Memphis Spooktacular Neighborhood Pumpkin Hunt

Remember back in March the quarantine fad of going on a bear hunt with your kids through the neighborhoods? Then in April we hosted a neighborhood egg hunt? Well, now that it’s October, and many families are still social-distancing, it’s the perfect time to introduce you to our

1. Get your pumpkin

   You can either choose to put out a real pumpkin from a local pumpkin patch (which could be a super fun outing with the kids!) OR you can print out this free pumpkin printable.

2. Decorate your pumpkin

   If you chose to use the printable, get creative! Use crayons, markers, water colors, scraps of fabric, or even glitter (maybe). Remember, you don’t need to keep it orange either. Teal pumpkins are for allergy awareness and pink pumpkins represent cancer awareness. The important thing is to have fun in the creative process!

3. Put your pumpkin in a visible location

   If you went with a real pumpkin, be sure to put it in a prominent place on your front porch or steps! There’re so many beautiful ways people use pumpkins as decor. If your kids colored the printable, tape the print out to a window where everyone can see it displayed!

4. Happy Pumpkin Hunting!

   Grab those strollers, bikes, and scooters and get moving! October is beautiful in the MidSouth and perfect for walking your neighborhoods. Encourage little kids to play “I spy” and find all the pumpkins. Pre-K kids can practice counting or even adding up the pumpkins while searching (see! you can sneak in a math lesson!).

Other Tips and Tricks:

• There may be a few elderly or childless families in your neighborhood, and they might not know about our hunt! If you want to get really creative, make a few extra pumpkins and deliver them to your neighbors with a note asking them to prop the print outs up in their window.
• Does your neighborhood “BOO” people? If so, add a blank printable to your “boo basket” when you drop it at a front door! (Don’t know about booing neighbors? click here to learn more and sign up)
• Share this blog post in your neighborhood Facebook groups or “Nextdoor” app. The more participants, the more spooktacular your family hunt will be!
• Are you posting to social media? Please remember to tag @memphismomco on Instagram and we’ll feature you in our Stories!