GAMES

Marshmallow Shooter:

Alice, Golden Empire Council

Materials:

38 inches of ½ “ PVC pipe, cut into: 6-5 inch pieces, 1-8 inch piece;

2- elbow bend PVC connectors

2 – T-shaped PVC connectors

2 – end caps

PVC cutter

Miniature Marshmallows

Instructions:

·         First cut the pieces.

·         Lay out the pieces as shown below and then just connect each piece.

·         Sand the mouthpiece end so you won’t get cut – that’s the top piece that is uncapped. 

·         DON’T glue the pieces together! You can also decorate your shooter, using colored tape, stickers, acrylic paint or magazine cut-outs and watered down glue – but be sure not to glue the connection points together – in case you have to clean out sticky miniature marshmallows.

Some tips: 

ü  Don't eat your ammo.

ü  Pick up the marshmallows when you're done - they're very likely bad for animals. If the marshmallows get wet, the sugar makes a big mess.

ü  If you don’t have a PVC cutter, just get a piece of nylon string about 2 foot long loop it around the pipe and alternately pull each end back and forth the friction and abrasiveness of the string will make a smooth cut, just be careful to keep straight.

ü  Try shooting various ways – you might even adapt your shooter to shoot two directions at once!

Capture the Moon

Alice, Golden Empire Council

This is a variation on Flashlight Tag, but using a soccer ball as the “moon” that must be captured.

Equipment:

Soccer ball

Flashlight

Open area and a dark night

How to Play:

ü  One player is the “astronaut” and stands near the soccer ball “moon,” while other players run and hide when he yells “Blast Off!”

ü  He counts to 29 (for the lunar cycle), then yells “Full Moon” and turns the flashlight on the soccer ball. 

ü  Players try to grab the “moon.” 

ü  The astronaut can turn off the flashlight between tags, and try to sneak up to the hiding players. 

ü  Any player caught in the “light of the moon” (flashlight) is out. 

ü  Winner is either the first to grab the ball without being caught in the flashlight beam, or the last one left. 

ü  He then becomes the new astronaut.

Outdoor Nature Hunt

Capital Area Council

Directions

P Make up a list such as the one below for each boy.

P Boys can hunt in pairs in your backyard or in the park.

P See which pair can find the most within a limited amount of time.

A Sample List

Something alive that flies

A cup of wet sand

A worm

A cup of pink water

Five maple leaves

Three rocks at least two inches in diameter

A piece of string

A dandelion

Swinging Comets

Alice, Golden Empire Council

This is great fun to play in the dark – it makes use of the way our eyes work – we actually see a comet “tail” behind the swinging ball. I remember playing with this homemade toy – it was fun even without glow in the dark paint!  Alice

Materials:

Tennis Ball

Acrylic paint (optional)

Glow in the Dark Paint

Craft Knife (ADULT only)

Heavy duty string (for added fun, look for Glow in the Dark string at Craft stores)

Tacky Glue

A Dark Night and Open Space

Directions:

·         Decorate the ball with acrylic paint and/or cover the dry ball with glow in the dark paint.

·         Let dry.

·         Adult cuts a half-inch slit in the ball.

·         Take a 30 inch length of string, fold in half and double knot.

·         Squeeze the ball so the slit will open up, and insert the knot end of the string into the hole.

·         Add a squirt of tacky glue to secure the string. 

How to play:

Hold onto the looped string and swing your “comet” around, or have a contest to see who can toss their comet the farthest. (If the glow fades, just use a flashlight or make a quick trip into the house to renew the glow in the dark)

CLASSIC GAMES

Utah National Parks

This is a great time to play all those outdoor games we remember as a kid and also some new ones to teach the group. Make up new twists to keep everyone interested.  Really have FUN with them!

P Kick the Can

P Capture the Flag

P Kickball

P Sardines

P Red Rover

P Tag (Any variation, make up your own!)

P Hide n Seek (variations: chain, flashlight)

P Rock Paper Scissors tournament

MOSQUITO BITES

Utah National Parks

?   “IT” pursues the other 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 players in inconvenient places - knee, ankle, elbow, etc.

SUMMER VACATION

Utah National Parks

This is usually a pack event,
but variations can make it usable for dens.

For teams of eight players this is played like a relay race with the following variations:

# 1:        has a flat tire, so he hops on his right foot.

# 2:        has a flat tire, so he hops on his left foot.

# 3:        can only go in reverse so he goes backwards.

# 4:        has water in gas and goes two steps forward and one step backward.

# 5:        must be cranked every fourth step, so he stops and cranks himself.

# 6:        won't go, so

# 7:        pushes him.

# 8:        runs fine.

Team to finish first wins.

Find The Leader 

Sam Houston Area Council

This game is a big hit with younger players
but it can be just as entertaining with a
group of adults.

Players: At least 4 (best with 6 or more.)

The Object: To guess who’s leading the group.

How to play:

«  One player, the guesser, goes to another area out of hearing range while the remaining players sit in a circle and select a leader (quietly!)

«  The leader then initiates a series of motions – hand movements, claps, foot stomps, and so on – which the other players copy.

«  The guesser is then called back to watch the group.

«  The leader must change the movements every five to twenty seconds.

«  The followers try not to give away the leader with their eyes.

«  The guesser gets three tries to identify the right person. Change leaders and play again.

Light – No Light 

Sam Houston Area Council

Equipment: Flashlight

ü  Players line up across one end of a large, open, wooded playing area, while one player stands at the other end holding a flashlight.

ü  The object of the game is to be the first player to move from one end of the playing area to the other, past the person holding the flashlight.

ü  The player with the flashlight stands with his back to the other players. Every 5 seconds, he turns around and shines the light to scan the area for 3 seconds. If a moving player gets caught by the light beam, he must return to the start. Stationery players remain where they are.

ü  The first person to successfully move past the person with the flashlight becomes the light for the next round.

Variation:
The player with the flashlight keeps the flashlight on, and continually scans the playing area. Advancing players dress in dark clothes. If caught in a beam of light, a player must return to the start.

Lighthouse 

Sam Houston Area Council

«  One of the players is the lighthouse, parked at one end of the hall. Half the group are rocks and they are spaced around the floor, with a gap between each of them. The rest of the group are ships that have to make their way, blindfolded, through the rock to the lighthouse.

«  On “Go,” the lighthouse goes “Woo-Woo” to guide the ships. The rocks go “Swish-Swish,” very gently, to warn the approaching ships of danger, and the ships are supposed to sail between the rocks to the lighthouse beyond.

«  If a ship hits a rock it sinks and stays where it is.

«  When all the ships arrive at the lighthouse, the two halves of the group switch sides: the rocks become ships and the ships become rocks and they have a replay.

The Frog Hop 

Sam Houston Area Council

ü  Draw a finish line about 25’ from the start and line the players up about 3’ apart.

ü  At “Go” they race by jumping first to the right, then to the left, then straight ahead.

ü  This procedure is followed until someone crosses the finish line.

Natures Sounds 

Sam Houston Area Council

The group sits quietly in a clearing in the woods. Each person listens, writing down all of the nature sounds he hears - the wind, birds, insects, leaves rustling, etc. (each sound must be specifically identified). After a 5 or 10 minute time limit, each player reads his list. The longest correct list wins the game.

Birds On A Telephone Line 

Sam Houston Area Council

ü  Divide into two teams.

ü  String a clothesline from one side to the other at shoulder height of the average person.

ü  Clip 20 or more round topped clothespins onto the line. (The pins are the birds and the clothesline is the telephone line)

ü  On signal, the first person in each team runs to the line, removes a pin with his teeth (no hands), brings it back to his team and drops it in a sack.

ü  The first team finished wins.

Log Rolling 

Sam Houston Area Council

«  Tape two oatmeal boxes together to make a log or use a large mailing tube.

«  Use dowel or yardsticks to roll it.

«  Form relay teams and have a relay race pushing the log across the room, around a chair and back to the starting line.

Shadow Stomp Game 

Sam Houston Area Council

This game is like a game of tag, but a bit different. In this game,

“It” must stomp on the other players’ shadows instead of tagging him.

What’s In The Picnic Basket?

Sam Houston Area Council

 (A quiet game for after all that running around)

Players: 2 or more

Sit in a circle or around a picnic table. The game begins by imagining you have a very large picnic basket. The first player recites the sentence “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing _________.” The player must fill in the blank with an appropriate word that begins with the letter A, such as “apples” or “American cheese.”

The second player must repeat the sentence just as the first player said it and add an item that begins with B. For example, “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing apples and bread.”

The game continues around and around with each player repeating the complete list of items and then adding something with the next letter of the alphabet.

As the list becomes longer it is more difficult to remember. (If players agree beforehand, the letter X and other difficult letters like Q and Z, can be left off the list or the items for those letters can be chosen by the group.)

If a player makes a mistake, he is “out.” The winner is the last person left, providing he can repeat the whole basketful of items without a mistake.

A simpler version of this game would not require alphabetizing. Instead, kids can pack the picnic basket with any appropriate item. When a player misses an item, the next player starts the list over. Players are out of the game after making three mistakes. The last player remaining is the winner.

Moonball 

Sam Houston Area Council

Materials: Beach ball

P Players form a circle.

P Toss the ball into the circle and see how long the group can keep the ball in the air (count the number of hits).

P If the ball hits the ground, start again and try to improve your record.

Problem solving – When the ball hits the ground, ask the group what they think will help them do better. Have them try some of their suggestions.

Fox And Geese 

Sam Houston Area Council

Fox and Geese games originated in
northern Europe during the Viking Age.

Fox and Geese is a chase game that is played on a circle rather than in one. Eight or more players are needed. One is the fox and the rest are the geese.

To prepare for the game, a circle is drawn (at least 30 feet in diameter) and cut into 8 or 10 equal pieces, like the spokes of a wagon wheel. This can be done in the snow, in the sand or with chalk on a black-top or playground surface.

The player chosen to be the fox begins the game in the center of the circle (his den) and the geese pass along the spokes and rim of the wheel. When a player thinks he has a chance, he can run up the spoke toward the den to tease the fox into chasing him.

At the signal, the fox starts chasing the geese. All the players must stay on the lines at all times. Should two geese meet, they may maneuver carefully around each other but they must not step off the lines. When the fox catches up with a goose, he tags the goose that then joins the fox in hunting the other geese. The last goose left is the winner and becomes the fox for the next round.

SEMICIRCLE SOCCER

(A Semi-cooperative Game)

Utah National Parks

The idea for this game came from a game called Konta Wai in Papua, New Guinea.

In Konta Wai, two semicircles of about five players each stand facing each other about 12 feet apart. The fruit of a local tree is thrown, lifted like a hockey puck, or batted back and forth between the semicircles with the use of sticks. The main object of the game is to try to prevent the fruit from passing through one's own semicircle of players. Semicircle Soccer takes off from here and adds a few new wrinkles.

To play:

«  First form two separate semicircles, of four or five players each by linking arms around the next person's waist.

«  Semicircles begin by facing each other and kicking a sponge soccer ball back and forth.

«  The objective of each team is to prevent the other team from kicking the ball through its semicircle.

«  However, both semicircles are mobile.

«  They can move at will and can kick the ball from anywhere on the play space.

«  They can even attempt to get around behind the other semicircle in order to kick the ball through their unit in a rear attack.

«  Additional semicircles and balls can be added for more action.

GET WET!

Utah National Parks

Squirt-Tac-Toe

·         Make a tic-tac-toe board on the sidewalk with sticks or chalk.

·         Each player use a water squirter to make the X's and O's.

·         Work quickly, because when an X or O dries up, it doesn't count!

·         The hotter the day, the quicker you have to be.

Marathon Melt

·         Divide into pairs.

·         Everyone has to keep one hand behind his back.

·         Each pair gets one ice cube.

·         See which pair can find a way to melt the ice cube first!

Clap and Splat

·         Toss a water balloon straight up, and see how many times you can clap before catching it.

·         Take turns. If you drop the balloon and it doesn't break, you get to go again.

·         If the balloon breaks, you're out.

·         The person who can clap the most times and make a successful catch wins.

Soapy Toes

·         Fill a kiddy pool with soapy water.

·         Dump in a bunch of marbles.

·         Set up chairs around the pool and dip in your feet.

·         See who can fish out the most marbles with his toes!

Wet Potato

·         Pass around a bucket of water while music plays.

·         When the music stops, whoever has the bucket dumps it on his head!

Save the Soda

·         Each player gets 3 sponges and an empty 2- liter soda bottle.

·         Set up the bottles on the ground.

·         Each player tries to protect his own bottle while trying to knock down the other players' bottles with the sponges.

·         The player with the last standing bottle wins!

Rainy Relay

·         Try to pour water from your paper cup into a partner's cup.

·         The trick? You both have to hold the cups on your heads!

Balloon Bombs

·         Players stand in a circle, an arm's length apart.

·         Start passing water balloons quickly around the circle (You may have to toss them).

·         If a balloon breaks, the last person who touched it has to sit down, and play continues over his head.

·         The last person standing wins.

POOL GAMES

Utah National Parks

If you want more water games, see last month's issue for "H2Ohhhh!!" I do not think any pf these are repeats.  CD

Tug-Of-War

ü  Play in water that is chest deep for Cub Scouts.

ü  If playing with adults, divide them equally between the teams.

ü  Use a sturdy rope, with a colored ribbon tied to the center of the rope.

ü  Anchor a float or other permanent marker to show the center of the play area.

ü  Play like standard tug-of-war with the winner being the team that pulls the other team past the center float.

Duck Tag

ü  This tag game is fun for even the nonswimmers because it does not require special skills and can help them feel comfortable in the water.

ü  Play in water no higher than waist deep and in an area with a level bottom.

ü  Play like regular tag, except that a player is safe if he ducks completely under water when “it” tries to tag him.

ü  A player does not have to stay under water more than two seconds, and then can safely come up without being tagged.

ü  “It” must go after someone else when his quarry ducks under water.

Dodge Ball

ü  Play in waist to chest-deep water.

ü  Divide players into two teams.

ü  One team forms a large circle, and the other team gets inside.

ü  The circle players try to hit their opponents with a beach ball or soft foam or rubber ball.

ü  Score one point for each hit.

ü  The inside players are allowed to swim in any direction or go under water to avoid being hit, but cannot leave the circle.

ü  Outside players cannot advance forward to hit a player.

ü  At the end of a specified time, teams change places.

Sharks And Whales

ü  Play in waist to chest-deep water.

ü  Divide group into two teams, the “sharks” and the “whales.”

ü   The teams line up facing each other about 10 feet apart.

ü  Behind each other is its home base – the side of the pool or a rope tied to buoys, or other designated area.

ü  When the leader calls “sharks” they swim or run after the whales, trying to tag them before they reach their base.

ü  If a whale is caught, he must join the sharks for the next round.

ü  Leaders should alternate the calls of “sharks” and “whales”.

ü  The team with the most players after a specified time is the winner.

Paddlewheel Push

ü  To play this water game you will need at least one foam or plastic kickboard but more boards will allow more boys to play at the same time.

ü  Pair off, trying to match basic size and strength of the boys.

ü  Play in waist deep water.

ü  Opponents grasp opposite ends of a kickboard.

ü  On signal, both boys start kicking, trying to force the opponent backward.

ü  Boys should not stand and shove the board, but should swim and kick legs to move forward.

Memory Game

Capital Area Council

This is a good one in which to involve the parents and siblings and is especially easy to play on a hike or while

you are resting after lunch.

Materials Needed:   None

Directions:

1)         One person starts the game by saying: “As I was traveling through the woods, I placed an apple in my bag. (or anything that begins with the letter A).

2)         The next player says “As I was traveling through the woods, I placed an apple and a balloon in my bag.”

3)         Each additional player must repeat what was named and add to it something from the next letter of the alphabet. Mistakes make it funny!

Outdoors Alphabet Game

Capital Area Council

Divide the den into two teams and give each a paper and pencil.  Set a timer for six minutes and ask the boys to write down items in the outdoors that begin with each of the letters of the alphabet.