GAMES

Battle of Bunker Hill
Baltimore Area Council

• The boys should be divided into two teams, one team representing the minutemen and the other the British.
• Draw two lines from ten to fifteen feet apart and stand the contestants on these lines, facing each other.
• Give each team four beanbags.
• When the signal is given to “fire” the teams “shoot” at each other by tossing the bean bags at the opposing line.
• If a player is hit by a beanbag, he is a “casualty” and must drop out of the game.
• However, if a player sees a bag coming toward him, he may catch the bag and continue playing.
• The game should continue until either the Minutemen or British are vanquished.

Ring the Liberty Bell
Baltimore Area Council

Materials

• A bell,
• a wire coat hanger,
• some heavy cord or rope, and
• a small rubber ball.

• Bend the coat hanger into a hoop, with the hook at the top.
• Hang the bell in the middle of the hoop with the rope, and
• Then tie the hoop from a low tree branch.
• This game may be played by individuals or teams.
• The players take turns trying to throw the ball through the hoop.
• Have a person stand on the other side of the hoop to catch the ball.
• Keep score as points are made.
• Each time the bell is rung, the player scores three points.
• If the ball goes through the hoop but doesn’t touch the bell, he scores two points.
• If the ball hits the outside of the coat hanger, the player scores one point.
• Each player throws the ball only once per turn, and gets five turns.
• After everyone is finished, add up the number of points scored by individuals or teams.

PATRIOTIC COLORS
Great Salt Lake Council

Materials needed: None

Play:

• The Cubs are sitting in a circle.
• One Cub is designated as Uncle Sam.
• Uncle Sam stands in the middle of the circle and points to a player and calls a color, let’s say  "red"
• Tthe player has to name an object that is red (tomato, fire engine, etc.…) before Uncle Sam can count to 10 out loud.
• The same object cannot be repeated.
• If the player fails to think of an object before Uncle Sam has counted to ten, the two switch places.
• Use the patriotic colors of Red, White, and Blue in random order.

UNCLE SAM
Great Salt Lake Council

Materials needed: None

Play:

• Designate one player to be IT (“Uncle Sam”).
• All other players stand on one side of an marked area with IT in the middle.
• The players chant “Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam may we cross your waterland.”
• IT replies, “Not unless you have the color --- (Red on, or brown eyes, or black hair, etc.).”
• Anyone having that color gets a free pass across the area to the opposite side.
• After the free passes have gone, those without the color, run across trying to avoid being tagged by IT.
• Anyone that gets tagged joins IT in the middle and helps tag others on following passes.
• The last one tagged gets to be IT on the next game.

SPRAY BOTTLE CAPTURE THE FLAG
Great Salt Lake Council

• Divide players into two teams, each of which must defend a flag (in this case a water balloon)
• While defending, they try to capture (and stomp on) the opposing team’s flag.(balloon)
• Instead of tagging opposite players to “freeze” them, you squirt them with a spray bottle.
• And, because this is a cool off game, to release your team mates from a “freeze”, you have to squirt them again!

BALLOON CATAPULT
Great Salt Lake Council

Materials needed: Water balloons partially filled with water

Play:

• Divide the group into equal teams.
• Give each team a balloon.
• The team members sit down in straight lines.
• On "GO", the first person on each team places the balloon between his feet and, using only his feet, passes the balloon over his head to the next person in line, who receives the balloon, using only his feet.
• The relay continues until the balloon has reached the last team member
• If the balloon falls, it is returned to the first person in line so that the relay can begin again.
• If the balloon breaks, the team is given a new one.
• The first team to successfully pass the balloon to the end of the line wins.

State Landings
Baltimore Area Council

• Cut cardboard circles of different sizes to represent the states.
• Suspend them from the ceiling.
• Make paper airplanes and let each player have 3 chances at throwing a plane and hitting a state.
• Have the player stand about 6 feet away.
• Set a point value on each state, the smallest being worth the most points.
• The player with highest score wins.

Minuteman, Run!
Baltimore Area Council

• To play this game, the players form a circle and hold hands.
• A person is chosen to be “it” and stands inside the circle.
• He walks around the circle, tapping each player’s hands as he says each word of the rhyme, “Red, white, blue, out goes you!”
• The two persons he taps on the word, “You,” run around the circle in opposite directions.
• “It” steps into one of the empty places.
• The last one to get back to the other empty place becomes “it”.

Independence Tag
Baltimore Area Council

As in all tag games, “IT” pursues the rest of the players and tries to touch one of them.

When one has been touched, he must keep his hand on the spot where he was touched and pursue the others.

His hand cannot be freed from this spot until he has tagged someone else.

The idea is to tag people in inconvenient places on the ankle, knee etc.

Citizen Test
Baltimore Area Council

• Two teams face each other across a wide space.
• Leader asks each player a question about the Declaration of Independence, the Star Spangled Banner, President, Vice-President, Governor, or other fitting subject.
• A correct answer entitles that team to one step forward.
• An incorrect answer passes the question to the other team.
• The team to cross the other team’s starting line first is the winner.

Firecracker Tag
Alice, CS RT Commissioner
Pioneer District, Golden Empire Council

One person is chosen to be “It.”  The other boys are “Firecrackers.”  On a countdown, everyone scatters in all directions and “It” tries to tag them.  The only safety is for the “Firecracker” to scrunch down and yell out the name of some kind of firecracker or fireworks.  (You could also list them before the game begins – pop-its, roman candles, sparklers, tanks, smoke-bombs, fountains)  If a “Firecracker” is tagged before he says a name, he is out of the game and sits down.  The last person standing becomes “It.”

Rockets on Target
Alice, CS RT Commissioner
Pioneer District, Golden Empire Council

Divide into two teams (although it could also be done as an individual challenge)  Each team will need a Frisbee.  Mount a hula hoop in a tree and each team takes turns trying to make the target and send their Frisbee through the hoop.  Give a point for every target. 

Adventures in Patriotism
Alice, CS RT Commissioner
Pioneer District, Golden Empire Council

Set up an Adventure Course – each boy must move around and do each task before he moves on.  Examples of some challenges:  two boys work together to fold a flag properly; boys match historical flags with their correct name; show how to salute the flag in uniform and in street clothes; give one National Holiday when the flag should be flown; Tell one way to show respect for the flag; demonstrate on a paper flag how a worn flag is retired.  (You could also focus on American history as your theme)  At the end of the course, the boys could be rewarded with Patriotic Rice Crispy Treats!

Follow General Washington
Alice, CS RT Commissioner
Pioneer District, Golden Empire Council

Everyone stands in a circle facing center.  The first person performs an action, something simple like clapping their hands two times.  Then the person to their left repeats the action and adds something to it, like jumping up once.  The play continues to the left with each new person performing in order what has been done before, then adding another action.  Play continues until a player is unable to recall in order what the previous actions have been.  No one is out – play just begins again with the next person in line.  You could even have two groups if you have a large number of boys.  Very important:  Make sure everyone knows that they can’t prompt someone what action comes next, unless the leader gives permission.