, or other drapery and someplace to hang it that will leave some room behind it to absorb the dart's momentum. Balloon can be attached with tape or safety pins (through the ununflated necks) instead of thumbtacks.

 

[It'sasecret]

Thank you so much for all the ideas! They are all great. Keep them coming.

 

[Weird Harold]

They must cheap and fairly easy to create. I would like them to be animal themed ...

While browsing throughmy latest Avon catalogue, I noticed several relatively inexpensive animal themed wind-chime, window hangers and a "Froggy rain guage" that might make good animal themed prizes.

I talked to My Daughter the Avon Lady and determined that they currently don't have the children's bath line that had animal shaped bottles to use as ring-toss targets, but I think Johnson and Johnson still have a similar line.

Your local Avon Lady might be willing to supply prizes at or below cost as a charitable deduction and/or you might be able to work a deal with a local pharmacy or chain store to supply prizes and animal themed products for ring toss or bean-bag targets.

PS: Someplace like PetCo might be interested in trading animal related prizes for just a "prizes provided by PetCo" mention and/or charity deduction.

My daughter said she knows a couple of Avon ladies in NewYork that she thought might be interested in helping with an SPCA fundraiser. PM me if you think that might help or need a help finding an Avon Lady.

 

[I'm Wild Cherry]

I'm better at spending money than creating games! Be sure to check out Oriental Trading for "cheap crap" that can be given as prizes!

www.orientaltrading.com (Obvious, huh?)

 

[It'sasecret]

Oreintal Trading is exactly where I was planning getting some "cheap crap". I thought the animal masks they sell might be a fun thing for the fair. The sand art might be cool too, along with lots of cheap prizes.

 

[I'm Wild Cherry]

Oreintal Trading is exactly where I was planning getting some "cheap crap". I thought the animal masks they sell might be a fun thing for the fair. The sand art might be cool too, along with lots of cheap prizes.

Hey, if you know any other great places (besides the dollar store) for great "cheap crap," would you let me know?

 

[Nikasha]

There's always that race where you have to carry an egg in a spoon.

Or the relay race where you have to carry water in the spoon and fill a cup at the end. The team with the most water in the cup at the end wins a prize.

Did anyone mention face painting?

 

[bush59]

Sure?

Sorry cant take the question seriously.

There is your avater showing some sexy ass,another feeling down her panties.

Shouldn't this be posted on the womens institute's site....if they have one?

 

[It'sasecret]

Thanks again for the ideas guys! I have my meeting to pitch my (your) ideas tonight. Any last minute thoughts?

 

[bholderman]

You may have to go online, but there is a company called Oriental Trading Company. Their catalogues are filled with bulk stuff (i.e. games, trinkets etc) that might fit your bill.

And in scrolling down, I see that someone already mentioned it. Im not sure about your timeframe though.

Cheers,
Brad