GAMES

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Brenda, Last Frontier Council

For as long as most of us can remember, kids have been trying to one-up each other in the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. In China, children take it a step further. Here's how:

Two kids sit side by side at the bottom of a short staircase. On the count of three, both of them must throw one hand forward in the form of a rock (a fist), paper (fingers held together, straight out), or scissors (forefinger and middle finger in a "V").

Following the logic that paper covers rock, rock breaks scissors, and scissors cut paper, the player who presents the winning symbol in that round moves up one step. If both kids display the same symbol, it's considered a tie.

Play continues in this manner until one child reaches the top step and wins the game.

Chop Sticks Relay Race

Brenda, Last Frontier Council

*  Have enough sets of chop sticks so that each relay team gets two sets. (You decide how many relay teams you need.)

*  Get a bag of individually wrapped fireballs so that when they drop them the candy isn't everywhere! 

*  Divide the boys into equally-sized teams and then split the teams in half again.

*  Send one half of each team to one end of the hall and the other half to the other end.

*  The object of the race is to use the chop sticks (I am not making rules on how they use them!) to carry the fireball down the hall to the other half of your team and to hand it off to the next racer.

*  This goes back and forth until the two groups are on the opposite ends of the hall from where they started (i.e., everyone got a turn "to run with the ball..").

*  If you have enough fireballs, then give one to each participant after the race.

*  If you have enough chop sticks, give them to the winning team/dens to hang on their den colors.

Chinese Ball

Brenda, Last Frontier Council

Needed: A basketball

Instructions:

1.       The players stand shoulder to shoulder in a large circle.

2.       One player has a basketball which he throws to any player in the circle who must try to catch it.

3.       When the ball is caught by a player, children on either side must raise their arms in the following manner: The player on the catcher’s right will raise his left arm, and the player on the catcher’s left will raise his right arm.

4.       If a player raises the wrong arm, or neither or both, that player leaves the circle.

5.       If a player fails to catch the ball, he too must leave the circle.

6.       If the player catches the ball, he throws it instantly to some other player, whose neighbors must raise their arms as described above.

7.       The upraised arms are lowered again as soon as a catcher has thrown the ball.

8.       When all but five players are eliminated, the remaining players are the winners, and the game starts all over again.

Crossing the Rice Fields (China)

Brenda, Last Frontier Council

*  Divide dens into two teams.

*  Have each team break into two-boy teams.

*  When the leader calls, "Rice!" the first pair on each team forms a "wheelbarrow" (one boy walks on his hands while the other holds his ankles) and races across the "rice field" to a "river" (two parallel ropes on the floor with a board (2x4 lying on wide side) going across it).

*  At the edge of the river, the players stand up and walk across the bridge.  Then they return. 

Alternate River Crossing

At the edge of the river, one player climbs on the other's back and is carried piggyback across the river.

*  On the other bank, they change places for the return trip across the river and then wheelbarrow back to their team.

*  The next pair then starts.

Chinese Number Games:

Alice, Golden Empire Council

Use the calligraphy number chart under Den and Pack Activities to print our or make two sets of cards.  Use the cards to play a Memory, Matching or Snap game.

Forcing The City Gates

Sam Houston Area Council

(very much like “Red Rover”)

*  Appoint captains, choose sides, and form into two lines facing each other.

*  Everyone in each line, take hold of each other's hands tightly and sing:

He stuck a feather in his hat,
And hurried to the town
And children met him with a horse
For the gates were broken down.

*  One player from the other side runs with all his force throwing himself upon the hands of the children who had sung.

*  The object of the game is to “break through” the gate (the hands).

*  If successful, the two players whose hands were parted come to his/her side.

*  The other side then sings.

*  One from this group will try to break through the line, and thus alternate until one side or the other is broken up.

Chopstick Race

Sam Houston Area Council

Set Up:

*  Place a bowl of uncooked rice, popcorn (easier), M & Ms or Smarties (hardest!) for each team on a chair or table at one end of the room,

*  Place a pair of chopsticks and an empty bowl for each team at the other end of the room.

To Play:

*  Using the chopsticks, the first member of each team picks up a piece of popcorn, rice or a Smartie etc. from their bowl

*  He then carries it to their team's bowl at the other end of the room

*  Then he runs back and passes the chopsticks to the next team member who does the same.

*  Continue as a relay race

*  When every team member has successfully completed the task the team has finished

*  The first team to finish wins. (If the teams are uneven in numbers, make sure each bowl has the same number of pieces of popcorn, sweets etc., and continue till they have all been transferred to the other bowl.).

*  If boys are having troubles with the smaller items at first, let them use cotton balls.

Select Fruit

Alice, Golden Empire Council

*  Select captains and choose sides.

*  All squat down in two rows twenty feet apart.

*  Each child is given the name of some kind of fruit, such as apples, pears, peaches, quinces, or plums - all of which are common about Peking.

*  The captain on one side then blindfolds one of the children, while one from the other group rises and walks over to touch the blindfolded child - returning to their place among their own group and taking as nearly as possible the position they had when the other was blindfolded.

*  In case their companions are uncertain as to whether their position is exactly the same, they all change their position, in order to prevent the one blindfolded from guessing who it was who left his place.

*  The covering is then removed from the blindfolded person's eyes.

*  They should approach the members of the opposite team to examine carefully the positions of the players or a trace of guilt in the face or eyes of any of them.

*  They can make "faces" to try to cause the guilty one to laugh.

*  The player needs to risk a guess and make a selection of the person who touched them while blindfolded.

*  If they are right, they take the place of the child who touched them.

*  If they are wrong, they stay on their side.

*  One from their side is then blindfolded, and the whole is repeated until one group or the other looses all its children.

Caught You!

Alice, Golden Empire Council

Needed: a large group of people (about 20-30 people), a piece of cloth, and a small ball.

·         Directions:
One person is “it” and is blindfolded.

·         Everyone else sits in a circle. 

·         Leader says “Start” and the ball is passed around the circle. 

·         It can shout “Stop” at any time. 

·         The person with the ball at that time must stand up and sing a song, tell a story, make a funny face and noises. 

·         See if “It” can identify the person performing.  “

·         It” is replaced every few minutes to keep the game fun.  (This may seem tame and without competition to American children, but is very popular with Chinese children)

Lame Chicken

Utah National Parks Council

Equipment: 10" long stick for each boy

Set Up: Divide into two groups and have the boys place the sticks on the ground about 10 inches apart, like the rungs on a ladder.

Instructions:

*  On the signal, the first boy on each team hops on one foot over all ten sticks.

*  He then reaches down, picks up the tenth stick and hops back over the other nine sticks.

*  He tags the next player who repeats the first boys actions.

*  Continue until all the sticks are gone.

*  The first team to pick up all their sticks wins!

Chinese Wall

Great Salt Lake Council

Materials needed - masking tape or rope, measuring tape

Play:

*  Players line up along one side of the gym.

*  Two parallel lines of masking tape are made down the center of the gym about three to four feet apart.

*  The catcher stands between the lines and tries to tag players as they try to cross the “wall”.

*  The catcher must stay on the “wall” and players can only be caught when they are on the wall.

*  If caught, players stay on the wall and help to catch the rest.

Catch The Dragons Tail

Great Salt Lake Council

Materials needed: handkerchief, Chinese music, cassette or CD player

Play:

*  The boys line up in a single line, each holding onto the waist of the boy in front.

*  The boy at the end (the tail) has a hanky hanging out of his back pocket.

*  The boys count down together, “EM”-1, “ER”-2, “SAN”-3, “KO”-GO!

*  Then the music starts and the boys walk in time to the music.

*  When the music ends, the first person, who is the Head of the dragon, tries to catch the tail, (the hanky), on the last person.

*  The whole dragon must remain unbroken. If the dragon breaks, a new dragon must be formed.

*  If the head player grabs the tail, he may continue to be the head.

*  If the body breaks before he touches the tail, the head becomes the tail, and the next in line is the head and so on, until each has had a turn being the “fiery head of the lashing tail”.

HIT THE SQUARE

Utah National Parks Council

Equipment:- chalk, disks or washers

Set Up:

Draw a rectangle on the ground about twelve inches by twenty-four inches.

Divide the rectangle into two equal squares.

Each player has a disk or a washer.

Instructions:

*  One player places his disk into the square.

*  Another player stands about eight to ten feet away and tosses his disk into the square.

*  If it lands in the square with the other player's disk, he scores two points.

*  If it lands in the empty square, he scores one point.

*  The player who reaches a predetermined score wins.

Fan The Fish

Utah National Parks Council

Preparation:

Draw a circle on the finish line about 20 inches across.

Make paper fish for each team.

Make cardboard or paper place fans for each team.

Draw a start line for teams to line up at.

Line up teams in relay formation at the starting line.

Place a paper fish in front of each team at the start line.

Place the fan behind on the floor.

Instructions:

*  At the word "Go" the first person in line picks up the fan and starts fanning the fish toward the circle on the floor.

*  When he gets it into the circle, he picks up the fish and takes the fish and fan back to the start for the next player.

*  Players may not hit the fish with the fan.