GAMES

Calendar Pitch
Alapaha Area Council

Place one page from a large desk calendar on the floor as the target.  Each boy tosses three checkers or bottle caps from a distance of 5 or 6 feet, and totals his score according to the numbers on which his markers land.  Markers on a line don’t count.  The winning score might be 75 points or more.  For added excitement, score double points for holidays, such as eight points for Independence Day (July 4th).

Balloon Battle Royal
Greater St. Louis Area Council
The first Hot Air balloon Flight was June 5, 1793.

Arrange Cub Scouts in a large circle, each with an inflated balloon hanging from a string tied to his ankle.

On signal, have each player try to break all other balloons by stomping on them.

When a balloon is broken, its owner leaves the circle and the game continues until only one player is left.

Back-to-Back Balloon Bursting
Alapaha Area Council

Divide group into teams of two each.  Have pairs stand in line, back to back, with a balloon held between their backs.  On signal, they should press together and try to burst the balloon.  If the balloon falls before breaking, they drop out.  The first team to pop the balloon wins.

After You Relay
Baltimore Area Council

Divide boys into pairs.

Give each pair two spoons tied together with a length of string so that the 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.

See which pair can finish first

Feed The Guest
Baltimore Area Council

This game may be played at a Pack picnic or other dinner event while the guests are sitting at their tables.

Each side of the table plays against the other.

Place a large cloth napkin, bowl of gum drops and package of tooth picks at the end of the table for each team.

At a given signal, the first person on each side ties the napkin around the neck of the person sitting next to him, picks up a tooth pick, spears a gum drop and feeds the person next to him.

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.

Rooster Balance Game
Baltimore Area Council

In this game, two players play inside a circle, about 8’ in diameter. The players squat down so their knees touch their chest, and hold their arms like chicken wings, hands tucked inside their armpits.

The object of the game is to chase your opponent out of the circle, while still staying on your feet. It’s not easy!

Slow Race
Alapaha Area Council

In this race, the LAST one to finish is the winner. 

The only rule to the contest is that any time a player stops or drags his feet on the ground, he is immediately disqualified. 

You will find it is really more difficult to go slowly than to go fast!

Pebble Game
Baltimore Area Council

To play, all you need is a pebble the size of a marble.

• Two players sit facing each other.
• The player with the pebble passes it from one hand to the other, all the while singing, either well or terribly, or even purposely terribly.
• The other player is supposed to keep his eyes on the pebble, though the pebble passer tries to break this concentration. 
• When the player with the pebble is ready, he holds both hands out in front of him, his fingers closed. 
• Now the player without the pebble must guess which hand holds the pebble. 
• If he guesses right, he gets the pebble. 
• If he guesses wrong, the pebble passer tries to trick him again! 
• The game can be played very fast.

Smile
Greater St. Louis Area Council
June 15 is “Power of a Smile” day

Divide the boys into two teams and line them up facing each other about 10 feet apart.

One team is Heads and the other is Tails.

Flip a coin and call it. If “heads” comes up, that team laughs and smiles while the other team keeps a sober face.

A player who laughs at the wrong time switches teams.

Then flip the coin again.

Gold Rush Pioneer Went to Sleep
Sam Houston Area Council

• Everyone stands in a circle. 
• The first player begins by saying "Gold Rush Pioneer went to sleep. 
• The rest of the group answers, "How did Gold Rush Pioneer got to sleep? 
• The leader then says "Gold Rush Pioneer went to sleep like this, like this," repeating a small gesture such as nodding the head or twisting the wrist. 
• The rest of the group mimics the gesture and answers "like this, like this. 
• The entire group continues to repeat the gesture as the next boy in line says "Gold Rush Pioneer went to sleep," and others respond as before. 
• The second boy adds another gesture to the first, so that now there are two movements to keep going. 
• The game continues around the circle, each player adding a gesture. 
• By the end of the game, the entire group should be a foot-wiggling, eye-blinking, head-shaking, nose-twitching mess. 
• Try to add as many gestures as possible before the game totally falls apart. 
• Since it is difficult to do more than ten gestures at once, you may not get everyone in the group, but the challenge is to see how far you do get. 
• Start off slowly with small things, such  as toes and fingers, and work up to the bigger things, such as arms and legs.

No Hands
Alapaha Area Council

Tell the boys to fold their arms and lie on the floor.

The first to get up without using elbows or hands is the winner.

Blow Alley
Alapaha Area Council

• Play this game on a table top or on the floor. 
• Set up golf tees like bowling pins. 
• Cub Scouts propel an inflated balloon by blowing through a straw, and try to knock down the pins. 
• Pins may be given point value by numbering them or using various colors of tees.

Sentry Post
Sam Houston Area Council

• The prize goes to the quietest team in this game.
• Set up two chairs about seven feet apart.
• These are the sentry posts and two blindfolded players are seated in them, facing each other.
• The other players divide into two teams.
• At signal from the leader, the first player in each line sneaks forward on tiptoe and tries to pass between the two sentries without a sound.
• If either sentry hears anything, he calls out and points in the direction from which the sound came.
• If he's right, the player is "captured" and out of the game.
• If he points in the wrong direction, the player sneaks ahead.
• Each team goes through just once.
• The winner is the team that gets the most players past the sentries.

Stagecoach
Sam Houston Area Council

• The players are seated in a circle.
• Each one is given the name or some part of the stagecoach - the wheel, the hub, the axle, the seat, the door, the harness, the brake, the horses, the driver, the passengers, the baggage, spoke, tire, step.
• One of the party begins telling a story about a stagecoach, bringing in all the different things related to the coach.
• As each thing is mentioned the player (or players) representing it gets up and runs around his chair.
• At some point in the story the storyteller shouts "Stagecoach" when everyone must leave his seat and get a different one.
• The storyteller tries to get a seat in the scramble, thus leaving another player to begin a new story.

If
Alapaha Area Council

Have boys sit in a circle on chairs. 

When you ask a question, each boy moves one chair to his left if it applies to him. 

If there is someone in that chair, he sits on him (or them.) 

End the game when a boy goes all the way around back to his own chair.

If you            are a Cub Scout?

         have earned your Bobcat?

         have a pet?

         made your bed?

         have earned your Wolf badge?

         have on sneakers?

         are in full uniform?

         have earned a gold arrow point?

         have a sister?

         have been camping? 

Etc…

GAME OF WASHERS:
Sam Houston Area Council

Materials:

• 1 - 4” diameter, thick-walled PVC pipe (10” long)
• 8 - 2½” washers with 1” holes in the centers
• 4-  small cans of different color spray paint (bright colors)
• 1- Hack saw,
• 1 - tape measure

Set Up Directions:

• Cut the PVC pipe into two 5” cylinders.
• On a newspaper, spray paint each pair of washers a different color
• Bury the PVC pipe in dirt (or sand) so that they are flush with the level of the surrounding ground and 25 feet apart (or closer if the distance is too difficult)
• The “cups” made by the PVC pipes should be about 4½” deep to the dirt at the bottom.

Game Rules

Washers can be played by two or more people, and can be played in teams of two. 

The game field consists of two washer pits, each with a round cup.

Each player tosses two washers toward the opposite cup with starting order determined by a “diddle” which is where at the start of the game each player tosses one washer at the far cup and the order of who is closest determines who goes first, second, etc. 

When tossing washers, players are allowed to stand no closer than one normal step in front of the closest cup. 

The starting contestant throws both washers, one at a time, followed by the second player's throws, etc. 

Only one player may score per round, with scoring determined by proximity to the cup.

A washer inside the cup scores 5 points. 

A washer not inside the cup, but closest to the cup, scores 1 point. 

Scoring is done after all contestants have thrown. 

If one player’s washer lands inside the cup and is covered by another player’s washer, then no one scores for in the cup, but points could be awarded based on the remaining washers and their distance from the cup. 

Should a player score two cuppers and another player only throws one in the cup, then 5 points would be awarded to the first player.

In the instance of three or more players, a second cupper negates the first, leaving the cup available for a scoring cupper.

For example:

Player #1 lands a washer in the cup. 

Player #2 caps the cupper, negating player #1. 

Player #3 also lands a washer in the cup. 

Player #3 scores 5 points for the cupper.

A winning game is determined in several ways. 

• Should one player or team reach 11 points before the opponent scores a single point, the game is called a skunk and the player or team with zero points is out of the competition. 
• With two players or teams, and one reaching 11 points before the other scores, the game is finished. 
• Should one player or team score 17 points while the opponent has scored only 1 point, the game is called a whitewash and the player or team with only 1 point is out of the competition.
• When one player or team reaches 21 or more points before the opponent reaches 20 points, the game has gone full-term and the team or player with 21 or more points is declared the winner. 
• When a player or team reaches 20 points before the competition, they have achieved an “advantage” or “add” and must then throw last in the throwing order. 
• Games that go to “add” must be won by at least 2 points over the closest competitors.

PASS THE PARCEL
Great Salt Lake Area Council

Equipment: A present wrapped in many layers of paper, music

To Play:

• The players sit in a circle.
• They pass the parcel around the circle while music is playing. 
• Stop the music. 
• The player holding the parcel unwraps just one layer of paper. 
• Start the music again and the players must pass the parcel around the circle again.  Watch where you stop the music so that everyone can have a turn. 
• The game continues until the parcel has been completely unwrapped and the winner gets the prize in the middle.

CHICKEN PICKS
Great Salt Lake Area Council

Equipment: Rubber chicken

To Play:

Players sit in a circle and one player goes into the middle. 

A topic is chosen and the rubber chicken starts at one person and is passed around the circle. 

The person in the middle must list as many things as they can from the topic, but they only have however long the chicken makes it around the circle once. 

When the chicken gets back to the starting point, the person must stop talking. 

A designated counter should be in the group to count how many objects the person in the middle is able to list. 

The player that is able to list the most objects is the winner.

Topic example: Chocolate bars--Hershey, crispy crunch, Pennsylvania, etc.

WICKET BUBBLE

Equipment: Soap bubbles and blowers, two bottles, wire

To Play:

Create a wicket by inserting the two ends of the wire into the tops of the bottles.  The wicket should be about 15 inches wide and at least a foot high.

Place in the center of a table.

Divide players into two teams, one on each side of the table.

Each player is given three tries to send a bubble through the wicket from a set distance (3 – 5’). 

Keep track of how many points each team scores.

Variation: Play one-on-one as above or see who can get to ten points first.