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Hot potato
Balloon toss
Picnic olympics
Tug of war
Sweets in a jar
Face painting
Grid game
Guess the baby competition
Wine tasting picnic
You can't go wrong with a treasure hunt. All you need to do is write a list of things that can be found or photographed in the area (eg flowers, feathers, local sites). Then give a copy of the list to everyone at your picnic - and away you go. Whoever finds all the items on the list first wins.
A quirky take on pass-the-parcel! Get the kids to sit in a circle. Play some music and have them toss a potato to the person next to them. The kid holding the potato when you turn off the music is out. The last one left in the circle wins.
The egg-and-spoon race. The three-legged race. The parents' race. There are so many events you can compete in to become a Picnic Olympics champion.
Girls vs boys. The Smiths vs the Joneses. Marmite lovers vs Marmite haters. Whatever the division, a game of tug of war will decide who's best. Ready? Steady? Heave ho!
Fill a jar for your picnic, and ask people to make a donation to guess how many sweets are in it. Or why not try a new twist on this old favourite? How about pound coins in a sock, scotch eggs in a goldfish bowl or baked beans in a bucket?
A colourful way to raise money. Everyone makes a donation to have their face painted. Parents can pay to escape the brushes and sponges.
Use the grid game to raise more money at your picnic, write your name against a symbol for a 'suggested' amount of money, then when all the spaces are filled, cut the grid into squares, put all the names into a hat and pull out the winning silhouette. Split the proceeds between the winner and Macmillan.
Ask everyone to bring in a photo of themselves as a baby and guess who it belongs to.
Ask your local off-licence for some suggested wines and their description and serve as a sommelier for a day. Buy some picnic bites to complement your selection.
Email bigpicnic @macmillan.org.uk
Call 020 7840 7893
Write to The Big Picnic Macmillan Cancer Support 89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7UQ