I was on vacation this past week.
Did any of you even notice? It’s like there are thousands of other crafty blogs out there or something! Oh well, at least our house plants missed us. They were in somewhat dire straits when we got back. Oops… I probably should have done some preventative maintenance there.
Anyway, we headed out to Utah for a little Cousin Reunion (for the kids) before my SIL and her family moved to Arkansas! The kids had a blast together as we explored Salt Lake and had some good bonding time.
I wanted to share with you one of the fun things we did to entertain the kids for one of the afternoons. This can be done quite easily with things you have around the house but can be embellished as much as you want! And, of course, the kids loved it. It was a COUSIN CARNIVAL!
Summer Activity Idea
Decorations were party bunting (found at local party store) and balloons! Shelly also made signs labeling all the booths by applying vinyl to poster board. Prizes were inexpensive things from the dollar store/party store and candy.
Every kid got a bag to hold their various carnival goodies. Attached were their tickets (it “cost” two tickets per booth) and inside was a water bottle with their name on it (vinyl) and their reunion t-shirt (made by printing on iron-on paper and ironing it on–easy!).
Here are the kids running up the hill to where we had set up the carnival booths. They had their bags in hand and were rearing to go, lemme tell you.
Here’s a quick run-down of the booths we did.
Balloon Darts
Made by putting the tied end of an inflated balloon through peg board and taping it on the back to keep it in place. The kids then threw darts in an attempt to pop two balloons to get their prize.
Ring Toss
The kids needed to ring a wide-mouth mason jar lid ring over a bottle of soda to claim the prize here. They then got to drink their soda they won later with dinner.
Bean Bag Ladder Toss
Label each rung of a step ladder with points and let the kids try to get as many points as possible by throwing bean bags between the rungs. Easiest set up ever and the kids loved it!
Water Balloon Bobbing
Fill up a kiddie pool and some water balloons and let the kids go for it. This is not as easy as it looks but lots of fun! It was nice to have a water event for the kids to cool down in too.
Photo Booth
We gathered up some props and let the kids put on whatever they wanted and took their pictures. It was hilarious to see what they came up with and each kid was totally different!
Ball Throw
By taping a floatie to a garbage can we instantly created a carnival booth (it’s amazing what you can come up with by raiding the garage)! Stand back and see how many balls you can get through that little hole.
We also had a “Carnival Walk” (not pictured) which ran like a cake walk only you won a prize if you landed on the right spot rather than a cake. Other ideas we have done in the past are a small craft area (foam visors, popsicle stick picture frames, etc) and a cupcake decorating table. We also had a slip-n-slide going for an added “funtivity.”
The final event was our Carnival Dinner. We put out some carnival-y food (corn dogs, french fries, watermelon, chips, etc) and sat down and ate together out on the back porch.
It was such a great day and the kids absolutely loved it! This is now something they look forward to every summer. Memories were made, relationships grew stronger and fun was had by all.
The best part is that it can be as elaborate or as simple as you want to make it! If you have a group of bored kids hanging around your house this summer, throw together a little carnival! We are thinking that next year we may even put some of the older cousins in charge of a booth or two. They were really wanting to help this year, so why not, right?
Hope you are having a wonderful summer too!
Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Sugar Bee, Not Just a Housewife, Someday Crafts, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Lolly Jane, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today’s Creative Blog, Sister’s Stuff, Flamingo Toes, Skip To My Lou
Out of Ours says
July 6, 2011 at 4:46 amLooks like great fun! Will have to bookmark this for when summer comes around again here Down Under! Also a brilliant idea for a birthday party and fortunately both mine have b/days in summer! Rob x
Kara says
July 6, 2011 at 5:31 amLooks like so much fun. I was also thinking that this would be great for my littles’ summer birthday parties.
theolivetree says
July 6, 2011 at 7:01 amPERFECT!! I am bookmarking this page~!
Christina says
July 6, 2011 at 7:19 amHow cool is that? I recently found your blog….and I am certainly inspired by all of your creativity. Thanks for sharing with us. *wink
Christina says
July 6, 2011 at 7:28 amdO YOU mind my asking what font you used with the circles around it???
Jennifer says
July 6, 2011 at 9:45 amLove this idea!!!! I’m always looking for something new to do at Cousin Camp!!!I am your newest follower! Would love if you would come follow me at
http://www.shutterbugandthesweetlife.com
xojennifer
megan says
July 6, 2011 at 11:54 amWhat great ideas! My mom holds Cousin Camp every year for all her 24 grandchildren. I’m forwarding this to her!
Natalie says
July 6, 2011 at 3:51 pmGreat ideas! I especially love the ladder beanbag toss! We have a carnival every year too and the kids are getting a bit too old for the beanbag board so this is a great alternative! Here’s a link to our carnival party if you wanted to take a look! http://aturtleslifeforme.blogspot.com/2011/03/carnivals-coming-to-town.html
Rachelle says
July 6, 2011 at 8:37 pmoh my heavvens!! i’m in love, with your blog, with your craftiness, with this cute idea which i am totally hijacking for my little girl’s 2nd birthday at the end of august. this is EXACTLY what i was looking for. thank you, thank you. i am a new blog stalker of yours. 🙂
rachelle
thefuzzycaterpillar.blogspot.com
BluBabesCreate says
July 8, 2011 at 5:27 pmWhy didn’t you invite me? I can be a cousin with that kind of fun!
someonesgottapay says
July 8, 2011 at 5:28 pmSuper cute. Looks like they had a blast!
Leslie says
July 8, 2011 at 8:01 pmLooks like it was a blast! I can only imagine how much our little one would love to have a cousin carnival. Thanks so much for sharing!
Lauren {whimsy lane} says
July 8, 2011 at 10:26 pmHow cute is this?! I LOVE the idea- I bought some vintage carnival stuff already for my son’s birthday and it’s next April. I’m crazy! I’m also your newest follower… too cute!
Chrissi Richards says
July 8, 2011 at 11:14 pmGreat post! Will be linking!!
The DIY Show Off says
July 9, 2011 at 6:55 pmFUN! They’ll have great memories of that day for sure! Love the pictures and all of the details! 😉
Roeshel
Lynda @ {ubersavvy} says
July 9, 2011 at 11:43 pmThere are some great ideas here -looks like you had a ball. If it wasn’t winter here in OZ- i’d give some of these a go right now!
Anonymous says
July 10, 2011 at 9:56 amLOVE all those cousins & the carnival too. I don’t dare show the kids these pics.
Mary says
July 10, 2011 at 4:41 pmGreat job on the carnival. What fun ideas and decorations. Those kids are so lucky
Kellie says
July 13, 2011 at 7:08 amAwesome!
Emily @ RemarkableHome says
July 13, 2011 at 10:42 amThis is ADORABLE! Carnivals are always fun and to do this with all the cousins in a big family would just be too much fun!
Melanie says
July 13, 2011 at 6:01 pmLove the cousin Carnival idea! Great for summer!
Heather - Chickabug says
January 12, 2012 at 12:19 pmThis looks like SUCH a fun party! I shared your idea for the balloon darts on my blog today:
http://www.chickabug.com/blog/2012/01/balloon-party-game-ideas.html
Thank you for the inspiration! : )
Vicki Valenta says
February 6, 2012 at 10:38 pmI love this idea. I think it would be great to adapt for a family reunion kids area.
Kristen Duke Photography says
March 30, 2012 at 11:38 amwhat a fun idea!!! just saw it on pinterest;)
Shannon says
April 18, 2012 at 9:46 amLove, Love, Love this idea!!!
Shannon@SewSweetCottage
Stacy Bieri says
May 3, 2012 at 3:33 pmThanks for posting! You’ve inspired some ideas for our Kid Korner at Relay for Life this year.
theBieriPatch.blogspot.com
Michelle says
July 7, 2012 at 8:59 amI am having a CIRCUS party for my son’s 2nd birthday in Oct. I have so many big plans. Loved your post for game ideas. Looks like the kids loved it. I will be posting pics and my plans on my site at http://www.gottamakethecupcakes.com. Check it out 🙂
Monica says
June 14, 2013 at 11:39 pmSuch an adorable idea!!!
Claire says
April 9, 2014 at 3:25 amJust finding your amazing blog! So happy to be your newest follower! I LOVED this post. My kids and their cousins would be thrilled with this idea! My favorite was the Bean Bag Ladder Toss – so creative! Sharing this post with our Facebook followers tomorrow! 🙂