GAMES

Snowball Throw

Connecticut Rivers Council

Use a large Styrofoam ball. The boys are seated on the floor. “It” sits in the center of the circle. The boys throw the snowball to each other while “it” tries to intercept. When he succeeds, the boy who threw the snowball becomes “it”.

Tree Decorating

Connecticut Rivers Council

Players are seated in rows with equal numbers in each row. They are numbered consecutively from front to back

Each No. 1 is given a piece of chalk.

On signal, No. 1 players run to a blackboard and draw the base for a Christmas tree. (can use poster board and markers)

They return to their seats and hand the chalk or crayon to the No. 2 player, who must draw the branches.

No. 3, the candles.

No. 4, a given number of ornaments.

No. 5, add star to top of the tree.

No. 6, write Merry Christmas under the tree.

Team to complete their picture first wins.

Hanukkah Peanut Hunt

Connecticut Rivers Council

Buy package of peanuts.

Write K on 4, H on 4, N on 4, U on 4 and A on 4.

Hide all the peanuts, lettered and unlettered,

Have boys hunt for 5 minutes,

Award –

        10 points for greatest number found

         5 points for each lettered peanut

        20 points for a Cub finding enough to write Hanukkah

Orange Relay

Santa Clara County Council

This is a game that will generate a few laughs and may develop a contortionist or two.  Start the game by dividing the group into equal teams, with each team standing in a straight line.  The goal of the game is to pass an ordinary orange from one member of the team to the next, right down the line, using their chin and neck only.  The first person in line tucks the orange under the chin. The next player must remove the orange with his own chin and be ready to surrender it to a third chin.  The first team to pass the orange down the whole line is the winner.  If the orange falls to the floor, the player who dropped it must pick it up with his chin only.

Fast Lemon

Santa Clara County Council

Divide the group into two or more equal lines.  Give the leaser of each line a full-size pencil and a fully-grown lemon.  As the teams line up single file, mark a starting line and a finish line along the floor about 20 feet away.  The object of the game is to push the lemon with the pencil along the floor in a straight line – if you can.  Each player must push it to the finish line and back to the next teammate in line.  The team to finish first is the winner.  You will discover that the lemon always keeps rolling despite a slight wobble.  You may have trouble keeping it in your lane, so make sure there are no obstructions blocking the path.  Try not to push the lemon too fast, as this may cause it to roll the wrong way.

Shoelace Suckers

Santa Clara County Council

You will need a big box of rope licorice (the longer the better).  Give a piece of licorice to players, and have them put one end into their mouth (no cheating by nibbling early!).  The goal is to lick/suck up the lace without using your hands, as quickly as possible. The winner is the first to eat their lace completely.  The room will go silent with the concentration and then explode into fits of giggles when everyone sees each other looking ridiculous!

Yummy Or Not

Santa Clara County Council

You will need some blindfolds and different kinds of edible food. Divide the group into two teams.  Blind fold one person from each team and let them smell and touch the food while their team yells out clues for them to guess what the item is.   The team with the most correct guesses wins.

The Incredible Shrinking Prize

Santa Clara County Council

Children pass a box around, stopping when the music stops and unwrapping the outer box to reveal a smaller wrapped box inside until they reach the prizes.

Supplies:

·         Nesting boxes (boxes that fit inside each other): as many as the number of participants. The more boys you have, the more boxes you will need. You can use plastic or paper bags in place of some of the boxes and create a layering effect.

·         Prizes: one for each participant. Prizes should be small enough so that all the prizes will fit into the smallest box.

·         Wrapping paper, or newspaper (color comics pages work best)

·         Music (cassette player or radio)

Wrap all the prizes individually and place them into the smallest box.  Then wrap the smallest box inside the next largest box and wrap that. Put that inside the next largest and wrap it. Continue until all the boxes (and bags if you’re using them) have been nested and wrapped.

To play the game, have the children sit in a circle and give one of them the large wrapped box.  Start the music and have the children pass the box around the circle while the music plays.  Stop the music after 20-30 seconds. Whoever is holding the box when the music stops get to unwrap the first layer.  Inside is another wrapped box.  Start the music again and continue the game until the last box is unwrapped.  If the music stops on a child who has already unwrapped a layer, that child gets to pick anyone who hasn’t to take a turn to unwrap the package.  Unwrapping the last box will reveal the prizes, which are also wrapped.  The child holding the box takes one prize and passes the box around so that each child can take a prize.

This game works best with small group of about five or six children.  If you have a large group, you may want to divide them into smaller groups, with a set of nesting boxes for each group.  All the groups can play at the same time, but you may want an adult to supervise each group.

Vegetable Stew

Baltimore Area Council

Cub Scouts are seated in a circle with one boy in the center. The Den leader assigns the names of various vegetables to each of two boys in the circle. When the leader calls the name of a vegetable, the two cabbages, two carrots, two potatoes (and so on) run to change places, while the boy in the center tries to get one of the vacant places. When the leader yells, “Vegetable Stew!” everyone scrambles for a new seat.  If the boy in the middle catches someone, he takes that boy’s seat and the caught boy goes to the center.  To go with the theme, use Holiday Foods.

Eggshell Race

Baltimore Area Council

Traditionally this game was played with hollow eggs but plastic ones work well. For real eggs, make small holes in either end of an egg with a pin or needle. Blow the yolk and white out of the egg and paint the shells different colors. Put the eggs down on a starting line and on a signal each contestant blows his eggs toward the finish line. Contestants are not allowed to touch the eggs in any way. Another version of this is played with team of two boys per egg.  Each team player has a straw for a broom with which he pushes the egg toward the finish line. Only the straw may touch the egg. 

Feed the Guest

Baltimore Area Council

You need a large cloth napkin (Cub Scout Neckerchiefs will do), gumdrops (or a traditional candy for the holidays) and toothpicks. Divide the Den into two teams. Sit them on opposite sides of the table. Place a napkin, bowl of gumdrops and a package of toothpicks at the end of the table for each team. At the given signal, the first person on each side ties the napkin around the neck of the person sitting next to him, picks up a toothpick, spears a gumdrop, and feeds the person. This person then unties the napkin from around his neck and repeats the procedure with the next person. This continues on down the table. The first side to finish wins.

After You

Baltimore Area Council

Materials: small table or chairs spoon for each boy, string, cake or ice cream

Divide the Den into pairs. Each pair sits with a small table, chair seat, or lapboard, etc. between them. Give each pair of boys two spoons joined together with a length of string so that spoons are only six inches apart. Place a large slice of cake or dish of ice cream in front of each boy. On signal, everyone starts to eat. Each boy must eat only from his own dish and must not lift it from the table. The pair finishes their food first wins.

Spaghetti Drop

Baltimore Area Council

Materials: 2 empty pop bottles, cooked and cooled spaghetti, 2 pair disposable plastic gloves, aprons

Teams line up in relay formation. Each team has one member go to the other end of the playing area, puts on apron, and lies down on his back with an empty pop bottle on his stomach. He may hold the bottle in place.

Next to the first person in each team, have a pot of cooked, cooled and drained (but still slightly soggy) spaghetti. At the signal, each player in turn puts on the plastic gloves, picks up 10 wet noodles, runs to the other end, puts noodles in the pop bottle before racing back to take off the gloves and hand them to the next player. The first team finished is the winner. Declare each team’s bottle holder a hero.

Poor Spud

Baltimore Area Council

Draw a large circle on the ground and place potatoes in the center (one fewer than there are players.)

Tell the players to march around the circle. When a whistle is blown then the players grab a potato. The one without a potato sits out of the next game. Now take out another potato and play again, and so on.

The last player is the winner.

Cereal String Race

Baltimore Area Council

Use cereal such as “Cheerios” or “Fruit Loops” that have holes in the middle. Knot a piece of yarn or string (two to three feet long) around one cereal piece and tape the other end to keep it from raveling.

Give each boy a string and a pile or bowl of cereal pieces. Set a timer for 1- 5 minutes, and let the boys race to see who can make the longest string of cereal before the time expires. Untie the yarn or string from the cereal piece, and tie the two yarn ends together to make a loop. Hang the strung cereal in a tree to feed the birds.

What Did You See?

This is a Kim’s Games

Baltimore Area Council

Place 15 – 20 pieces of real or plastic foods on a tray. Allow the boys to look at the items for 1 – 2 minutes. Cover the items. Give each boy a piece of paper and a pencil, and instruct them to list all the items they can remember on the tray. An alternative to this game would be to hide the tray and change the places of several of the items. Reveal the tray, and have the boys take turns trying to put the items back in place.

Edible Architecture

Baltimore Area Council

Using different cookies and crackers, let the boys build castles, cottages or space ships. Add Cool Whip, Jell-O, or even peanut butter for glue. Decorate with other edibles, for incre-edible architecture!  Make it a Holiday scene with snow and other decorations!!!