GAMES

MEDIEVAL GAMES AND RECREATION

Grand Canyon Council

Medieval society indulged in a number of games and recreation, when the often harsh daily life permitted a break. Chess was widely popular and often a source of gambling entertainment; both in the traditional format and in a simpler version played with dice. Dice were easy to carry and were played in all ranks of society, even among the clergy. Some games played during the Middle Ages, including bowling, blind man's bluff (also called hood man’s blind), and Checkers were a popular pastime, as was backgammon. Children wrestled, swam, fished and played a game that was a cross between tennis and handball. Medieval knights would incorporate training in recreation, performing gymnastics and running foot races.

At harvest time, villagers would bob for apples and go on hunts in the surrounding forests, if the castle lord permitted.

Jousting Contests

Heart of America Council

Besides these jousting contests be sure to check out the Teeterboard Jousting in the “How To” Book, page 3-40.  We are going to do that at my Roundtable this month CD

Hand Push:

Two boys face each other with toes touching and palms together at shoulder height.

Each tries to push the other’s hands until he is forced to step out.

Broomstick Twist

Two boys should be about equal in height and weight.

They grasp a broomstick held horizontally with both hands.

Each tries to touch the end of the broomstick to the floor on his right.

Pull Over:

Boy braces feet grasps the right hand of his opponent with his own right hand and tries to pull him over a centerline on the ground. Vary by changing hands.

Sack Fight:

Each boy stands in a burlap or similar type of bag.

He must use both hands to keep the bag stretched to its full length.

He tries to upset others by thrusting and pushing with shoulders and hips.

This can be a dual contest or a mass battle where boys are eliminated as they loose their balance and fall.

SIEGE THE CASTLE
Grand Canyon Council

• Paint large pieces of cardboard, (from a washing machine box and a door box), to look like a castle wall.
• Use a dark grey base coat and let dry.
• Use a large sponge dipped in lighter grey to make bricks/stones.
• Cut out three holes for windows in the wall piece.
• Use the wall for bean-bag toss.
• The object was to get your bean bag through one of the holes in the castle wall.

Also good to use to add a little pack pizzazz! Use the castle as a prop for ceremonies and atmosphere throughout the pack meeting

Dragon Tag
Heart of America Council

• Four Scouts link their arms together, forming a chain.
• They are the Dragon and must remain linked at all times, even when running.
• The aim of he game is for the Dragon to run and catch as many Scouts as possible by forming a circle around them.
• A Scout who is captured must link arms with the others forming the Dragon and help to capture the remaining Scouts.
• The game goes on until everyone has been tagged and is part of one long Dragon.

Paper Cutting Race
Heart of America Council

• You need a pair of blunt scissors and a long strip of crepe paper for each player.
• All he strips should be the same length.
• Tie one end of each strip to something like a chair or a stair post. 
  Or pin the end to a cushion.
• Give each player the other end and the scissors.
• When you say go, the players can start cutting along the middle of the paper.
• The first one to reach the other end of his strip is the winner.

Staff Rassle
Heart of America Council

• Two Cub Scouts hold a broomstick between them.
• On end is painted blue and the other end red.
• On signal, each tries to touch his color to the ground.

Pillow Jousting
Heart of America Council

• This is a mass battle royal!!
• Each contestant holds a broomstick horse in one hand
• He swings his pillow like weapon in the other.
  (The weapon may be a stuffed sock.)
• Each Cub wears a paper hat and leaves the game when he loses his hat.

Knights and Dragons
Heart of America Council

• An equal number of knights and dragons are selected.
• The dragons’ left wrists are tied to the knight’s right wrists.
• Each dragon is equipped with a long green balloon for a tail, tied behind his back.
• Each knight wears a helmet with small visor and carries a rolled paper lance.
• A time limit is set (such as 3 minutes) and
• On signal, each knight tries to break the dragon’s tail with his rolled paper lance.
• Each dragon tries to take away the lance from the knight.
• At the end of the time limit, team having most of their props left intact is declared winner.

Crossing the Moat
Heart of America Council

Oh the hardships of being a knight!!

• This time, he must try to cross the moat on the drawbridge.
• For the drawbridge, set a long plank (at least 12” wide) on the floor.
• The knight, in full dress and astride his horse, must try to walk across the drawbridge.
• If he falls off the plank on either side, he is in the ‘moat’; mark the distance he has gone.
• The knight who successfully crosses the drawbridge or goes the farthest is the winner.

Chivalry Lives
Heart of America Council

• For this game the knights will not need their helmets or horses.
• Line the knights up and place a handkerchief on the floor in front of each of them.
• At a given signal, each knight (with his hands behind his back) bends down and picks up the handkerchief with his teeth.
• The knight then gets up and delivers the handkerchief, still in his teeth, to the “Lady” at a designated point.
• First one who reaches the “Lady” wins.

DRAGON’S TAIL
Grand Canyon Council &
Heart of America Council

• There should be at least eight players, but an unlimited number can take part in this game.
• The players are divided into two equal teams.
• Each team makes a “dragon” by getting in a line, each player holding the waist of the one in front of him.
• The player at the end of the line has a handkerchief waving in back from his belt. This is the dragon’s tail.
• The object of the game is for the first player of each dragon to get the other dragon’s tail.
• It takes a lot of running and dodging to protect the handkerchiefs.
• Play for points, each dragon scoring one point for each time it succeeds in getting the other dragon’s tail.
• Change positions occasionally. Set a time limit if necessary.
• The boys must not let go of each other.
• The longer the body of the dragon, the more fun it is to play.

The Knight
Grand Canyon Council
Sam Houston Area Council

• The boys stand in a circle with the "Knight" in the center. 
• Boys call "Knight, Knight, are you ready?" 
• Knight answers "No, I'm putting on my boots" and pantomimes putting on his boots. 
• The others imitate him. 
• Again they ask "Knight, Knight, are you ready" and he replies that he is putting on his armor, helmet, gloves, etc. each time pantomiming putting on the item, while all follow suit. 
• Whenever he wishes, the Knight answers with "Yes, I'm ready, and here I come". 
• The players rush to a goal line and the Knight tries to tag them. 
• If any player is tagged, he becomes the Knight.

In the Moat
Heart of America Council

• Arrange the players in a circle around you just outside a chalk line.
• If you order “in the moat” all are to jump in the circle.
• When you call “on the bank” all should jump back.
• If the order “in the moat” is given when all are in, no one should move.
• Such orders as “on the moat” or “in the bank” should be ignored.
• Anyone making a mistake is out of the game.
• The remaining player wins.

TRADITIONAL GAMES WITH A ROYAL TWIST
Grand Canyon Council

How about some of these??

Use your imagination to think of more!!

Pint the tail on the donkey
                            Pin the flame on the Dragon

Simon Says...                 The Queen/King Says

Mother may I?...                         King may I ?

Red Rover...                                 King Rover

Dragon Races:
Sam Houston Area Council

The Dragon

Make your dragons out of clothespins.

Use markers to draw the dragon,

Decorate by gluing the dragon picture below, or apply construction paper.  

The race -

Next, take a length of string or heavy thread. 

Fasten one end to the dragon and the other to a toothpick.

Draw a Start and a Finish on a big sheet of paper. 

At the word “Go” each player begins winding the dragon’s string around the toothpick. 

The first dragon to cross the finish line is the winner. 

NO PULLING – you must wind the string.

(It seems to me that you would want the start line on the side of the paper away from the racers and the race the dragons toward themselves as they wind the string.  CD)

KEY TO THE CITY
Grand Canyon Council

• Divide Cub Scouts into two teams.
• Divide each team into two groups.
• The two parts of a team face each other across the room or a playing field (allow some distance to run).
• Have two large keys cut out from cardboard.
• On signal, the first boys with the key will run to the first boy in the opposite line and hands over the ‘Key to the City.’
• First team to have run all boys with the ‘Key to the City’ is the winner.
• Present that team with the ‘Key to the City’ and an applause.

Corn Toss
Heart of America Council

• Players attempt to toss ten kernels of corn into small box placed on a table about 4 feet away.
• For a variation take an egg box and assign different values to each of the 12 sections!
• Award points for each successful try.

Pumpkin Pie Toss
Heart of America Council

• Suspend a hoop from a high spot, use a coat hanger bent to a round shape.
• Players attempt to sail five 9” paper plates through the hoop.
• Award points for each successful try.

Turkey Shoot
Heart of America Council

• Pin a sheet of cardboard with three or four turkeys drawn on it on a smooth wall.
• Players shoot rubber suction darts at the turkeys.
• Award points for each turkey hit – darts do not need to stick to turkeys.

Turkey Hunt
Heart of America Council

• Players roll a set of children’s alphabet blocks as dice.
• Or make a set of dice with the letters of the alphabet marked on them.
• Then they try to make the letters in to the word “turkey” turn up on the dice.
• Each player gets 3 rolls.

Ring the Turkey
Heart of America Council

• Cut out the shape of a turkey from cardboard or wood.
• Paint and decorate the turkey cut out.
• Hammer nails on to the turkey at different places.
• This is the target.
• Place it 8 to 10 feet away.
• Each player throws rubber jar rings at the turkey.
• The winner is determined by the number of rings that catch on the target.
• If you wish, you can mark each nail with a point value.

Neckerchief Relay
Sam Houston Area Council

Boys line up in relay formation.  The first Cub Scout in each line holds a neckerchief and a neckerchief slide in his hands.  At the other end of the room opposite each line is another boy or parent.  At the starting signal, the first boy runs to the boy or parent, places the neckerchief around their neck, puts the slide on, salutes, takes the slide off, removes the neckerchief, and returns to his team.  He then gives the neckerchief and slide to the next boy in line who repeats the process.  This continues until each boy has had his turn.

C.U.B.S.
Sam Houston Area Council

Equipment: - 1 beanbag

Formation - circle

• The Cubs sit in a circle with the beanbag in the center
• The leader gives each of them a letter in the order C.U.B.S. all the way round the circle. 
• There must be at least two with each letter
• The leader calls out one of the letters and all the Cubs with that letter run right round the outside of the circle and back through their places into the center –
• In the center they try to snatch the beanbag. 
• The Cub who gets the bag is the winner.

Cup Race
Sam Houston Area Council

• Thread conical paper cups onto a thin, smooth cord stretched between chairs, or posts. 
• Each team member blows cone to the end of the cord,
• Then he brings it back; 
• The next boy does the same. 
• First team finished wins.

Feather Relay
Sam Houston Area Council

• Each player throws a long feather javelin style, toward the finish line.
• As soon as it comes to earth, he picks it up and throws it again,
• This continues until the feather is thrown across the finish line.
• He then picks it up and runs back to his team to give the feather to the next player. 

Variation: each team member makes a paper airplane to use instead of the feather.

Fireman, Save My Child:
Sam Houston Area Council

Each team has a pile of paper cutout children on a table and a drinking straw for each player. Approximately 15-20 feet away from the start, place a small pail for each team on another table, chair, stool, etc.  At the call of "Fireman, save my child", the first player on each team must pick up a child by sucking up the figure against their straw.  While holding the figure this way, they run to their respective pail and deposit the figure.  The next team member then goes.  If they drop the figure en-route, they must stop and pick up their child, again, by sucking it up with the straw.

Flying Mace TOSS & Catch:
Sam Houston Area Council

You can find most of what you need in your yard.  Use two dry pine cones, one piece of twine (or strong string) about 18 inches long, and a short stick about 10 inches long. Tie the twine around the middle of each pine cone, leaving about 6-8 inches between the two cones.

Have kids pair up and using the stick, toss the pair of pinecones back and forth, using only their sticks to catch the string.  Levels of difficulty can be increased (distance, etc.) as the players gain more skill.  You can also play solo, or if more than two are playing, try tossing in a circle.  Try a volleyball type of game, tossing over a barrier.  This is a good opportunity to teach the boys to tie a knot, like “two half-hitches,” to attach the string to the pinecones.