GAMES

From Heart of America Council

Independence Tag

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 - keen, ankle, elbow, etc.

Changing Winds

Use compass to establish the four main directions in a room.  Have all boys stand facing one player who is the "wind". The wind tells the direction he is blowing by saying, "The wind blows ...south." All players must face south. If a player is already facing that direction and moves, he is out. The wind may confuse the game by facing any direction he chooses. Players turning the wrong direction are out. The winner is the last player still in the game.

Taking a Trip

This is a memory game. Everyone sits in a circle, and the leader begins by saying, "I'm taking a trip, and I'm bringing ________ Anything can be named. The second person then says, "I'm taking a trip, and I'm bringing." The first item named is the first item from the first person and then the second person adds his item. So on around the circle, with each person reciting the entire list and adding their own item. The game continues until some goofs,

Tailor's Race

Two cubs run holding spools tied together with a foot of thread. If the thread breaks, they have to stop and tie a knot. The first pair to reach the finish line is the winner.

Burst the Bag

Divide the players into two teams and send the first two off to run a good distance. Hand each one a paper bag as they come back to the starting point.

The second member of each team is not allowed to set off until the bag has successfully been blown up and burst. The paper lunch bags usually sold in packs of 100 or so work well. If you can't get bags that burst easily, just blow up the ones you have to full capacity.

Outdoor Nature Hunt
Heart of America Council

Make up a list such as the one below for each boy.  Boys can hunt in pairs in your backyard or in the park.  See which pair can find the most within a limited amount of time.

1.        Something alive that flies

2.        A cup of wet sand

3.        A worm

4.        A cup of pink water

5.        Five maple leaves

6.        Three rocks at least two inches in diameter

7.        A piece of string

8.        A dandelion

Knee Relay

The boys are divided into relay teams. Each team is given a book. The first player from each team puts the book between his knees and rushes off around the room. A dropped book means going back to the start. Hands may only be used to pass the book to the next player.

From Santa Clara County Council

Forest Floor Mystery Bag Game

Equipment: Cloth bags with objects from forest floor: Wood, moss, leaves, bark, stick, bone, pinecone, rock.

Put several different objects commonly found on the forest floor into separate bags, and pass them, one at a time, halfway around a circle of scouts.  Each scout feels the object and gives an adjective describing it.  The other half of the circle tries to guess the bag’s contents.  The last scout gets to reveal the object.  Reverse the order so that everyone gets the chance to guess and to feel.  Have the other scouts arrange the objects in the order of decomposition rates.

Forest Tag

Designate a fairly small area for the game.  Choose one person to be “It.”  That person tries to tag the others who can only save themselves by crouching before being tagged and naming a plant or animal that lives in the forest.  As long as the same person is “It” there can be no naming repeats.  If a person can’t think of a plant or animal, and is tagged, that person becomes “it” and all plants and animals can be used again.

Touch Wood

One player is “It.”  The others place themselves in various positions, each touching something that is wood.  They keep constantly running from one wooden thing to another.  The player who is “it” runs after them, and the first player he tags who is not touching wood takes his place.

Hunker Hawser

Two players play against each other.  Each player must have a pedestal, about 6 inches high; this could be a block of wood, Styrofoam, a tree stump or an overturned cooking pot.  Players hunker down on their platforms, which are set about 6 feet apart, each holding one end of a rope about 1 inch in diameter and about 15 feet long.  The excess rope lies coiled between them, but not for long.  At the starting signal, the players begin reeling in the rope.  The object is to cause your opponent to lose his balance by tightening or slackening the rope.  Sound simple?  “Oh, I’ll just give a good pull…” and, suddenly, your opponent relaxes his hold, and over you go in a spectacular backward somersault—defeated by your own energy!  The more aggressive the players are, the more vulnerable they make themselves.  Try best 2 out of 3.