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Archive-name: scouting/games/part1
Last-Modified: 8 Feb 2002
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Subject: INTRODUCTION
This file contains a number of games collected on rec.scouting,
misc.kids and scouts-l, for your pack, den or troop activities. Due to
its size, this FAQ has been split into 3 separate postings.
If you know a good game that hasn't been included in this FAQ, please
do all of us a favour and post it on rec.scouting. Sending copies to
Bill Nelson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
will ensure that it gets included in this file.
For U.S. readers, the SCOUTS-L games use British Scout terms. A
'Sixer' is a den or patrol, clothes pegs are clothes pins, and a 'bat'
is a long, flat Cricket bat. If anyone spots other terms they're not
familiar with, please let me know and I'll add it to this explanation!
Other game lists:
You can find the Games Compendium at:
http://bonaly.org.uk/games/
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Subject: TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Not filled in yet)
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Subject: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Previous Maintainers (and Contributors!)
Mike Stolz [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Danny Schwendener [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Contributors
Listserv Archives [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Andrea Cancer Abreu [EMAIL PROTECTED]
George HN Anderson [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Jon W. Backstrom [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Stan Bimson
Rick Clements [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Kevin D. Colagio [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Adam Edmonds [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Stuart Fell [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lynne Axel Fitzsimmons [EMAIL PROTECTED]
G.J.Harewood [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Hayes James Michael Jr [EMAIL PROTECTED]
John Holeman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
James R Holman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Peter Van Houten [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Vance Kochenderfer [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Travis Lauricella [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Deborah Maraziti [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Robert Plamondon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Joe Ramirez
H. James de St. Germain [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bjarne Steensgaard [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Jack W. Weinmann [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dominick V. Zurlo [EMAIL PROTECTED]
M Wileman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: GAME BOOKS
4.1 BSA CUB SCOUT LEADER HOW-TO BOOK
The "BSA Cub Scout Leader How-To Book" It is built to help the cub
scout pack and den leaders running programs that kids enjoy A section
of 50 pages is dedicated to games ISBN 0-8395-3831-6.
4.2 GAMES FOR GIRL SCOUTS
GSUSA publishes a book called "Games for Girl Scouts" which has helped
me out in a pinch. The book is divided into sections such as "Travel
Games", "Quiet Indoor Games", "Relays", etc. I believe it only costs
11 US dollars, and is available through the office of most Girl Scout
councils. If anyone outside of the US is interested in getting copies
of it, I'd be willing to act as a 3rd party. I don't know how easy it
would be for someone in another country to get a GS council office to
ship them a book! I wish I could give you more info on the book and
some examples of games, but one of the girls in my troop borrowed it
(that should tell you something--they love it!).
This book can be ordered directly from the National Equipment Service.
The Address is:
Girl Scouts of the U.S.A
National Equipment Service
830 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Phone: 212-940-7655 (customer service only, no orders)
The item number is: 20-902 Games for Girl Scouts. $6.00
Overseas delivery should include estimated shipping charges with
payment. Remittance in US funds only, checks drawn on US banks only.
Master Card or Visa. Prepayment required. No CODs.
4.3 INDOOR GAMES FOR SCOUTS
I don't know how useful this info is, but I have a very nice little
hardcover book called "Indoor Games for Scouts". Unfortunately, it was
published in 1951, and mine is the 6th printing (1965). Whether it's
still available seems unlikely. This is a British book, part of 'The
New "GILCRAFT" series - Number Two'. The publisher is C Arthur Pearson
Ltd., Tower House, Southhampton St, Strand London. If anyone discovers
that this book IS still available, please contact me at the above
address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: TIPS AND MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
5.1 SIN BIN
It is often a problem in games where the people who are out lose
interest in the game and start to mess about. The Sin Bin gets over
this problem very nicely. Somewhere in the hall you put six chairs in
a line, this is the Sin Bin. As each person is out they go and sit in
the first vacant chair in the line. When the line of chairs is filled
up, the next person out changes places with the first person who was
out who then goes back into the game. This can be continued for as
long as the games last and keeps the boys interested in the games.
5.2 HOW TO GET EQUAL SIZE/WEIGHT TEAMS
In many games where there are two teams, it is a good idea if
opponents are similar sizes. An easy way of achieving this is given
below:
1. Get all the lads to line up at one side of the hall, tallest at
the left shortest to the right.
2. Tell the lads to count off in twos down the line.
3. Get all the number two's to take two steps forward.
4. You now have two teams, get each team to count off left to right 1
to N.
5. Tell team 2 to walk in a line anti-clockwise around the hall until
they are lined up along the opposite wall of the hall.
You will now have two teams of boys where each number on one team has
an opponent on the other team of a similar size. Another advantage of
this system is that if lads have to race to the centre, they will have
an equal distance to run.
5.3 LEADERS ARE FRAGILE
Please try not to get involved with actually playing the games.
Although we as leaders are probably a lot bigger than the lads, we are
also more fragile. By this I don't mean that we are all a load of old
codgers, but we don't heal as quickly and our bones are more brittle.
TAKE CARE!!!!!
5.4 GIVING OUT INSTRUCTIONS
You will find that prior to starting a game, it will help if you get
the lads to sit down when giving the instructions on how the game is
to be played. This ensures that they are not walking about or looking
somewhere else, so they are more likely to be listening to what you
are saying.
5.5 EMERGENCY GAMES BOX
Over the years this has proved to be a real blessing. My box is a
small plastic toolbox. In this box I have an assortment of bits and
pieces with which I can make up games and other activities at very
short notice. Listed below is a list of items that you could put
together to make a similar emergency games box.
* A large bag of elastic bands (rubber bands).
* Boxes of chalk, white and coloured.
* 4 candles or night lights, 1 per patrol.
* Boxes of safety matches.
* A miniature cricket bat, wicket and small soft ball for indoor
cricket.
* Ball point pens.
* Markers or felt tip pens.
* Short lengths of soft white rope with the ends whipped for
knotting games.
* Assorted balloons.
* Pipe cleaners.
* A reel of cotton for making trip lines for minefields.
* Roll of sticky tape.
* Blu-Tak or similar for sticking things to walls.
* A couple of large dice.
* Blank cards or small sheets of paper for writing instructions.
* Box of thumb tacks or drawing pins.
* A small torch (flashlight) with spare bulb and rechargeable
batteries.
* 4 small pairs of scissors.
* A pack of playing cards.
* A packet of Alka-Seltzer tablets or similar.
* Various whistles and noise makers.
* Paper clips
* Safety pins
* 4 triangular bandages
* 4 orange plastic 'Track cones' (highway departments also use
these)
* Cloth strips in 3 colours
+ 25 strips (each) are 3 inches wide and 18 inches long (great
for arm bands or blindfolds)
+ 5 strips are 6 inches wide, with an overhand knot in the
middle (great for 'Bacon', or 'Capture' flags)
5.6 MOTION DETECTORS
It is often useful to know when an object has been moved beyond a
certain amount or with what severity it has been moved. There are many
ways of doing this some of these are listed below:
* An oblong tobacco tin with a layer of paper punch chads sprinkled
in the bottom. A thin layer of something sticky such as syrup is
smeared on the underside of the lid and the lid placed on the tin.
If the tin is tipped over or subjected to violent movements, some
of the bits of papers will stick to the lid. Penalty points may
then be deducted for the number of chads that are stuck to the lid
of the tin.
* A mercury tilt switch can be connected in series with a small
electro-magnetic relay and a battery. There should be a set of
hold on contacts on the relay. These should be connected across
the mercury switch, so that when there is even a brief connection
of the mercury switch, the relay will hold itself on through it's
hold on contacts. When the relay actuates it could also be wired
to sound a buzzer or switch a light on. As an alternative to a
mercury switch you could have a simple hanging metal rod or
pendulum within a metal ring. Any severe movement would cause the
pendulum to touch the metal ring and complete the circuit. There
are available on the surplus market re- settable electro-magnetic
counters, you could use one of these in place of your relay and it
would count the number of times that the device had been moved.
* A number of small ball bearings on a dish inside a box. Any slight
movement will cause the balls to move. Severe movements will cause
the balls to roll off the dish. Penalty points are taken off for
every ball off the dish.
* When laying out obstacle courses or minefields, it is nice to have
trip lines that will operate switches to set off lamps, buzzers
etc. A simple but effective switch for this can be made from a
spring loaded wooden clothes peg. A metal drawing pin or thumb
tack is pushed into the inside of each jaw and a wire is connected
to each one. The heads of the drawing pins are the switch
contacts. A piece of card connected to your trip line is pushed
between the contacts to open the switch. When a player snags your
trip line, the card is pulled from the jaws of the clothes peg and
the circuit is made. How you fix the clothes pegs is left for you
to decide.
5.7 PRESSURE PAD
What devious people we leaders are, but isn't it fun. How about
pressure pad switches to put on the floor which will switch on a
circuit when stepped on. You can make these very easily and can throw
them away when the game is finished. All you need is two sheets of
aluminium foil about the size of a standard sheet of paper for each
switch and some paper or plastic drinking straws. The aluminium foil
should be as flat as possible. Connect a wire to each sheet using a
small crocodile clip or paper clip. Lay one sheet on the ground where
it is likely to be stepped on. On top of this lay some drinking
straws, these are to keep the two sheets apart. Lay the second sheet
on top of the straws. Wires can be taped to the floor or covered with
carpet. [Connect the wires to a battery and small light bulb. when the
sheets of aluminum foil touch each other, the bulb should light up.]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: GAMES NEEDING LITTLE OR NO EQUIPMENT
6.1 SPEAK AND DO THE OPPOSITE
I couldn't think of a better title for this, but it is fun to play
both for kids and adults. Each team sends a person to challenge a
member of another team. The person challenging says something like "I
AM PATTING MY HEAD" but in fact they are rubbing their tummy. The
person being challenged has to say in reply "I AM RUBBING MY TUMMY"
and at the same time be patting their head. If they fail to do it
properly in a given time or get it the wrong way round, then the
challenging team wins a point.
6.2 KEEP TALKING
This is a knockout competition, it is played in two's. Each person has
to keep talking at the other person. It doesn't matter what they are
talking about, but there must be no repetition or pauses. You will
need a referee to decide the winner of each pair. We have played this
several times and it has proved very popular. Each time we have played
it we have been surprised at the eventual winner. Often the younger
scouts have walked all over the older scouts in this game.
>From Mike Stolz: We played this with our Boy Scouts - they loved it.
A likeable 8th grade 'motor mouth' won easily, his only competition
was our Jr. Asst. Scoutmaster, who was quoting plays, the Gettysburg
address, etc, but eventually ran out of material. We needed to set
down a few ground rules though. The pauses had to last at least 2
seconds, 'common strings', like letters, numbers, months, etc. could
only be a maximum of 12 in a row, you could not touch your competitor,
and ONLY the (adult) judge could call a boy out for repetition. This
is a great 'I need it in a hurry' game!
6.3 COLOURED CIRCLES
You will need:
* 5 different coloured pieces of chalk, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and
Brown.
Split the troup or pack into equal teams and get them to number
themselves off in their teams. Then draw a number of coloured circles
on the floor, several of each colour.
The leader now calls out an object and a number e.g. "GRASS 2", the
number two in each team now has to run and stand in a circle that
matches the colour of the object. The first person standing in the
correct coloured circle wins a point for his team.
Suggestions:
RED = Blood, Cherries, Ruby
BLUE = Violet, Sapphire, Electric
GREEN = Grass, Emerald, Cucumber
YELLOW = Lemon, Primrose, Sulphur
BROWN = Earth, Potato, Leather
Please remember that some lads may have trouble with colours and so
you may have to point out which circles are which.
6.4 CAR TEAM RACE
Sixes stand in teams and are numbered. Each number is given the name
of a car. When the number OR the name of the car is called out, they
have to race to the end of the hall and back to their place, using the
method they have been told. e.g.
* Mini-crawl
* Volkswagon - hop
* Jaguar-run
* Jensen - pigeon steps
* Skoda - walk sideways
* Cavalier - skip
6.5 CRABS CROWS AND CRANES
This is a running about game which is good if you are in a large hall
or outside with a lot of boys. Split them into two teams, in two lines
across the hall. There should be a gap of about ten feet between them.
Near each end of the hall should be a home line for each team. Don't
make it too close to the wall or they will run into it. One team are
the crows, the other team are the cranes.
If you shout cranes, the cranes team must run to their home line
without getting tagged by the crows team. Any member of the cranes
that gets tagged has to join the crows team. If you shout crows, the
crows team has to run to their home line without getting tagged by the
cranes team. Any member of the crows that gets tagged has to join the
cranes team.
If you shout crabs they must all stand still. Anyone that moves must
join the opposing team. You start off each time with both teams lined
up across the hall facing each other. The game ends when one team has
all the players. You can have a lot of fun rolling your RRRRR'S with
this. CRRRRRRRRABS, CRRRRRRROWS, CRRRRRRANES.
6.6 SNAKE DODGE
You will need:
* A ball
This is a continuous game with no winners or losers. Five or six
players stand in a line, in the centre of the circle formed by the
rest of the troop or pack. Each player in the line puts his arms round
the waist of the player in front. The object of the game is for the
players around the circle to hit the player at the end of the line or
snake, below the knees with the ball. The snake can move around inside
the circle to make this more difficult. When the player at the back of
the snake is struck by the ball, he leaves the snake and moves into
the circle of throwers and the player who threw the ball, joins on as
the front man of the snake. The game carries on for as long as you
wish.
6.7 TURN TURTLE
If your scouts or cubs like rolling around on the floor then they will
love this quickie. I would advise activity dress, so as not to dirty
uniforms. Pair the scouts off in size. One boy in each pair lies on
his back on the ground. On the word go the other scout has to try and
turn him over onto his stomach. The scout on the floor tries to
prevent this by spreading out his arms and legs and moving around on
the floor. No tickling or foul play is allowed.
6.8 TAIL GRAB
You will need:
* A rope or cloth tail for each patrol or six
Each patrol stands in a line behind their patrol leader. Each man
holds the belt or waist of the man in front. The last man has a tail
tucked into his trousers. On the word 'GO' the patrol leaders have to
move around the room and try to get as many of the other patrols tails
as possible. Any patrols that break their chain are disqualified. The
winning patrol is the one with the most tails.
6.9 HUMAN BOAT RACE
Each boat is made up of eight to ten players each in full knees-bent
position. Each player has his hands on the shoulders of the man in
front. Facing the line of players in each boat is a 'COX'. The cox
holds the hands of the front player in the boat. When the race tarts,
the boats move forwards by all players in a boat springing together
off both feet. The cox for each boat shouts encouragement for his team
and calls out the rhythm for the spring. During the race, any boat
that breaks up into two or more parts is deemed to have sunk and is
disqualified from the race.
6.10 SIGNALS
You will need:
* Various noise makers such as whistles, rattles and bells
This game is similar to the game where you shout out Port and
Starboard. The players are told what action they must perform when a
certain sound is heard. Play this a few times with nobody being out,
then start taking out people who do the wrong action or who are the
last ones to do the action.
6.11 CITY TOWN COUNTRY
Players sit in two lines team A and Team B, each line numbered 1 to N.
Player 1 in team A says to player number 1 in team B the name of a
city, town or Country.
We will suppose for example that he says 'GERMANY". Player 1 in team B
must now say a town city or country, beginning with the last letter of
Germany. Let us suppose that he says "YORK". Player 2 in team A now
has to say a city, town or country beginning with the letter K. This
goes on all the way down the line. If a player fails to give a correct
answer or duplicates a previous answer, then a point is awarded to the
other team. When the end of the line is reached play begins at player
number 1 again.
6.12 COMPASS GAME
A game I used to play in scouts was the compass game. Everyone stood
spread out around the room and was told to orient themselves to
"north". North could be real north or a convenient wall or corner in
the room. Everyone except for the caller and the referees closed their
eyes (blindfolded if you don't think the honour system will work). The
caller then calls out a direction, like "east" and then everyone turns
(eyes still closed) and points in the direction of east. The referee
the goes around and taps the shoulder of anyone not pointing in the
right direction. They are out. The game continues until one player is
left. It gets interesting when you start calling headings and
bearings.
This is a good game as it only discriminates by your sense of
direction, which improves as you play.
6.13 SUBMARINES
A troop 53 favourite. In a large, pitch black room, with light
switches on each end, the troop is split in half. Each half gets on
their hands and knees near the light switch that they are protecting.
On the Scoutmaster's signal, the scouts, staying on their hands and
knees, attempt to turn on the light on the other end of the room while
protecting their own.
Like British Bulldog, this game can get a bit violent, what with kids
fighting in the dark to get to the switch. This game would probably
have to be modified for other meeting areas (especially those with
hard floors!)
6.14 SARDINES (HIDE AND SEEK)
We turn all the lights off in the entire church (including those
intended to be left on permanently). One scout stays in the meeting
room and counts to twenty, the rest of the scouts hide anywhere
(except for pre-set off limits areas) in the building. "It" begins
looking for the scouts. Once a scout is found, he joins "it" in the
hunt. The last scout found is the winner. The scouts especially enjoy
jumping out of a dark corner and scaring their scoutmaster.
6.15 SPUD
Each scout is assigned a number between one and x, x being the number
of scouts. In a circle outside (we circle around a flagpole) one
person throws a ball (tennis, racquet, or similar) as high as he can,
straight up, and calls out a number. The scout whose number is called
catches the ball as the rest of the scouts fun away from him as fast
as possible. Once the called scout catches the ball, he yells "STOP!"
at which time all retreating scouts are _supposed_ to stop dead in
their tracks. (This is where the most argument comes in in this
game...) The scout with the ball is allowed to take three _really_
long steps (more like standing long jumps) so that he can get as close
to the nearest scout as possible. He then attempts to hit the scout
with the ball (not in the head or other vital organs). The scout being
shot at is allowed to twist and bend, but may not move his feet. If
the scout is hit, he gets to retrieve the ball while the rest of the
scouts get back in a circle. He is also given a "spud," or a point. If
the scout is missed, the throwing scout chases after the ball and gets
a spud. Once the ball is retrieved, the game begins again, with the
number called and the ball thrown. The scout with the least number of
spuds at the end of the game wins.
6.16 WHOMP 'EM
Scouts get in a circle facing in, with both hands, palms up, behind
their backs. Scouts must be looking into the circle. One scout, with a
rolled up newspaper, walks around the outside of the circle. When he
chooses, he puts the newspaper into the hands of a scout, who then
proceeds to "whomp" the scout to his right. The scout being "whomped"
runs as fast as he can (unless he enjoys being whomped) around the
circle back to his starting position. The scout now holding the
newspaper walks around the outside of the circle, looking for a scout
to whomp the person to his right, as above. No winners, everyone wins.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: WIDE GAMES
7.1 ELEPHANT HUNT
You will need:
* Coloured wool to match up with six's colours
* talcum powder
* plastic plant identification labels
* TIME to lay the trail
Tell story to the pack about the elephants who have escaped from the
local circus, who have asked for the cubs help in getting the
elephants back. The circus tell us that each elephant is wearing a
coloured mat on it's back, each mat matches one of the sixes colours.
So each six can look for the elephant wearing their sixes colour on
it's back.
The cubs then follow a trail of wool, picking up their colours as they
go. They must not pick up any other colours. You could tell them how
many pieces they should find. The trail divides and finally the
coloured wool disappears. All that can be seen is large (talcum
powder) elephants footprints on the ground. These all lead to one
place where the elephants can clearly be seen, wearing tatty mats on
their backs, (parents or leaders). But the elephants have been caught
by a gang of thieves who will sell them back to the cubs for #200 no
more, no less.
The cubs are then told that they can gather this money from around a
certain bush. This money is the plastic plant tabs, stuck into the
ground around the bush. Each label is marked with an amount of money.
Each six must only take labels to exactly #200 and pay the thieves for
their elephant . They then take their elephant back to the circus
where there is sure to be a reward.
7.2 MIXED UP NAMES
You will need:
* A name card for each activity base leader and an activity for them
to look after at that base
Each of the leaders or the people manning the bases is given a card
similar to the ones described below:
1. You are "THUNDER FIST". Tell them they must find "THE KRAKEN".
2. You are "THE KRAKEN". Tell them they must find "THORIN".
3. You are "THORIN". Tell them they must find "THE HULK".
4. You are "THE HULK". Tell them they must find "Robin Hood".
5. You are "Robin Hood". Tell them they must find "THUNDER FIST".
You can of course vary the number of bases that you have. Each person
manning a base is also given an activity that the cubs or scouts have
to complete at that base. The base men are sent out and hide within a
given area. The patrols are then sent out, each having been given a
different "NAME" to find. When a baseman is found, the scouts or cubs
have to ask him if he is the name they are looking for. If he is not
then they have to keep looking. If he is then he asks them to complete
a simple scouting exercise such as tying a bowline. He then gives them
the name of the next person they have to find. A point is given for
completion of an exercise to the satisfaction of the baseman. The
winning patrol is the one that finds all the basemen and completes the
most tasks.
7.3 BRASS RUBBING RACE
You will need:
* A sheet of heavy duty paper or brown wrapping paper
* for each six or patrol and a thick wax crayon
On the command go, each patrol leaves the hut in search of roadsigns
to rub. They have to make up the phrase " BE PREPARED " on the sheet
of paper. They have to brass rub the letters onto the sheet of paper
with the wax crayon, from the road signs. The first patrol back with
the completed phrase are the winners. This is an excellent game as it
makes the scouts think of all the road names in their locality that
might contain the letters they need. You can of course use other
phrases for repeated use. It is also a good idea to supply each patrol
with a damp cloth, this is to clean the road sign of wax crayon should
the paper split.
7.4 ROCKETS AND INTERCEPTORS
You will need:
* a bucket or large tin
* a large number of coloured balls or plastic clothes pegs all
* the same colour
* Skittles or rope to mark off the target area
This is played by two teams. The attacking team are called the rockets
and the defending team are called the interceptors. The target area is
marked off and the bucket or large tin is placed in the centre. Only
rockets are allowed to go inside the target area. Up to four
interceptors are allowed to hover around the target area. The rockets
have a base at which they pick up their warheads. Each rocket can
carry only one warhead to the target area. If a rocket is tagged by an
interceptor before going inside the target area, they must hand over
their warhead and return to their base. 20 warhead units in the bucket
or tin destroy the interceptor target area. All the coloured balls
count for 1 warhead unit. The five white balls are special multi
warheads and count as 5 warhead units for each white ball. If the
interceptor target area is not destroyed after 20 minutes then change
over the teams so that everyone has a turn at attacking and defending.
This game is best played where there is a bit of cover for hiding and
creeping up on the target, or at night when visibility is reduced.
7.5 NAVAL COMBAT
You will need:
* Coloured wool (or cloth) to be worn on the arm for each team
* 6 cards bearing the name "DESTROYER"
* 4 cards bearing the name "SUBMARINE"
* 2 cards bearing the name "BATTLESHIP"
Instead of cards you could use coloured counters or plastic clothes
pegs.
This is best played with three or more teams. Each team is given a
base which is their naval shipyard. Each player is allowed to take one
card from their shipyard to take part in the combat. When they take a
card, they also take a length of their teams coloured wool to tie
round one arm. A combat area is marked off in the centre of the field
and combat may only take place within this area. Combat takes place in
the following manner, a player will tag a player from an opposing
team. Both players then compare their cards as follows:
A battleship takes a destroyer, a destroyer takes a submarine and a
submarine takes a battleship. The losing boy hands over his piece of
wool to the winner and returns to his shipyard for a new piece of
wool. Combat can only take place between two players who are each
wearing a piece of wool. If both players have craft of equal status
such as two submarines then it is an even match and there is no
victor, they then have to go and challenge somebody else. A boy can
exchange ships only at his shipyard when he is getting a new piece of
wool. The winning team is the one which has collected the most pieces
of wool at the end of the game.
7.6 LAMP CHICANE
You will need:
* 4 lamps such as hurricane lamps
The game is played in the dark between two teams. Two lamps are placed
about 100 metres apart. These are the home bases. Another two lamps
are placed about 40 metres apart, and at right angles to the first two
lamps. They should be about halfway between the first two lamps. One
team is split into two, one half going to each home base lamp. Their
object is to get to the other homebase lamp, without being caught.
They must go between the other two lamps to get there. There is no
restriction on how far out they go to either side to get to the other
home lamp, but they must go between the two 40 metres apart lamps. For
each member who reaches the other home base, their team wins a point.
7.7 STEAL THE BACON
You will need:
* a hat, scarf or some other 'bacon'
Divide the troop into two halves (not three halves, nor one half).
Number off EACH half separately. If there are 30 boys in the troop,
then you would have two groups, each numbered from 1-15.
Line them up facing each other, about 30-40 feet apart. In numerical
order. Place your 'bacon' between the lines. Now the field will look
kinda like this:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
X O <--- SPL or Scoutmaster
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The idea is for a scout to go out and retrieve the object. The SM
calls out a number, and each scout with that number runs out and tries
to get the object and go back behind his line.
Once the object is touched, the scout that touched the object can be
tagged by the other scout. There are two ways to win a round: Either
get the object and bring it behind your line without being tagged, or
tag the other scout after he grabs the object and before he makes it
past the line.
7.7.1 VARIATION: TELL A STORY INSTEAD OF JUST CALLING
OUT NUMBERS: "Once, THREE scouts went on a hike. They saw TWO deer and
FIVE trees..."
7.7.2 VARIATION: CALL OUT MORE THAN ONE NUMBER
It usually ends up with two scouts circling the object, waiting for an
opening, with the other scouts shouting, etc. If nobody makes a move,
call out another number so there will be four scouts instead of two
out there.
As for physical builds, strength is NOT a factor in this game, but
speed and planning is.
7.7.3 VARIATION: 2 BACONS
We also play a variation of this game. We put 2 'Bacons' out of
different colours. We then read out True/False questions (often on
First Aid, or from the Tenderfoot or Second Class rank requirements).
When we call out a number, the boys have to make a choice - one Bacon
is True, the other is False. If you grab the wrong colour and take it
across your line, you lose. Naturally, if you grab the wrong colour
and your opponent tags you, HE loses!
7.7.4 VARIATION: ASK QUESTIONS
Instead of calling numbers, ask questions that result in a number
like:
* How many leaves on poison ivy?
* How many Scouts are there in the buddy system?
* How many first aid hurry cases are there?
* How many minutes can someone survive without oxygen?
The possibilities are endless - and it's not just another meaningless
game that is a waste of time.
7.7.5 VARIATION: MATH PROBLEMS
We made it interesting by doing math problems (2 plus 4 divided by 3
or some such).
7.7.6 VARIATION: TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (n) (team A)
2
1
F T O <--- SPL or Scoutmaster
1
2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (n) (team B)
No numbers are called, True/False questions are asked of the next
person in line. Good type of questions deal with First Aid, Scouting
history, use of knots, just about anything dealing with Scouting, like
"how far can you go into the woods?"
Questions can slow scout's reaction time leaving the starting position
as the idea is to know whether the answer is T or F. The idea is to
take the bacon of the correct answer, colour of the bacon denotes the
T and the F bacon. A Scout taking the correct answer bacon and
returning to Home gets a point, if he is "tagged" then the other team
gets the point. If a Scout takes the wrong answer bacon then the Scout
from the other team doesn't have to try and tag him. Taking the Wrong
answer bacon gives the other team a point. But if the Scout takes the
wrong answer bacon and IS tagged by the Scout from the other team then
the Scout's team taking the bacon gets the point even though he
selected incorrectly. Two wrongs don't make a right but I have seen
older boys take the wrong one and then "slip" so that they can get
caught.
This opens up many more chance to win even if your team members are
the fastest, it adds the element of knowledge into the game.
7.8 TROGLODYTES
You will need:
* some candles
* some matches
Here is a wide that we call "Troglodytes" although I think that it's
common name is burning bridges. The premise behind the game is that
Troglodytes have landed on our planet from another galaxy and are
preparing to take over the world. The troglodytes have a faulty
spaceship which will explode if it is set on fire.
The scouts job is to sneak up to the troglodyte ship and blow it up.
However, The troglodytes are more advanced then humans and have laser
blasters that can kill the scouts.
The game is played on a dark night in a large field with many hiding
spots.
The leaders place a candle and some matches at a designated location.
The leaders then pick a place near the candle but not right up close
to it. Each leader carries a flashlight and is not allowed to move
from his/her location.
The scouts start at one location and must sneak up and light the
candle. If a leader hears a scout he/she turns on his/her flashlight
and blasts the scout. If a scout is hit with the flashlight then he is
out.
The game continues until a scout can light the candle or until all
scouts are dead.
Note that the flashlights can only be used for a short burst.
7.9 ZORCH (MUCH LIKE TROGLODYTES)
You will need:
* a flashlight
* a pot
This game has to be played on a rather dark night. Playing this game
on a hill is preferable. One player sits at the top of the hill with
the flashlight, the rest of the people start at the bottom of the
hill. The object of the game is to advance up the hill and touch the
pot with out being "zapped" by the person with the flashlight. If a
person is zapped they have to go back down to the bottom of the hill
and has to start over. The first person to get the pot is the winner.
He then becomes the person with the flashlight and the game starts
over. My troop has played this game for hours on end. It is really fun
and even some of the adults get in on the action.
7.10 STALKING
This is one game we used for years. It's called "Stalking", but I have
heard different titles:
1. one person is the "stalked, and stands at the top of a wooded or
rock-formation-ridden hill/slope.
2. other players start at bottom of slope.
3. the stalked player counts to 10 out loud.
4. the other players rush up the slope towards the stalked player.
5. when the stalked player is done counting he turns around and any
other player he can visibly see must return to the bottom of the
slope.
6. after the stalked can no longer see anyone, he begins counting
again.
7. this cycle is repeated until one of the players reaches the
stalked player and takes his place.
This should be done so that it would take a player several cycles to
reach the top. It is a lot of fun in large groups.
7.11 THE OTHER GUY'S OBSTACLE COURSE
Standard set-up, but small: tire to go through, chest-high rope to go
over, "creek" to cross, bell suspended out-of-reach to ring. Trick is,
you may not do anything to manoeuvre yourself through any obstacle -
the other people in the Patrol have to push/pull/carry/ lift/etc. you
through! First Scout lies down, and is stuffed through the tire,
whereupon he may help pull subsequent Scouts through. At the over-the-
rope obstacle, each Scout must be lifted over by the others and
deposited on the other side (getting the last one over can take
ingenuity!). To go over the "creek", the Scout whose turn it is may
not "get wet", but everyone else may. The most amusing effective
solution I've seen was a Patrol that had their strongest Scout carry
the 3 smallest across at one time, then had the small guys go to
hands- and-knees in the creek, pushed the big guy over across the
kneeling Scouts' backs, and had him pull the others over. Build a
human pyramid to reach the bell. Timed event, starts at ref's "Go!",
ends when bell rings. Lots of tumbling around. :-)
7.12 CAPTURE THE FLAG
You will need:
* 2 flags
* for night play - 2 or more lanterns
First you pick out two even teams. Once you have the teams you set
boundaries for the game. The boundaries can be wherever you want them.
What you should end up with is a large rectangle or square. Once you
have decided on the boundaries, you should draw a line through the
middle of your playing zone. This line is divides the two sides. Each
team should be able to choose where they want their flag and jail but
they have to show the other team where they are and both teams have to
agree on the placement of the flags and jails.
Once this is done, each team goes to their own side of the playing
field. Once the game begins, the teams are free to go at the others
flag. If a team member is caught on the other teams side, (To be
caught you must be "tagged" by a player on the opposite side on his
own territory), he will be sent to jail. This player must sit in jail
until either the game ends or he is freed by a member of his own team.
To be freed, you have to be touched by a "free" member of his own
team. The freed player gets a free walk to his own side of the playing
field. The person freeing the player is on his own, he may still be
tagged and put in jail. To win the game you must capture the other
teams flag and return it to your own side with out being captured.
It is up to the team on how they want to place their members. When we
play, we usually have two players guard the flag and one player be the
jail guard. Two or more players stick around and help provide the
defence. The rest go for the flag.
Variation: From Mike Stolz: Our troop plays this on every overnight
campout. For night play, we use 2 or 4 lanterns. Two are used to mark
the centre line, while the other two can be used to show the
'approximate' area where the team's flag is. Our flag guards MUST
remain at least 15 feet (5 meters) from their own flag unless chasing
someone, and the flags must be completely exposed (no stuffing them
into holes in the ground, or tying them to trees). When the teams are
small, we do away with the jail. Instead, we create 'Check Point
Charlie' at the centreline. Captured prisoners can be exchanged for a
point. In case of a tie (equal games won, or no winner at all), the
team that earned the most points is declared the winner.
7.13 GAME OF LIFE
I learned a game at national scout camp which I forget the name of,
but basically goes like this. All the scouts save one (or a couple)
start out side of the woods. They are considered the prey of the
forest (deer, antelope, small game). In the forest you place a large
number of objects (hats, chips, scarves, etc.) which represent food.
The prey must go into the forest and gather three items of food (and
return them to the safety zone) or risk starvation during the winter.
The one scout who is not prey is considered a predator (wolf, grizzly,
eagle, etc.). The predators job is to capture the prey. he does this
by simply touching the prey. The prey has three methods of defence.
1. RUN - deer use it, (Be careful if you allow running at your camp.)
2. FREEZE - a prey that is totally immobile is considered to by
camouflaged, and cannot be touched until he moves (looks around,
etc.)
3. HIDE - touch a tree to symbolise hiding in the tree.
Each prey carries one object to symbolise themselves. If they are
"eaten" by the predator, they must give their chip to the predator
that got them. They then become a predator for the next year. If the
predator doesn't get three prey, he starves for the winter. Any
predator that starves becomes prey for the next year.
Note, you should start with only a small number of food in the forest
the first year (maybe 2 * number of prey) (remember they need three to
survive).
The game is fun and shows how there must be a balance between the prey
and the predators. I'm sure you can adapt this game to many
environments and change the rules where needed to make it more fun and
or educational.
7.14 BRITISH BULLDOG
Another game is British Bulldog. One person stands in the centre of a
rectangle. He's the bulldog. Everyone else lines up along one side of
the rectangle. At the bulldog's command, everyone dashes across the
field toward the opposite side. The bulldog's job is to grab someone,
and hold him completely above the ground while saying "one, two,
three, British Bulldog." If he succeeds, the caught player joins him
in the middle. Repeat until everyone is caught. The last player left
becomes the bulldog for the next round.
This was particularly interesting in our troop, since we had a 250+
pound guy. It took quite a few of us to lift him.
7.14.1 WARNING 1
We do play this game but not that much anymore. With the scouts I have
in my troup, this game gets too dangerous. We can expect at least one
person to get hurt each time it's played and/or someone's uniform
loses at least one button, etc.
7.14.2 WARNING 2
I've also banned this game because of injuries. For reasons I don't
understand, whenever we allow this game, kicking, choking, tripping
and 'clotheslining' suddenly become acceptable tactics. When I was a
kid, our troop played it all the time, and I don't remember anyone
getting injured back then.
7.14.3 WARNING 3
I was under the impression that British Bulldog had been banned by the
BSA as well, but upon seeing it described in _Scouting_ magazine a few
months ago, I put it back into the program. Even though it's rough,
and there are nearly always minor injuries, I let the scouts play. And
I let them know that they have the option to sit out, if they so
desire.
Played as previously described, with the added rule that instead of
lifting the scout up for the count of "British Bulldog-
one-two-three!" the scout can be pinned as well. Both shoulders to the
turf.
7.15 JAIL BREAK
There are two "cops" and one "jailor". The rest of the people are
"robbers". The number of "cops" and "jailors" can vary depending on
the number of players. A fairly central location is designated as
"jail", The jail should be fairly out in the open and the boundaries
definite. A picnic table can work great as a jail (those in the jail
would sit on top of the table).
All robbers are given some designated time to go hide (like hide-and-
go-seek maybe 30-60 seconds). After the appropriate hiding time, the
cops go looking for the robbers. The robbers usually are not in the
same spot all of the time for reasons I will describe in a minute. The
cops catch a robber by one of many methods (this is where the
variations come into play). The robber may be tagged, hit with a light
beam, person identified correctly, or combinations of these. When a
robber is caught, they are taken to jail by the cop.
The big difference between this and hide-n-seek is, if someone is
quick and sly (someone being a robber), they can cause a "jail-break"
and let all that are in jail get out of jail. This is done by sneaking
up into jail (not being caught by the jailor), stepping IN the jail
(or touching the table with both hands), and yelling "JAIL BREAK!" At
this point, all that are in jail are FREE. The jailor must give
everyone that was in jail and the breaker some time to get away (maybe
15 seconds). Sometimes this game has gone on for hours for one game.
Sometimes it is a fairly short game (but not too often). If you want,
you can have the game continue on by having the final (in this
example) 3 people to be the cops and jailor.
7.16 SCOUT STAFF TREASURE HUNT
A wide game that is popular in our scouts is to distribute various
items of a trangia around our local village, on the ScoutLeaders
doorstep, and the Exec.'s etc., and send the scouts off on a kind of a
treasure hunt, with the aim to make a cup of tea for the S.L. and the
A.S.L. at the end (it was good!!;-)
The hunt started with a note telling them where to find the next item
of the Trangia, and then the next note was on the next item, etc....
It also helped the scouts to learn who their Exec. were, as the notes
told them it was in the Secretary's garden, and it helped immensely if
they knew *who* the secretary was...
Glossary: Tragia: Swedish outdoor cooker, I'm not at all sure if it's
known at all in the U.S., but it is very popular over here. It's light
weight, and uses meths to run, but Butane attachments are available
now. Mine splits up into several pieces, and so was ideal for this
exercise.
7.17 RACE AROUND THE RING
Here is a short game for cubs.
Make pairs with the boys in the pack, place the couples in a circle,
one kid behind the other looking both towards the centre. Select a
'victim' and a 'catcher'. Well after my poor English the game is like
that.
The catcher tries to catch the victim who runs around the external
part of the ring. The victim can stop behind a couple and then the kid
in the inner part is the catcher and the catcher is the victim. The
new catcher must touch his ankle before beginning to run.
I make a draft of the exchange between victim and catcher so i am
clear. (sorry my English is not that even) :)
c3
c4
c1 c2 c6 c5 <-- V
V <-- C c8 C
c7
They get so confused with changing sides that it's really amazing.....
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: MEMORY GAMES
8.1 SILHOUETTE KIMS GAME
You will need:
* About twelve different shaped items, a sheet or back
* projection screen and a slide projector or strong light (Note:
clear bulbs are better than pearl)
A number of objects are held, one after the other, behind the screen,
eg. scissors, bulldog clip, flower. After all the objects have been
seen, a short time is given for the lads to write down or tell to the
leader, the objects that they saw in the correct order of viewing.
8.2 BATTLESHIP KIMS GAME
You will need: (for each six or patrol)
* A table, a piece of chalk and ten items
Each patrol gets a table set up on it's side in their corner as a
barrier, so that the other patrols can't see behind it. On the floor
they draw a 747 grid, and mark horizontal axis A to G and vertical
axis 1 to 7. They then take ten items and place them at random on
their grid. The patrols are now given five minutes to look at each
others grids and try and memorise the locations of as many items as
they can. After five minutes they each retire behind their barricades.
Each patrol in turn fires three shots. For a shot they must say the
name of the patrol they are firing at, the grid reference and what
item is at that grid reference. If they are correct then they capture
that item. Each patrol only gets 3 shots per round. After a set number
of rounds, the patrol that has captured the most items are the
winners. Please note that this is a memory game, no pencils and paper
allowed.
8.3 KIMS GAME VARIANT
You will need: (for each six or patrol)
* Two bowls or buckets on chairs
* ten mixed items
Teams or patrols stand in single file facing the front of the hall. At
the front of the hall facing each team is a bucket or bowl on a chair.
In each bowl there are ten items (the same items for each team). At
the back of the hall opposite each team is an empty bucket or bowl.
The scout leader calls out an item and the first man in each team has
to run to the front, get that item place it into the other bucket at
the back of the hall and then run back to the back of his team. The
first team with their man back get a point.
As you continue playing this the objects will be distributed between
the front and the back buckets. If the scouts have good memories they
will remember what items are in what buckets. This will save them
time. If an object is called by the leader and it is in the back
bucket then it has to be placed in the front bucket and vice versa.
The reason for the bucket being on a chair is so that the scouts can't
look in to see what is in the bucket.
8.4 PATIENCE
You will need: (for each six or patrol)
* A suit of cards Ace to ten (one pack of cards will supply four
teams)
The ten cards for each team are laid out at random, face down on a
table in front of them. One at a time the boys run up and turn over a
card. If it is not the Ace then they turn it face down again and run
back to their team and the next player has a go. When the ace is
turned up they can lay it face up at the front of the table. The next
card needed is the two and so on. Play continues until one team has
all its cards turned face up in the correct order.
8.5 COMPASS SKILLS PATIENCE
You will need:
* Sets of cards having the compass points printed on them
This game is played the same way as the Patience game, but this time
the boys have to place the cards at the correct compass position for
that card. Suggested order for laying down cards: North, South, East,
West, North East, South East, South West, North West. NNE, SSW, NNW,
SSE, ENE, WSW, ESE, WNW
8.6 IT'S UNDER A CUP
You will need:
* A number of plastic cups and
* objects to fit under them (e.g. a ball, a ring, a key etc.)
Two teams one each side of the hall. Each team is numbered 1 to N with
boys with the same number on each team of similar size. The object are
placed in the centre of the hall in a row and the plastic cups placed
over them. The leader now calls out an object and a number. The two
boys with that number have to rush to the row of plastic cups, find
the correct cup and take the object to the leader. The lad who gets
the object to the leader wins a point for his team.
8.7 RUBA DUB DUB
You will need:
* Twenty four 35mm film cannisters, these should be opaque and all
look the same. Into twelve of these you place a marble, fishing
bell or anything that will make a noise when the cannister is
shaken.
The boys sit in a circle and take it in turn to pick up two cannisters
at a time and give them a shake. If they both rattle then a prize or
point is given to the boy who picked them. These cannisters are then
removed from the game and the next boy has his turn. If both
cannisters do not rattle then they are both replaced where they were
picked up from and the game continues. The game gets more difficult as
more are removed as there are then more empty ones left in the game
than ones that rattle. You could make it more difficult by having a
larger number of containers to begin with. You could also guild the
lilly by putting numbers on the cannisters but I have not found this
to be necessary. You can use this as a team game, the winning team
being the one with most points or as individuals against all the rest.
8.8 POST OFFICE
You will need: (for each six or patrol)
* 2 chairs
* coins adding up to 50 pence
The boys stand in their patrols or sixes, in straight lines across the
middle of the hall. In front of each patrol is a chair, this chair is
the post office. On this chair at the beginning of the game is an
assortment of coins. We use coins that add up to 50 pence. Each teams
post office, has the same number and value of coins. Behind each
patrol is placed another chair, this chair is the 'BUREAU DE CHANGE'.
The leader calls out a sum of money, say 20 pence. The front man in
each team then runs to the post office and has to leave 20 pence on
the post office chair. Any extra coins must be taken and placed on the
BUREAU DE CHANGE chair. On finishing his move the player runs back and
joins the back of his team. The first man back gets a point for his
team. If a value is called which is higher than the value on the post
office chair, the boys must run to the BUREAU DE CHANGE to collect the
coins they need. Great fun can be had by calling out 49, a lot of them
will start counting the coins out, but the smart ones soon realise
that they only have to leave one coin at the BUREAU DE CHANGE to get
49 at the post office. Calling out the value that is already at the
post office also causes a laugh.
8.9 OBSTACLE COURSE IN THE DARK
You will need:
* Various items that will fall over easily such as skittles
* plastic bottles and short lengths of wood or plastic tube
Give each team the same type and number of objects. Allocate each team
a lane down the length of the hall across which they must lay out the
obstacles. You could mark these lanes with chairs if you wished. When
the teams have completed their task, line them up at one end of the
hall and then get them to swap lanes with one of the other teams. This
way if they have made the obstacle too easy then they will give this
advantage away to another team. After allowing them a minute or two to
look at the lane they are in, turn out the light and get them to walk
down the lane to the other end. The patrol leader or sixer should be
the leader for his team. At the finish end of the hall, one of the
leaders could flash a torch on and off at random to give them a
bearing. Points are deducted from each team for the number of
obstacles they have knocked over.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: PENCIL AND PAPER GAMES
9.1 CUB 2000
You will need: (for each six or patrol)
* A sheet of paper fanfolded into 6 sections
* a pen or pencil
The cubs or beavers sit in a circle in their six. The sixer is given
the fan folded sheet of paper and a pen. The rest of the six clos>
Transfer interrupted!
result more fun. The sixer then draws
on the first section, a hat suitable to be worn by a scout in the 21st
century. Paper is passed onto the next cub who draws the head on the
second section. This is continued with the shoulders body legs and
feet. Open out the paper at the end to see the strange 21st century
cub that the six have drawn.
9.2 MIME AND/OR KIM'S GAME
You will need:
* A sheet of paper and a pen or pencil for each cub, or for sixers
only if you do not have enough equipment.
The cubs sit in a circle with paper and pen in front of them on the
floor or just in front of the sixer. Akela sits in the circle with the
lads and takes imaginary objects out of a sack in front of him and
mimes the object. Cubs can either write the objects down as they are
mimed, or wait until the end and then write them all down.
Suggested items to mime:
Hammer and nails, Necklace, Tea cup and saucer, Teapot, Telephone,
Powder compact, Soap and flannel, Shoes, Watch, Hoola-hoop, Paper
clip, Earrings, Hair spray and many more, limited only by your
ingenuity.
9.3 PICTIONARY
You will need: (for each six or patrol)
* Sheets of paper and a pen or pencil
This is a game which has been commercialised in England. One member
from each patrol comes up to the scout leader, who whispers a word or
phrase to them. The patrol member then goes back to his patrol and
attempts to draw on a sheet of paper, what the scout leader said. They
are not allowed to give clues by actions, speech or writing. The first
patrol to guess correctly win the point.
9.4 TIME TABLES
You will need: (for each six or patrol)
* A set of time tables
* Paper and pens
* A prepared set of destinations and arrival times
If you go to a couple of your local travel agents, you should be able
to pick up some airline flight time tables. If you have four patrols
then you will need five copies all the same, one for the leader and
one for each of the patrols. You have to make up a list of
destinations and times that you would like to arrive there. Put in
some interesting ones that will need flight changes and different
airports. You could also throw in things like certain flights only
going on certain days. You could if you prefer, use railway or bus
time tables, but airlines will give you more exotic destinations. This
is a good training game for teaching the youngsters how to read and
use time tables.
9.5 ANAGRAMS
You will need:
* Cards with anagrams on pinned around the room
* pen and paper for each player or 1 per team
There are so many variations that you can try with this, for example
books of the Bible, rivers, towns, famous people.
9.6 CIRCLE LINE
You will need:
* 6 cards with lists of railway stations on them in two columns
* Pen and paper for each player or 1 per team
In England there is a circular underground line called would you
believe it 'The Circle Line' . The object of the game is for each
player or team to make their way all the way round the circle line.
You start each player or team off at a different station. They then
have to look at all the cards until they find their station in the
first column, they then have to move across horizontally on that list
to the second column which is the destination station, this they write
down on their paper. The new station is now the one they are looking
for in all the lists in the first column. To prevent players from
cheating you can put in a few red herrings i.e. stations that are not
on that line and which will send them in the wrong direction if they
do not play correctly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: PARTY GAMES
10.1 PIRATE'S TREASURE MAP
You will need:
* A map drawn on a large sheet of paper
* small sticky labels and a pen to write names on the labels
Often you will find that at the beginning of a party where you are
running the games, not all the children have arrived when you start.
To overcome this a game was needed that could be played by the
children as they arrived. I drew a pirate's treasure map on a sheet of
paper that I stuck to a board. On top of this I stuck a sheet of clear
adhesive film 'FABLON'. Between each game I ask a few children up and
ask them their names. I write their names onto small sticky labels
about the size of a thumb nail. The children then stick these onto the
map where they think that the treasure is buried. At the end of the
games session I turn the map around and show that I had stuck a label
on the back of the map to mark where the treasure was buried. The
closest person to this wins the prize. If you need to pad it out a
little, you can tell a short story about the pirate coming ashore with
his treasure chest, and deciding on the different places that he might
bury his treasure. This game can be used with any age group. Because
the map is covered in plastic film you can easily peel the labels off,
you can then use the map for repeat shows.
10.2 SOUND EFFECTS
You will need:
* A tape player and a tape with sounds that you have recorded
This is another game that is good at the start of a show if not all
the children have arrived. Borrow some sound effects records from your
local library. The B.B.C. do quite a large selection of these records.
They are used by drama clubs and film makers. Record different sounds
onto a tape leaving short breaks between each sound. Put in some easy
ones such as a dog barking and chickens clucking, but put in some hard
ones as well, such as submarine asdic noises and music boxes. Tell the
children, that you are going to play them sounds from the television
and the cinema. The first person with their hand up, will get the
prize if they can say what the sound is. Tell them not to put their
hand up until they are certain what the sound is. This game can be
played by any age group. A variation on this is to use the first few
notes of popular songs.
10.3 FIRST PERSON TO ME
This game can be used with large numbers of children. It keeps them
interested and can play for as long as you have questions. The object
of the game is for a child to bring you an item that you ask for. The
first child to you with that item gets the prize. Listed below are
some examples.
* A Loose tooth
* A rose coloured shirt dress or blouse. (any colour will do)
* A picture of the queen (a coin or banknote)
* Three hands on one wrist (a watch with hands)
* A pair of white socks
* A hairclip
Tell the children to be very careful that they don't bump into anyone
as they are running up to you. If you run out of ideas you can look to
see what different people are wearing. You often find a child that
won't join in with the games as they never win anything. Choose
something that only they have, this will make them want to take part.
10.4 BOAT OR CAR RACE
You will need: (for each six or patrol)
* A toy boat or car connected to a long length of string on a roller
This is an oldie but very good when you have a large group to keep
amused and interested. You will need four toy boats or cars. These are
attached to long lengths of twine which are wound around pieces of
dowel or broom handle. Rotating the dowel winds on the twine and drags
the toy car or boat along the floor. Split the group into two teams
and sit each team on opposite sides of the hall. Choose the biggest
person from each team, explaining to the children, that these people
are going to try and win points for their team. My boats are red,
blue, green and yellow. The first race we use the red and the blue
boat. One team is told to shout for the red and the other team to
shout for the blue. After the first race I change the boats for the
other two boats. I tell the children that this is to ensure that there
was no advantage, as perhaps the boats could have been different
weights. I then run the new boats out and we have another race. The
children get very excited during this game, but you have complete
control. You only have to direct the two children running the boats.
The rest of the children are sitting at the sides cheering their boat
in.
10.5 ISLANDS
You will need:
* Four different coloured skittles or bean bags
* Four coloured beads or balls to match the colour of the skittles
* A small cloth bag to keep the balls in
* A whistle or other noise maker, I use a siren whistle
This is a variation on musical chairs, but the kids will not realise
this the way that it is played. Place the four coloured skittles at
the four corners of your playing area. Tell the lads that these are
islands. When you say "GO" they must run around the outside of the
four islands in a clockwise direction, when you shout "CHANGE
DIRECTION" they must run the other way round. When you blow the
whistle, they must go and stand next to one of the islands. You do
this a couple of times with no forfeits and nobody out, then you
introduce the bag with the coloured beads. You reach into the bag and
take one out, all the boys standing next to that colour has to do ten
press-ups. You then sort them all running again. This time all the
lads who land on the colour you pick out of the bag are out and have
to sit in the middle (This keeps them out of the way). You then take
away that skittle and it's matching coloured ball. The next time round
all the lads on the chosen colour have to do a hand stand. The next
time all the lads on the selected colour are out and sit in the
middle. You again remove the selected skittle and it's matching
coloured ball. So you are down to two skittles. By this time most of
the boys will be out and you just keep playing with the two skittles
until you get to a final winning boy.
10.6 PASS THE PARCEL UPDATED
You will need
* A timer or alarm clock with a loud ring - this should be in a
small box
Pass the parcel is a bit old hat but the lads will enjoy this updated
version. A timing device with a loud alarm connected to it is passed
in a box around the circle. The person holding the box when the alarm
goes off is either out or has to do a forfeit. There was a toy put out
on the market several years ago that did just this. It had some name
such as "TIME BOMB" or "GRENADE" you may have seen it.
10.7 THE LIMBO
You will need: You will need:
* A tape recorder with recorded music
* A dowel, flat on 1 side, to act as a bar
* 2 large clothes pegs or bulldog clips to balance the bar on
* 2 upright stands
These can be made from two pieces of dowel about one and a half metres
high with a flat wooden base to make them stand upright. Place the two
stands about four feet apart. Put one of the clothes pegs on each
stand at about four feet from the ground. Balance the bar on the
clothes pegs. If one clothes peg falls off then use two clothes pegs
per stand. Mark out the hall with four chairs and tell the players
that they must walk around the outside of all the chairs. This
prevents them bunching up, you only want one person at a time going
under the bar. To begin you get all the players to stand in a single
line at one side of the hall. You show them how to go under the bar,
they must lean backwards and bend their knees to get under the bar.
They must not touch the floor with their hands and they must not knock
the bar off, anyone who does so is out. When everyone has been under
the bar once it is lowered down a few inches and the process repeated
Prizes are give to those who can get under the bar at the lowest
setting. Ideal for all ages, girls or boys and can be played with any
number. All you have to do is play the music and keep lowering the bar
as they go around.
10.8 ANIMAL SNAP
You will need:
* Get several packs of animal snap type picture cards
* make sure you have the same number of each animal card
Distribute these cards one to each person but tell them not to look at
the picture. On the command go they must look at their card and by
making the noise of that animal they must find all the other people in
the hall with that card. A very noisy game ideal as an ice breaker at
mixed parties. Don't forget to get your cards back afterwards.
There are quite a few spectator games where only a few take part but
the rest cheer the others on. Listed below are a few of these.
10.9 STOP
You will need:
* 2 sets of large cards - there are four cards in each set and the
letters on the cards spell S T O P
You get up eight people and stand four on each side of you facing the
audience. Give each team member one of the cards from their set of
STOP cards. To start with they should spell out STOP as viewed from
the audience. The idea is that they have to rearrange themselves to
spell out the word that you tell them. The first team to finish each
word are the winners. The words you can have are STOP, TOPS, POST and
SPOT. There is lots of room for fun here, try telling them to spell a
word they are already lined up spelling and see what happens.
10.10 CLOTHES PEG PEGGING
You will need:
* Two lengths of rope or clothes line
* Coloured plastic clothes pegs
Have two small groups at the front. This time they have to peg clothes
pegs on a length of line. The rest of the kids cheers their team on.
Two people on each team hold an end of the line the third person
dashes to pick up the pegs and put them on the line. You can make it
more difficult by using coloured plastic pegs and getting them to peg
them on in a certain order. The team with the most pegs on correctly
in a given time are the winners points are deducted for every peg that
is wrong.
10.11 YES NO INTERLUDE
You will need:
* A minute timer
* a gong to strike when they say "YES" or "NO"
Only do this with half a dozen kids. One at a time they have to talk
to you for a minute answering your questions. They must not say YES or
NO to any of your questions. If you word your questions correctly then
they have to think very quickly. Tell them they will be out if they do
not answer, if their answer does not make sense, or if they hesitate.
10.12 SWITCH BOX
You will need:
* 3 table lamp switches push ON/push OFF type, panel mounting
* 1 small bulb and a holder for it
* A battery of the same voltage as the bulb
* Connecting wire
* A small box to fit the whole lot into
Drill holes in the top of the box for the three switches and the
light. The switches have the numbers, 1, 2 and 3 painted against them.
Wire the three switches in series with the lamp and the battery. The
battery can be fixed into the box with a `TERRY` clip or a strip of
'VELCRO' material. You can solder the wires to the battery or better
still, if the battery has lugs on it, use crocodile clips. In use, all
three switches must be closed before the bulb will light. Get the cubs
or scouts in a circle and explain to them that the box has a brain. By
pressing the switches in the correct sequence, the brain will cause
the bulb to light. Demonstrate by pressing the switches until the bulb
lights. Now pick up the box, and tell them that you are going to
change the program. Press one of the switches and put the box down
again. The bulb will now be out. One at a time they take it in turns
to come up and press one switch. If the bulb lights, then they get a
prize or points for their team. If the first person to come up,
presses the switch that you pressed, to switch the bulb off. The bulb
will light and they will win. This means that they have a one in three
chance of winning. If however they press one of the other switches, it
means that two switches are now open and need to be closed before the
bulb will light.
Example 1
* Switch 1 closing will light the lamp.
* First person presses switch 1 and wins.
Example 2
* Switch 1 closing will light the lamp.
* First person presses switch 2 - this means that 1 and 2 are now
open.
* Second person presses switch 3 - All the switches are now open.
* Third person presses switch 2 - 1 and 3 are now open.
* Fourth person presses switch 1 - Only 3 is open now.
* Fifth person presses switch 3 and wins.
10.13 IMPROVED SWITCH BOX
Available at the present time is a range of LED's (Light Emitting
Diodes) which have a flasher circuit built into them. These will run
off any voltage between 6 and 12 volts with no series resistor. The
one that I have fitted into my switch box in place of the lamp, is 8mm
in diameter, and it has a light viewing angle of 140 degrees. The
device is called a "SUPER BRIGHT" red LED in the catalogue that I
have. It is also available in 5mm and 10mm sizes. There is also an
ultra bright device, which is at least twice as bright, but the
viewing angle is only 90 degrees. All these devices flash at a rate of
about two flashes per second and they are very bright. I have changed
the battery in my switch box to a PP3 type 9 volt battery. It is now a
much simpler job to change the battery, as the battery connector just
pushes on. While I was rebuilding the switch box, I wired in another
switch at the side of the box for testing the battery. This switch is
wired across the three switches that are wired in series. When you
press this switch the l.e.d. flashes if the battery is ok.
10.14 HALLOWEEN PARTY GAMES
10.14.1 PUMPKIN CARVING
A game we tried that the kids really liked at Halloween was
blindfolded pumpkin carving. no no no no no no. NOT with knives!
(Unless your Webelos need a lot of Readyman training!)
You give the kids already inflated orange balloons and a black magic
marker, blindfold them and see how they do. You can give prizes for
the 'best', most original, worst, etc.
10.14.2 FEELY BOX
Something that may be a bit to scary for the Cub Scouts, but is great
for the older scouts, is a "feely box" that grabs your hand! You take
a plastic bucket; cut out a circle in the bottom, and glue a rubber
glove in its place, just like gloves in sterile boxes.
You should not blindfold people, but instead to this in an almost
place. Have buckets with spaghetti, liver, etc., in addition to the
"grabbing" bucket. The buckets should all be filled with water, and
the special bucket should be last. People get a good scare when
feeling for something in the bucket, and then suddenly this something
grabs their hand and pulls down !! The downward pulling makes the
shock even greater than just a grabbing hand.
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