Great games.

Get things rolling at your party with this fun game of skill.

You Need:

* Empty, plastic two-liter bottle * Orange construction paper * Tape * Black, nontoxic felt-tip marker * Softballs

Preparations:

1. Cover the bottle with the construction paper. Draw a pumpkin face on the paper with the marker. 2. Get enough softballs for all your guests. You can borrow them from friends.

How to Play:

Mark a starting line. Set the pumpkin twenty to thirty feet from the line. Decide who plays first.

One player at a time rolls a ball toward the pumpkin, trying to get it as close as possible to the pumpkin without knocking it over. A player can stoop, kneel, or bend over to deliver the ball. A player may knock another player's ball out of the way while aiming at the pumpkin.

The player whose ball rests closest to the pumpkin after everyone has rolled is the winner.

For a healthful, "eek-citing" treat, create these cute apple mice for you and each of your guests.

You Need: (one for each guest)

* Apple half * Celery strips * Two carrot slices * Chunk of cheddar cheese * Two raisins * Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Ask a grown-up to cut an apple in half from stem point to stem point. Place an apple half, sliced side down, on a plate. 2. Stick a toothpick half on each carrot slice and poke them into the narrow part of the apple to make ears. 3. Poke toothpick halves into two raisins and position them for eyes. 4. Use several thin pieces of celery strips to make whiskers. Attach with toothpicks. For the mouse's nose, put a small chunk of cheese over the end of the toothpick. 5. Use another strip of celery for the tail. Hold the tail in place with a toothpick half. Be sure everyone removes the toothpicks before eating the crunchy critters!

Gather your friends together in a circle and read this story to them. When it ends, have everyone add a line or two. The story could end up being scary, silly, funny ... or a combination of all three!

It was dusk as Melanie and Zach raced home from the park, already late for dinner. As they rode past old Mr. Lehman's house, Melanie stopped.

"Hey, Zach! Old Mr Lehman didn't yell at us. Look! He's not even out on the front porch," Melanie said.

"That's really weird," Zach answered. "And the fence gate is open. I've never seen it open."

Old Mr. Lehman usually guarded his house as though he were hiding a secret that he wanted no one to discover.

Melanie had an idea. "He must have gone out somewhere. Let's go in and look around his house.

Zach wasn't so sure that was a good idea, but he followed Melanie up the path anyway. Up on the unguarded porch, Melanie opened the unlocked door leading into the dark house. Zach followed Melanie inside. As his eyes adjusted to the dark interior, Zach thought he saw something move in a corner

Suddenly....

Turn kid-sized pumpkins into wild faces. Set a time limit, and then have each guest (and yourself!) decorate a miniature pumpkin using the materials suggested below. Vote on the funniest, scariest, silliest, and most original pumpkinheads!

Decoration Items:

* Colored paper * Scissors * Fabric scraps * Sequins * Glitter * Glue * Fake jewelry * Pencils * Pipe cleaners * Nontoxic markers * Poster paint * Toothpicks * Paintbrushes * Pushpins