• A winter carnival can put a smile on faces of all ages.indoor climber image by freebie123 from Fotolia.com
  
  With the cold blustery days of winter in our midst, a winter carnival can be a fun activity for kids of all ages. They are great for church groups, schools, athletic organizations and youth clubs. If you are planning on making your carnival a fundraiser, you'll want to have plenty of fun activities for all ages. These activities are easy to plan and set up and take minimal efforts to run smoothly, but they'll certainly put a smile on your guest's faces.
  
  

Duck Pond

• This classic game features several rubber or plastic ducks purchased from a dollar store or toy section of a local retailer with numbers written on the bottom from 1 through 10. Float the ducks in a small plastic child's pool or basin. For a winter spin on this classic game, make the pond "frozen' with chunks of ice in it. Each player chooses one duck and wins a prize according to the number on the bottom. There should be three levels of prizes; small, medium and large. Numbers 1 to 4 earn a small prize, numbers 5 to 9 earn a medium prize and number 10 awards the grand prize.
  
  

Dart Game

• This Dart game features paper tags with "small," "medium" and "large" written on them and placed into round balloons. Staple the balloons to a large bulletin board closely to one another. Each player stands 10 feet from the board and throws three darts at the balloons attempting to pop them. If the player pops a balloon, he wins the prize on the tag in the balloon he popped. Turn the darts into icicles for a winter spin on this game.
  
  

Craft Stations

• Craft stations are great with the smaller and preteen kids. Sand art stations are simple to set up with several plastic bins full of colored sand purchased from a craft supply store and small bottles or jars with lids. Have plenty of scoops available for kids to fill the bottles and jars. The kids layer the sand in the jar to make a unique craft that they can use as paperweight. Craft supply stores also sell plastic containers that you can hang on string to create a necklace. Placing a large sheet or rug under the worktable will make cleanup easy, as kids will spill part of their project before finishing it. These crafts allow kids to create gifts for an upcoming winter holiday, like Christmas or Valentine's Day.
  In addition to this activity, face painting and temporary tattoos are also popular with the younger children. Keeping the designs simple will keep your line moving along. Choose winter-themed designs like snowflakes or snowmen to stay within the carnival theme.
  
  

Cake Walk

• The classics never get old. This time-tested favorite is always popular with adults and children. Make sure to have volunteers turn in lots of cakes for this activity. Encourage the volunteers to bring hearty winter-themed cakes like fruitcake. Participants play "musical chairs" until there is only one participant left. That participant wins her selection of cakes as a prize. Make sure to have several lightweight chairs for this activity, as they will be moved quite often. Folding chairs and plastic lawn chairs work well for this activity.
  
  

Fishing Game

• Another water game popular with the kids is the fishing game. Buy fishing poles from the toy section of your local toy store, or fashion them with dowel rods and yarn. Each pole should have around four feet of string. Instead of a hook, each pile has a magnet tied to the end of the line. Cut out fishes from colored construction paper and place a small, medium or large on one side of the fish. Run a paper clip through the top or mouth of the fish and place them face down on the play area. Each fisherman tries to "hook" a fish and wins a prize listed on the fish. Prizes can include winter temporary tattoos or a pair of mittens.
  
  

Silent Auction

• This is always a fun activity for the winter carnival. Donations from local businesses and stores are popular and can include anything from a free goody basket of candy to free tickets to see a movie. If you don't have retailers that can donate, collect items in like new condition from your team of organizers. Auction the items off at the end of the evening while serving warm refreshments like coffee and hot cocoa.