Pumpkin Bowling

by Tracy Schatteman
(Chatham, IL, USA)

The title is pretty self explanatory. You set-up a bowling game but roll a pumpkin into the pins instead of a ball. I tape off a starting line and mark positions for the pins so that they are easier to set up. To prevent smashing the pumpkin, have kids place it on a starting line and roll along the floor. I ask each child to stay after they have bowled to set-up the pins for the next person.

I use real bowling pins but plastic pins from a kiddie bowling game would work as long as they aren't too flimsy. To get real bowling pins, you can ask your local bowling alley to donate old pins when they are replaced with new ones.

This game is challenging because pumpkins are not perfectly round, so they tend to roll unevenly. You can also vary the size of the pumpkin to make things interesting. Larger pumpkins are harder to roll and go astray easier.