What comes to my mind is raking them up if they are too sharp to play with and then laying down some old blankets or comforters. You could also create a really neat fort under the tree – perhaps with boxes or tarps (insert own imaginative ideas here!) to lessen the amount of needles that fall directly on that area.

Have a look online to find out more but if the children eat a lot of oranges this works as a natural mosquito repellent – almost as if citronella were coming out of their pores!