With Autumn here, it's a treat to spend the afternoons and evenings outdoors in the crisp air. It's also a great time to take advantage of the cooler temperatures! For a competitive community event, plan a thrilling outdoor challenge for your residents. This seasonal activity is geared towards adults and teenagers.

How to Play the Scarecrow Selfie Challenge

Residents will be required to look for clues on your Facebook page about where the community's scarecrow is hidden. Whoever finds the scarecrow has to prove they found it by taking a selfie with the scarecrow and posting it publically on your community Facebook page. The winner will receive a gift card to a store of your choice from management.

***TIP*** before you plan this event, you can choose to ask residents to each donate a few things from their homes to build the scarecrow as a community activity. Asking the residents to participate in making the scarecrow will add to the fun and excitement!

How to Make a Scarecrow

Making a scarecrow can be exciting yet daunting if you have never done it before. The things you’ll need to make a sturdy scarecrow include:

·         Hammer

·         Scissors

·         Old clothes

·         Boots

·         Two 1x2 wooden sticks:  One 6’ long and one 3’-4’ long

·         Twine

·         Nails

·         Straw or dried grass

·         White pillowcase

·         Thread and needle as needed

Instructions:

1.      Take the two pieces of wood and make a large T shape by laying the horizontal piece of wood over the vertical piece. (Remember to insert the shirt between the vertical and horizontal sticks!)

2.      Hammer the frame together using the nails and hammer.

3.      Tie the waistline and sleeves with twine. Now stuff the shirt and pants with dried grass or straw. Sew closed as needed.

4.      You can also attach pants and boots to the scarecrow frame.

5.      Fill up the small pillowcase with straw and place it on top of the "T" to make the scarecrow’s head.

6.      Finish it off by adding details such as a face, hair, hat, etc. You may want to sew the pieces together to make them extra sturdy.

For more ideas, here is a step-by-step guide to creating a scarecrow.

Once the scarecrow is ready, find different places across the community to hide it every day for a week. Carefully but firmly hammer the frame into the ground.

Once you have your scarecrow in his hiding spot each morning, place clues on your Facebook page to guide residents to its location.

You can start with harder clues and work your way up to easier clues (noted below) as the day goes by without a sighting. Don’t forget to encourage the participants by mentioning the gifts they'll receive to create interest, healthy competition, and some hype.

Ideas for Hiding Places + Clues

Here are a few ideas that could be used throughout the week.

Day 1: Hide the scarecrow beside the office computer

Final clue: “The scarecrow went out to research something for school.”

Day 2: Hide the scarecrow under the playground

Final clue: “The scarecrow watched the children play from his little hidey-hole.”

Day 3: Hide the scarecrow by the pool

Final clue: “The scarecrow was sad because he didn’t have a swimsuit.”

Day 4: Hide the scarecrow near the community center

Final clue: “The scarecrow was nervous because he had to deliver a speech.”

Day 5: Hide the scarecrow near the vending machines

Final clue: “The scarecrow was famished and was looking for food.”

Day 6: Hide the scarecrow near the gym

Final clue: “The scarecrow was looking to build some muscle!”

Day 7: Hide the scarecrow near the on-side laundry

Final clue: “The scarecrow wanted to wash his clothes.”

Winning the contest!

It’s recommended to do this event Nov 16th-22nd (The week leading up to Thanksgiving).

Remember, after residents check the Facebook page for clues or walk around the community on a hunt, the first resident to find the scarecrow each day and post a photo with him on the Facebook page is that day’s winner!