Group Games
LOts of games ideas for groups and individual games.

• All the fives This game needs a couple of kids and a ball One person is the thrower, and everyone else clusters about throwing distance away from the thrower. The thrower toss the ball in the air towards everyone else and announces a number between 50 and 500, like so: "I've got 200 up for grabs". If a kid catches it they get as many points as the thrower yelled. If someone drops it though, they lose the same number of points (negative scores are possible). The first person to get 500 points wins and become the thrower for the next game.
• Capture the Flag There are two teams. Team 1 has the front yard and Team 2 has the back yard, or a field was split between the two teams. The teams were given a time period, like 5 minutes, to hide their flag in their part of the yard. [optional] During this period spies were sent out to see were the flag was hidden as well as look-outs to catch the spies. When the flag was hidden you call out that you were finished. Then you simply try to get the other teams flag. If you get caught and tagged by the opponent on their territory you had to go to jail and could only be freed by a teammate who grabs you when your opponent isn't looking. The first team to capture the flag wins. In most versions you had to both get the flag, and bring it back to your side. This game is a totally different game at night in the woods!
• Chinese Jump Rope First you begin with the rope around the ankles of two children. Another child jumps in the rope with both feet. Then the child jumps out of the rope with both legs straddling each outside rope. Next, the child jumps from side to side. (Straddling each side of the rope.) Then the child jumps on the rope. Then out again. Finally, the child takes the rope, crosses it using their legs, so that their legs are in side of an x. Then the child has to jump out and straddle the rope. With each jump if they land on the rope when they are not supposed to, then they are out. Or if they are trying to land on it and miss they are out. Once you accomplish the ankles, you move up to the waist, then below the arms, then finally the neck (I have never seen it go that far.) With each sequence you say, "in, out, side, side, on, in, out."
• Duck, Duck, Goose In this game, kids sit down in a circle facing each other. One person is "it" and walks around the circle. As they walk around, they tap people's heads and say whether they are a "duck" or a "goose". Once someone is the "goose" they get up and try to chase "it" around the circle. The goal is to tap that person before they are able sit down in the "goose's" spot. If the goose is not able to do this, they become "it" for the next round and play continues. If they do tap the "it" person, the person tagged has to sit in the center of the circle. Then the goose become it for the next round. The person in the middle can't leave until another person is tagged and they are replaced.
• Four Square In the standard game, there are four squares painted on the ground, all touching each other, making one, larger square. Each small square is roughly 8' x 8', but that's not a hard and fast rule. Each player occupies one of the squares. The squares each have a rank order. The square with the highest rank is called the 'King' [Sometimes the 'Ace']. The other squares sometimes have names, and sometime don't. The #2 square may be called the 'Prime Minister', or the other three may be called the 'Queen', 'Prince', and 'Princess'. The start the game, the King serves the ball by bouncing it in his square once and then hitting it towards one of the other squares. The receiving player then hits the ball to any other player, and play continues until one of the following things occur: 1) A player hits the ball (or is hit BY the ball) before it bounces once in their square. 2) A player does not hit the ball before it bounces twice 3) A player hits the ball out of bounds (it must land in someone's square first) Once a player is 'dead', they move back to the lowest ranking square. The other players then move up to fill the vacancies. If there are more players than squares, that person goes to the back of the line, and the person at the front of the line gets to move onto the lowest square and play. Playing off of walls, poles, etc was not only legal but encouraged
• Popcorn You need a parachute - no strings - with a hole in the middle, and 20 or more bouncing balls (the plastic kind in Toys-R-US)- one for each player. Number the balls and assign one to each player. Every player places his/her ball on the parachute and everyone grabs and lifts the parachute with two hands. Then everyone starts (usually after the gym teacher says "GO!") pumping the chute up and down to remove the balls. The player with their ball on the chute last, wins.
• Red Light/Green Light In this game, one person plays the "stop light" and the rest try to touch him/her. At the start, all the children form a line about 15 feet away from the stop light. The stop light faces away from the line of kids and says "green light". At this point the kids are allowed to move towards the stoplight. At any point, the stop light may say "red light!" and turn around. If any of the kids are caught moving after this has occurred, they are out. Play resumes when the stop light turns back around and says "green light". The stop light wins if all the kids are out before anyone is able to touch him/her. Otherwise, the first player to touch the stop light wins the game and earns the right to be "stop light" for the next game.
• Annie Annie Over Played over a lower building that you can throw a ball over and be able to run all the way around it. You call out Annie-Annie Over and throw the ball over the building to the kids on the other side. If they catch the ball they can sneak around the building and throw the ball at you or catch you and tag you. You have to keep an eye open for them coming and beat them to the other side of the building. If you make it then that is your side but if you are tagged then you are on their side. There can be an even number of kids on each side to start with. When there are three-four kids on a side they can split up and some go each way and then you don't know who has the ball. If the ball is not caught then they can wait a moment to try and fool you and then holler out Annie-Annie Over and throw the ball back. If the ball doesn't go over the building, the throwers can yell 'Pigtail!', and then try to throw it again. The ball must be caught in order to run around the building after you. When the last kid on a team is tagged then that team wins.
• Baby in the Air This game is played with a large ball; each kid picks a number in the beginning of the game the oldest child takes the ball and throws it in the air crying "baby in the air number..." <whatever> then runs away. The child who's # is called grabs the ball and yells freeze (he must have the ball to yell that}. Then the child with the ball takes three step toward any other child and throws the ball at that child. If he hits the kid the child gets a B, if he misses the thrower gets a B. When a child gets hit four times getting a letter each time baby he or she is out and so on till there is one child who is left.
• Dodgeball This requires a long wall or side of a house and a big rubber or kick ball. Everyone lines up and one person throws the ball at the wall in an attempt to hit a part of someone's body. If they do, then that person is it and must now throw the ball. The object is not to throw the ball hard, but accurately in order to catch someone trying to dodge the ball. OR Kids would form two teams. One team would form two lines facing each other. They had playground balls for ammunition (two balls was the norm.) The other team would scatter about between the lines of the first team. The first team would then throw balls at team two. If a member of team two was hit below the shoulders, s/he was out and had to stand aside. If a player on team two caught the ball in the air (not after a bounce), s/he received a free "life" (ie-if s/he is hit again, s/he has used up a "life" and is not out.) A player may not receive more than three "lives." The fourth, fifth, etc. time a player catches the ball, s/he may bring players who were out, back into the game by calling a name. If and when all players of team two are out, the teams switch places. OR Playing Dodgeball in a circle (the circles were actually painted onto the blacktop on the playground). However many kids wanted to play, were divided up into 2 teams. One team was inside the circle and the other half spread out around the outside. We used a red rubber playground ball (about 14 inches in diameter) and threw it at the players inside the circle. The kids inside were allowed to run around where ever they wanted, but could not go out. We could only throw the ball to hit the kids inside below the waist. If a ball was thrown and hit someone above the waist, the thrower had to stop playing. If a kid in the centre was hit, they became one of the players outside the circle. The game was over when only one person was left inside the circle.
• Frisbee War This was Dodgeball played with frisbees instead of balls. Usually there were two teams and a boundaries that you had to stay inside of. We usually had a few frisbees, 2, 3 or 4, depending on how many kids were playing (sometimes up to 15 or 20 at a time). We always played that if you caught someone's thrown frisbee then the thrower was out. You played until one person or team remained.
• Doctor and Spy This game is very similar to the 2 team Dodgeball but it has a variation. Each team gets into a secret huddle before the game starts and decides on a "Doctor" and a "Spy". The games goes along as usual-with a line and throwing balls back and forth. If you get out (by getting hit or someone catches your ball), you stand to the side. The Doctor of your team can secretly walk by and touch your hand to get you back in the game. The facilitator of the game can at any time yell, "SPY! 10 Seconds!" and then slowly counts to 10. The designated Spy on each team is allowed to take a ball across the line and try to get the other team out. That person must be back over to his side before the ten seconds is over. This game can be played outside, in a gym, or even in a large indoor room (you can use crumbled paper instead of balls so you don't loose your lamps!) Which ever team gets all the other players out is the winner. This game promotes a great deal of team work because the team tries to protect its Doctor and Spy.
• Koosh Ball Start with small groups of about 10 people (or smaller). Form a circle. One person starts with the koosh ball. He/she names a particular person in the group and throws the ball to him/her. That person must catch the ball then names another person of the group and also throws the ball to him/her. Everyone in that circle will throw the ball to the person they have each named. This implies that everyone will receive the ball from the same person and throw it to the same person. (ie: A always throws the ball to C and C always throws it to G, etc...). Once the students have completed a full circle of ball throwing (3-4 times) without dropping the ball, The students will become more familiar with the activity. The add a second ball and repeat the motion. Then go to 3-4 balls... Once the students are comfortable with this pattern, form a bigger circle by integrating all the students, and start throwing 1 kooshball. Make a complete pattern. Every student will have the opportunity of receiving and throwing the kooshball. Once the ball has gone around without being dropped, introduce a second ball, then a third, and so on. This game creates a pattern of motion, involving concentration, focus and a lot of fun. I have gone as high as 9 kooshball with 27 students; it's quite challenging.
• Hot Potato Everybody stands in a circle. Pass a beanbag around circle to music. When music stops person holding beanbag is out. Pretend the beanbag is a very very very HOT POTATO Down Down Down You start off with a tennis ball and throw the ball continuously back and forth until somebody drops the ball when someone drops the ball you say "Down on one knee" then say the same person drops it a second time then you say "Down on two knees" then if the same person drops the ball again you say "Down on one elbow"and again you say "down on two elbows" and then chin and then you're out but remember you have to stay in the position you're in to catch the ball and throw the ball.
• Head Catch The way you play is: Many people line up against a wall. A chosen player goes to the front of the line with a ball. Then he or she either shouts "Head" or "Catch!" while throwing the ball. Whatever the person calls, the first has to do just the opposite; if the thrower calls "Head!", the first person has to catch the ball, and if the thrower calls "Catch!" the first person has to head the ball. If the first person either misses the ball or does the wrong thing, he/she is out and the play continues. But if the person does the right thing, he/she is still in, and the play still continues. Whoever is in last wins. Another version is: Everyone lines up against a wall with their hands behind their backs. The chosen thrower either throws the ball or fakes throwing it. If the thrower throws the ball, the catcher must catch it. If the catcher misses, he is out. If the thrower fakes the throw, the catcher is not allowed to jerk, move, or make any move that shows that he thought the ball was thrown. If he does, he is out. Whoever is in last wins. Horse 2 or more players Need a basket ball, goal and markers if not on a gym floor. Each player takes turns shooting the ball from the square closest to the goal (right side)which is called "H" and when he/she makes the goal they move to the next square "O" and try to make that basket. The next area "R" is from the free throw line and then the player will travel to the next square on the left which is "S" and finally to the closest square to the goal on the left side "E". Each player starts on "H" and can only throw the ball once. If he/she miss they must go to the end of the line and wait their turn. As a player makes each basket he/she moves around in front of the goal throwing the ball from each spot on the floor spelling out horse. The player who spells out Horse first is the winner.
• Kitty Corner You pick someone to be it. If you have a lot of people then you pick more than one "it". There could be 5 or 6. Everyone that is "it" gets a ball (like a standard red kickball) All the cats pick a corner to stand in. You also need someone to be sort of an umpire. When everyone has a corner then the ump yells "cats get a corner" Then everyone takes off running for the corner that is next. Everyone is supposed to run in the same direction so no one should run into each other. While the cats are running the "its" try to hit them with the ball. If you get hit you stand in the middle by the person who hit you. The "it" at the end with the most cats is the winner. Or the cat that never gets hit wins too. Now I played this at school in a gymnasium. So the four corners were easy to stand at and the people that are "it" stood in the middle of the gym floor. Our gym teacher was the umpire.
• Kings and Queens One unusual feature was the ritual which began the game. We are stood in a circle and the facilitator closed his eyes and dropped the ball on someone's shoe and that person was IT right then and there. IT could throw the tennis ball directly at any one at any time, and if the second person was hit on any part of the body except the fists, that second person was automatically then part of IT's team. The IT folks could of course pick up the ball with bare hands and then run with the ball or toss to each other in order to position to get more ITs. Another unusual feature of the game was the way in which the ball could be legally carried by non-ITs between ones fisted hands and also "batted" around to any part of the field with a fisted hand. Non-ITs sometimes displayed excellent form in keeping the ball away for the ITs by batting it to each other quite deftly. Touching the ball with an open hand put you on IT side but no one was ever really "out" in the sense of just sitting around......it was just a superior game which continued until the second last person was hit. The very last non-IT person surviving was then hauled up on mates' shoulders and duly celebrated as either the "King" or "Queen."
• Stickball The game is played with a baseball bat and ball (usually a tennis ball so we didn't break any windows). There are no teams, just one person up to bat and everyone else in the outfield. The person with the bat tosses the ball up and hits it. He/she then places the bat on the ground in front of him/her. The person who gets the ball rolls it at the bat from the place where the ball was picked up. When and if the ball hits the bat it pops up into the air. If the batter does not catch the ball, the person who rolled it is then up to bat. If someone in the field catches a hit before it touches the ground, they are automatically up to bat.
• Wall Ball The Equipment: one wall one ball that bounces well, such as a tennis ball number of players: at least 2 The Rules: The basic activity of the game is throwing the ball up against the wall, letting it bounce on the ground if you want, then catching it. You can throw it against the wall and catch it yourself, or let another team member catch it, or whatever. The fun starts when one of two things happen: 1) if a person throws the ball and it touches the ground before hitting the wall or 2) a person fumbles or drops the ball in any way. This includes purposely throwing the ball at another player so that the ball hits them but they cannot catch it before the ball hits the ground. When either of these things happen, the fumbler/bad thrower must run to the wall. Meanwhile another player is trying to throw the ball so that it hits the wall before the fumbler can touch the wall. If the fumbler can make it to the wall first, game play continues. If the ball gets there first, the fumbler has one strike, then game play continues. Some kids played that when a player gets three strikes, he is simply out of the game. But among other groups, the person with three strikes must stand with their hands against the wall while his fellow game players pelt him in the butt with the ball. Strange? Very. A great game, minus the pelting.
• Prisoner's Base The group was divided in half and a line of chalk was placed down the middle between the two teams. About 20-30 feet in back of each team a large square (prison) was drawn on the ground using chalk. Each team picked one person to be the prisoner of the other team (usually someone who could run fast). Then each team would try to free their prisoner by sending a team member to the prison through the opposing team to bring him/her back without getting captured by a member of the opposing team. If the person attempting to rescue their own prisoner made in to the prison through the opposing team without being caught, he/she was safe while in the prison and could pick their own time to run with the prisoner back to their own side of the line. If the team member was caught by the opposing team, they also became a prisoner needing rescue. So each team was busy both trying to rescue their own prisoners and protect the prisoner(s) from the opposite side from getting rescued. At the end of recess, the team with the most prisoners won.
• Red Devil This game works best when played around a house or building. Players all begin in front of the house. Red Devil is the player who is "it." The Red Devil faces the other players and declares, "I'm thinking of a type of (shoe, car, candy bar, etc.)." The other players then try to guess what the Red Devil is thinking of (for example, Nike, Adidas, or Keds) The Red Devil calls out the name of the player who eventually guesses the correct item. Then, the Red Devil and the player who guessed correctly take off running around the house in opposite directions. The first person to make it back to the starting line becomes the Red Devil. (After players get tired, the rules can change to: the first person to get back to the starting line is NOT the Red Devil.)
• Sharks And Minnows It was usually played in the pool, a person would get out of the pool and stand on the side with his/her back facing the other players (usually 2 or more players were needed) the players would all be lined up on one side of the pool, like a race. A category was then picked, like kinds of dogs, colors, kinds of trees, etc. Each player would pick a kind of dog, or whatever the category was. When everyone was ready the person outside of the pool would start saying different kinds of trees, or dogs, or whatever. Like if the category was colors I'd start saying orange, red, green, etc. When the colour that the player picked was said, he/she would go to the other side of the pool as quietly as they could (more than one person would pick the same colour sometimes). If the person outside of the pool would hear the player(s) swimming he/she would dive or jump into the pool and try to tag(touch) the person before he/she got to the other side. If the player was not tagged the original person outside of the pool would go back out and continue saying colours. If the player was tagged, he/she would then take the original person's place and start the game over or continue saying different colors. Once all the players got to the other side, the game would start over. Another way to play is by having the person be in the middle of the pool, facing the players, with his/her eyes closed
• What's the Time Mr. Wolf One player is the wolf and he/she will stand with his/her back turned to the others about 5 metres from the others. The others call out, "Whats the time Mr. Wolf" and the wolf turns to face the others and shouts out a time. Eg: 10 o'clock. The others would then take 10 steps toward the wolf. The group will take the same amount of steps toward the wolf as the amount of hours in the wolfs time. eg, 2 o'clock = 2 steps, 6 o'clock = 6 steps etc. etc. The wolf will then turn his back to the group again for them to yell "whats the time...." (He looks at the group only when he shouts the time at the group". When the group gets close to the wolf the next time the group yells "whats the time Mr. Wolf" the wolf will say 'DINNER TIME" and run after the group who are running back to the start line, and hopefully catch one of the group who will then be the wolf. It sounds messy, but when played is an enjoyable game.
• Bubble Gum You had to have at least three people to play but an unlimited number could join in. Everyone would gather in a tight circle and make a fist with both hands and hold their fists out in the center of the circle. I cant remember exactly how we chose who would be the counter (I think it was whoever was the bossiest at the moment!).[See Picking Who is IT] But anyway, the counter would take one of her fists and tap everyone's fists (including her own) as she said this rhyme: Bubble gum, Bubble gum, in a dish. How many pieces do you wish? Who ever she taps last would give a number between 1 and 20. Then the counter would again tap everyone's fists as he/she counted to the specified number. Who ever she landed on had to take that fist out of the circle and place their hand behind their back. Then the counter would start all over again with the Bubble gum, Bubble gum....and repeat the process. Once both of your fists were tapped, you were out. And this went on until it narrowed it down to one-the winner. Now, a lot of times we used this to help us decide on certain issues -voting on who would be leader for the day or something silly like that. Other times we just played it over and over again to see who won the most and was declared the champion of the day. It was fun and very simple to learn.
• Grapevine This game is intended for a large group, kids and adults 15 or more. The more the better. The group sit in a large circle. The kids should be spaced about arms length apart. The way we did it was to hold hands in a circle and gradually spread out until our arms were stretched. Now everyone takes a seat. The "originator", usually the one who organized the game, or the bossiest, starts a message. The originator whispers a short message into the ear of the person sitting to the right of them. The message is whispered once. The new messenger then whispers the message into the ear to the one to their right, and so on and so on. When the message reaches the person sitting to the left of the originator the message is announced out loud. Seldom does the message arrive in its original form. The person to the right gets to be the next originator.
  

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MOre games and activities.

• Bucket Betting You need a plastic bucket containing a little water. Say, "BET You can't turn this bucket upside down without the water coming out." 1. Hold the bucket handle firmly in one hand 2.Swing the bucket back and forth 3.Keeping your arm straight, swing it backwards and over in a complete circle as fast as possible. The bucket will go upside down but no water will come out. Five Stones You need five small stones Balance a stone on the back of your hand. Jerk your hand up and try to catch the flying stone and downwards grab. Now try this with 2 stoners. Keep adding stones until you can snatch no more. Now challenge a friend to a five-stones tournament. Try more! Slash Racing You need 2 or more racers, a huge pair of wellies each and water. 1. Each player chooses a pair of wellies several sizes too large. 2. Mark out a racetrack. 3. Half fill each boot with water and step inside! (Better take your socks off first!) Stand at the start. Waterball You need a balloon and some water . 1. Fix the balloon to a tap. Turn on the tap (SLOWLY!). 2. Fill the balloon half full, take it off and tie it. 3. You now have a waterball. Stand and throw it to each other, getting slightly further apart each throw. When it is dropped, it might bounce, but sometimes it BURSTS!
• Old King Can You need a watering can full of water and 3 or more players. 3. If someone gets close to 4. If Old King Can doesn't 1. One player is Old King Can. She stands 20 paces away from the other players with her back to them. She holds the watering can. 2. Everybody creeps towards her. Whenever she whirls round, everybody stands still. If anyone is caught moving they must come and stand by Old King Can and she sprinkles them with water, They return to the start line. 3. If someone gets close to Old King Can, he taps her , shouts 'Old king Can catch me if you can!' and runs towards the start. If she manages to sprinkle him, he becomes Old King Can. 4. If Old King Can doesn't catch anyone, she goes back and the game starts again.
• The Triffic Treasure Trail You need some paper, a pen and some treasure (a wrapped present) 1. Hide the treasure 2. Draw a picture which gives a clue as to where the treasure us. 3. Hide this paper somewhere else 4. Draw another picture which gives a clue to this second hiding place. 5. Hide this too. Carry on until you have a whole trail of hidden clues. 6. Give the last piece of paper to the Treasure Hunters and set them on their way! Tumble Rubble You need lots of flat rounded pebbles. Practice balancing pebbles on top of each other to make a tower. See who can stack the most pebbles on the without them falling over. Build one tower with everybody putting a pebble on it in turn. If it falls over you are out.
• Monster Chopsticks You need two or more players and two bamboo poles about one metre long, a bucket and some medium sized stones each. 1. At the count of three, race to get all your stones into a bucket using chopstick poles. You must;t touch the bucket or the stones with your hands. 2. If you get really skilled you could race to take the stones out of the bucket too.
• Skittle Sticks You need two or more players, a handkerchief of sock, a ball, long sticks and a low branch. 1. Wrap the ball in the handkerchief and tie this to a piece of string. 2. Tie the string to a low branch so that it swings freely. 3. A little to one side, push the sticks into the ground in a grid shape. Push them in gently so that they are easy to knock over. 4. Check that the ball can swing past the furthest stick. 5. Swing the ball and aim to knock over as many as possible in 2 goes. 6. Score one point for each stick and 15 for all at one go. 7. The first player to score 30 points wins.
• Pebble Toss You need two or more players, 3 small pebbles each, a wall, poster paints and a paintbrush Take three pebbles each and paint them in your colour. Mark a line 2 metres from the wall and stand behind it. Throw your pebbles in turn so that they bounce of the all before they they hit the ground. When all the pebbles have been thrown the closet one to the ball scores two points and the second scores one point. Throw again. The winner is the first to score 10 points.
• King Canutes Castle When the tide starts coming in draw a line ion the beach, below the high-water mark and parallel with the water line. Everybody now builds a castle on the line. Put a twig at the top o a flag pole. The twig which remains upright the longest is the winner.
• Build your own assault course You can make any number of obstacles. Look around and see what other things you could use. When you've built it, time each other to see who could complete the course fastest. 1. Crocodile Mouth Crossing Use hoops or rubber rings to step in. Rings can also be made from plant pots, pieces of wood or pebbles. 2. Electric Fence balance a bamboo pole between two chairs and crawl under it. You can adjust the height by hanging the pole from pieces of string. 3. The Apple Challenge Bob for three apples in a row using a large bowl of water. 4. Canyon Crossing Set out two narrow pieces of wood to balance along. Make it more difficult by balancing on one alone. 5. Cave crawling Pin down an old sheet or garden netting with large stones to make a tunnel. 6. Hands and Toes Slalom Stick Bamboo poles into the ground in a zig=zag pattern. Balance rubbers ion them. Crawl between them on fingers and toes without knocking the rubbers off. 7. Mad Feast Eat a bar of chocolate with a knife and fork 8. Great Burglar Alarm Maze Stick 6 bamboo poles into the ground and cover the tops with yoghurt pots. Tie one end of the ball of string to one of the poles. Wind it between the other poles in a confusing pattern to make a web of wool. Tie the end securely. Fill some tins, yoghurt pots and plastic bottle etc. With marbles, pebbles or lentil and hang them for the wall with string. Players must crawl beneath the maze without making any of the pots rattle.
• Super-kwick tent You need a washing line, a large sheet and some weights (stones or earth filled plastic bags). Lower the washing line so the middle is about the height of your waist. Pass he sheet over the line. Adjust the line's height until about 40 cm of sheet is touching the ground at either side. Pull the sheet out on both sides and hold the edges down with the weights. - hey presto - a tent! Tepee You need at least five one metre bamboo poles, a large elastic band, a large sheet and some string. Stack the poles together into a thick column. Pull the elastic band round so that it surrounds every pole. Pull out the base to create a cone shaped framework. Either drape the sheet over the top or wrap it around the frame and tie it to the top of the cone. Use the sheet corner, folded back as the tepee entrance. Igloo make as the teepee or the tent above but add a box entrance, held down with weights.
• How tall is that tree? You need a piece of square card 20 cm by 20 cm, a ruler, pencil, scissors, a straw and sticky tape. Draw a diagonal line across the piece of card. Cut along the line to make two triangles. Tape the straw to the long side of the triangle with one end exactly at the other. To find the height of a tree (or anything) lie down some way from it, rest the triangle ion the ground, squint up through the triangle and see if you can see the tree top through it. You will probably have to try a few places before you find the right spot. The distance between your eye and the bottom of the tree is now the same as the tree's height!
• Secret Tapper You need a washer, a drawing pin and a piece of thread at east three metres long. Pass the thread through he washer. Tie the washer to the thread about 30 cm from one end. Pin the thread onto the frame above one window, so that when the thread is slackened, the washer hits the window. Still holding the thread, hide behind something a little way off, like a bush or a dustbin. Wait until someone comes into the room. Pull the thread several times gently so that the washer taps upon the window. 3 or 4 taps should be enough to baffle them!
• Washing Line Percussion You need a washing line, string , plastic bottles, pans, metal and wooden spoons, a large cardboard box and a dustbin. Lower the height of the line to head height. Hang a range of things from the line sing the string. You could try filling the different bottles with different amounts of water. Saucepans, spoons and forks. Experiment with the spoons to find out which is the best percussion stick. I use a cardboard box for a deep bass drum.
• Bubbles. Fill a paddling pool with bubble solution (six cups of washing-up liquid, eight gallons of water and one cup of glycerin from the chemist), let it sit for a few hours, then start blowing bubbles! Left, right, straight ahead This is a game you can play on foot, in a car or on your bike! At every crossroad, each member of the family in turn can say whether you go left, right, or straight ahead. The trick is to get thoroughly lost so you discover new places. Dont forget to bring a map so you can get home!
• Wet Race Set up teams of two or more players with two paddling pools, two buckets and two water hoses. To play, one member of each team stands in the paddling pool with a string tied just above his or her ankle. At the signal, the teams have to fill their buckets and then run (if there are only two players) or pass (if there are more than two) the buckets to the pools, where the water is dumped around the players feet. The first team to get the water level above the line on the opposing players ankle wins.
• Hopscotch is a hopping game that can be played on a bare patch of ground or on a floor indoors. Use chalk to draw a hopscotch pattern on the ground or use masking tape on a floor. Create a diagram with 8 sections and number them. Each player has a marker such as a stone, beanbag, bottlecap, shell, button, etc. The first player stands behind the starting line to toss her or his marker in square 1. Hop over square 1 to square 2 and then continue hopping to square 8, turn around, and hop back again. Pause in square 2 to pick up the marker, hop in square 1, and out. Then continue by tossing the stone in square 2. All hopping is done on one foot unless the hopscotch design is such that two squares are side-by-side. Then two feet can be placed down with one in each square. A player must always hop over any square where a maker has been placed. A player is out if the marker fails to land in the proper square, the hopper steps on a line, the hopper looses balance when bending over to pick up the marker and puts a second hand or foot down, the hopper goes into a square where a marker is, or if a player puts two feet down in a single box. The player puts the marker in the square where he or she will resume playing on the next turn, and the next player begins.
• Beach Golf You need a stretch of beach, 2 or more golfers, a spade or stick each, a small ball, some pots or buckets, pebbles, shells or seaweed. Make holes by burying the yoghurt pots, paper cups and ice cream tubs into the sand. If your ball is to large for these, use buckets or stone lined holes. To make difficult holes dig up the sand around them and dig bunkers nearby. Smooth out areas of sand between the sand to make the fairway. Make areas of rough using pebbles and stones. Use a stick or spade as your club and try to get the balls in the holes with as few strokes as possible. Keep a note of the score and continue the course. The winner is the person with the smallest total at the end. Remember to pack away your course when finished!
• Hares and Hounds You need a big bag of twigs 1. One person (the hare!) runs off carrying the bag filled with twigs. 2. She leaves twig arrows as she runs to show the way. 3. The Hounds count to 100, then set off after her. Gather up the twigs as you run, so you can use them again. 4. The person who catches the hare wins and takes the bag for the next chase. 5. If you are a particularly cunning hare you could set false arrows for the hounds.
• Pot Stilts You need two plastic flowerpots, two small strips of cloth, sticky tape, scissors and a ball of thick string. Thread one piece of string through two opposite holes in the pot base. Pull through so that there is an equal length on both ends. Tie the two ends together. Wrap a piece of cloth across the knot and tie it in place to make a hand grip. Do the same with the other pot and piece of string. Step onto both pots, hold the grips in each hand and walk off trying to keep the pots n place.
• Ducks and Drakes You need lots of round, flat pebbles about 5 cm across and a pond or pool. Stand beside the waters edge. Hold a pebble in your hand between thumb and forefinger. Swing your arm sideways towards the water, letting go at the last moment. The pebble should fly of as flat as possible. Try and make the pebble hit the water at an angle. It should bounce and the more bounces the better. Practice-it is quite difficult.
• Magpie Madness You need a piece of paper, a pencil and a plastic carrier bag for each player. 1. Make a list of 10 things that might be found nearby like a leaf or a daisy. Some should be easy and some should be difficult. Each player writes them down. 2. Set a time limit. Race to find as many things as possible. Put the things in your bag for proof. 3. The winner is the first to collect all things. If nobody manages this you can count them up and the highest total ids the winner. The
• Birdwatchers Hideout You need a huge cardboard box, hedge clippings, ;eaves, sticky tape, scissors, a paintbrush and poster paints. Close the box and tape down the flaps. Paint the box a mixture of leafy green and earthy brown. Cut a door in one side and a small opening opposite. Make lots of holes all over the sides and top using the scissors. Stick clippings and leaves into the holes. Tape other bits onto the outside. Smear some mud on the outside as a final touch. Now crawl inside and watch!
• Pooh Sticks You need two or more racers, a footbridge over a stream or river and some small sticks. 1. Each player chooses a stick. Stand on the bridge facing upstream. Drop your sticks at the same time into the water. 2. Run across the other side and wait. The first stick to appear is the winner. 3. The first to win is the Pooh Sticks champion.
• Jumbo Pickersticks You need two or more players and a big pile of sticks 1. Scatter the sticks higgledy-piggledy into a big crossed pile. 2. Take turns trying to pull sticks out of the pile without moving any of the other sticks. If you manage it have another turn. 3. The winner is the one with the most sticks at the end.
• Boulder Boules You need 2 or more players, 2 roundish stones each and one small pebble. Mark a line to stand behind. One person throws the pebble (a jack) a few metres away. Take it in turns to throw your stones (boules) at the jack. Score two points for the boule nearest the jack and one point for the next. The person who scored 2 points throws the jack again. The first person to score 10 points is the bouler supreme.
• Dead letter Game Dead letter boxes are places such as under dustbins that spies leave messages. You need 2 teams of spies, 2 pencils and 2 sheets of paper. Each team lists their names on a sheet of paper and then hides it is a dead letter box. When the game begins the team hunts for the dead letter and then tries to catch their enemies in the order of the list on the piece of paper. Caught spies sit down. When one spy team have caught all the spies they have won. You can make up other signals using three items such as a stone, flowerpot then twig to denote danger - enemy nearby.
• The long-distance measuring kit You need a bike, piece of chalk, pencil, paper and calculator 1. Take your bike t a flat piece of concrete. Move it so the right pedal is as high as it can go. Mark a chalk line on the concrete next to the base of the front wheel. 2. Sit on the bike and slowly pedal forwards in a straight line until the right pedal has gone round full circle and is at the top again. 3. Chalk a new line next to the bottom of the front wheel. Measure between the two chalk marks. This is the key number. It will show you how far you travel every time the wheels go round once. Write this down. 5. To measure a long distance, put your front wheel at the start and pedal off, counting the number of times the wheel goes round until the wheel gets to the finish. DON'T CHANGE GEAR. Now multiply the number of times the pedal went round to find the total distance!
• Thunderstorm Distance To measure the distance of a thunderstorm you need steady count 1. When you see lightning start counting '1 silly second, 2 silly second' and so on... at a slow even pace. 2. Stop counting the moment that you hear the thunder roll. The number of silly seconds you have counted is the number of miles away.
• Blindfold Tightrope You need 5m of string, a book, a bamboo pole, 2 buckets of water and a piece of cloth. Stretch the string out straight on the ground. This is the tightrope. Practice walking along it without slipping to one side. Try holding a pole against your chest to help you balance. Put the cloth on as a blindfold and practice some more. Once you've mastered this, try working out some impressive routines: balance a book on your head while walking, or carry two buckets of water on the pole without spilling a drop.
• Totem Pole You need card,some large cardboard boxes, poster paints, a paintbrush, glue, sticky tape and some scissors. Design the totem. Paint the boxes to your design. To add wings or arms, paint them on thinner pieces of card and squeeze into slits cut in the box sides.
• Wind Chimes You need an old wooden clothes hanger, string, cutlery and plastic bottles. Hang the hanger from a branch or beam so that it balances. Find 5 or 6 things that chime when gently struck together. Hang them on pieces of string tied to the hanger. Balance it by pushing the string back and forth along the wood. Make sure they only move when moved gently. Leave them to the wind. Blow up a storm! Most kids know that if you blow across the top of a half empty bottle it makes a noise, but do they realise the sound is different depending on how full the bottle is? Get them to line up a number of bottles, and experiment, filling them with different amounts of water.
• Will it sink or float? This guessing game for little kids can be played in a paddling pool or a washing-up bowl. Players collect different objects - shells, paper, pennies - then drop them one by one into the water, saying before each object is dropped whether it will sink or float. Players get a point for each correct guess.
• Birdseed Garden birdseed, sponge, plastic plate Place a sponge soaked with water in a plastic plate and allow your child to sprinkle it with birdseeds. Place the plate in a sunny place and watch for the seeds to sprout. The seeds will continue to sprout as long as your child keeps water in the plate.
• Drippy painting Make the most of a rainy day. Sprinkle a few drops of food colouring on a paper plate, then let your child walk outside with the plate for about a minute. The raindrops will paint a wonderful effect.