Red Devil

This game works best when played around a house or building. Determine a starting line or a home base that you can touch. 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 (in no particular order) what the Red Devil is thinking of (for example if the category is candy bars, they would say things like Butterfinger, Mars, Milky Way etc.). 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.)

Flour Tag

This is a fun outdoor kid game where you get tagged with flour-filled nylon sacks. Things you'll need are dark shirts and flour nylon stockings (also choose a person to be the referee and determine a jail area). Each player must have a dark T-shirt on (black or navy blue works as well). Give each player a nylon that is filled with flour. Tie the nylon at the end to make it into a ball shape. The group plays tag as normal but players are knocked out by throwing the flour torpedoes at each other. You'll be able to know exactly who has been hit by the flour mark on their shirts. The referee must keep their eye on the players and call out those who are hit to the jail area. Keep a damp rag handy to clean up the shirts between rounds. A variation of this game is "capture the flag" with the two teams posessing a flag at each end of the playing field. Have the teams try to get their opponents flag without being tagged.

Blob Tag

The kids avoid being tagged by the ever-growing and dividing "blob". First, define boundaries. A player is chosen to be 'it' or 'the blob' and the others run. When tagged by 'the blob', the player joins hands with 'the blob' forming a larger blob, and together they continue chasing the others. Once 'the blob' is made of four people, it splits into two blobs (two pairs) and each blob continues chasing the others. The last person caught will then become 'the blob' and the game starts all over again.

Minefield

This is a communication game (that can be quite educational) where you try to talk your blindfolded teammate through a series of obstacles.

What you'll need are blindfolds and a number of moveable obstacles such as balls, chairs, jackets, shoes etc.

Define boundaries. Have the team create a list of things that are detrimental to functioning as a group such as poor communication, anger, jealousy, wrong tools, not listening etc.

For each characteristic/action, throw an object into the playing space, the "minefield."

Have the kids within a group choose partners. One partner is blindfolded at one end of the field. The non-blindfolded partners stand at the opposite end of the field and try to talk their partners through the minefield without them running into any of the obstacles. If the blindfolded partner touches an object they're out and another partner must try. However, once they are blindfolded the other team can move the objects around if they choose. The team with the highest number of successful crossings wins. After the game is over (if you want it to be more educational) ask the players what they learned from the activity? Did the blindfolded people trust their team? Why or why not? Why is good communication important? etc.

War Balloons Game

You will need two different color balloons (i.e. green and red). Blow up the balloons and tie a string to each of them.

Divide into two teams. Then tie the string around the ankles of the players. (For example, Team 1 gets green balloons tied around their ankles while Team 2 gets red).

The object of the game is for each team to try to burst every balloon on the other team first. The first team whose balloons are all popped loses.

Scavenger Hunt List #2

straw
package of Raman noodles
clothespin
staple
paper cup
paper towel roll
nail
sock
froot loop (cereal)
napkin
ball
pencil
piece of candy
picture of a dog
paper sack
gift wrap bag
gumball
piece of jewelry
Suduku puzzle
business card
empty water bottle
marble
yarn
sticker
birthday present - best present gets a special prize!

Scavenger Hunt List #1

1999 penny
Target bag
paper clip
band-aid
sweet-n-low packet
Christmas plate
Post-it note
old shoe
.25 coupon
blue balloon
sucker
plastic spoon
birthday candle
pink crayon
Ziploc bag
envelope
toilet paper roll
comic strip
artificial flower
dryer sheet
string
ketsup packet
ribbon or bow
noisemaker
birthday present - best present gets a special prize!

BURPEE

Objective: A baseball game that can be played with as few as two people.
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 2 or more players
Needed: Whiffle ball Bat Gloves (optional) A wall
Setup: Burpee is a baseball game which requires a wall and does not require a catcher. You can play at your local playground or whereever there is a large open space with a wall. You'll need to determine locations for 4 bases (including home plate) and decide the out-of-bounds lines for foul balls. The home plate should be a few feet in front of the wall. Each team should have an equal number of players. You'll also have to determine a strike zone. This is done by drawing a retangle or square on the wall with some chalk to determine whether a pitch is a strike or a ball. Each team needs a pitcher. You'll also need to determine the distances a ball must travel in the air to constitute a singe, double, triple or home run. For example, a ball which travels only 5 to 15 feet might be a single, 15-25 feet a double, 25-35 feet a triple and 35+ a home run.

Rules: Burpee is played like regular baseball. If a pitch is inside the strike zone on the wall, its a strike. Otherwise it's a ball. Three strikes is an out and four balls is a walk. Three outs on both sides constitutes an inning. A caught ball is an out (regardless of whether you use a glove or not) and distance of the ball determines a single, double, triple or home run.
Winning: As in baseball, the most runs wins. Play as many innings as you like.

TURTLE TAG

Objective: A game of touch tag where you can't tag someone while on their back like an upside down turtle!
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 6 or more players
Needed: None
Rules: Choose a tag area such as a front yard and determine boundaries etc. and a jail area. Then choose a 'tagger'. The tagger attempts to tag players while they run or stand within the defined area. If a player is tagged they go to the jail. During the game players can lay down on their backs like a stranded turtle forming a safety area. While in this position a player cannot be tagged. Players can only stay in the turtle position for a limited amount of time, usually 5 or 10 seconds. This should be determined prior to playing.

Winning: The game ends when the tagger has captured all players.
Variations: In another version, there is no jail and any player who is tagged instantly becomes the next tagger. There are no tag backs in this version.

TOILET TAG

Objective: A game of touch tag where you can't tag someone squatting in a toilet position!
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 6 or more players
Needed: None
Rules: Choose a tag area such as a front yard and determine boundaries etc. and a jail area. Then choose a 'tagger'. The tagger attempts to tag players while they run or stand within the defined area. If a player is tagged they go to the jail. During the game players can squat down like a toilet forming a safety area. While in this position a player cannot be tagged. Players can only stay in the toilet position for a limited amount of time, usually 5 or 10 seconds. This should be determined prior to playing.

Winning: The game ends when the tagger has captured all players.
Variations: In another version, there is no jail and any player who is tagged instantly becomes the next tagger. There are no tag backs in this version.

NATURE HUNT

Objective: An outdoor game where the players pretend they are animals, trying to hide from man along a trail.
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 2 or more players
Needed: A nature trail or forest area
Rules: The group walks a given distance down a nature trail. Each player is given time to hide along the trail. They may travel no more than 15 feet from either side of the trail, and may use anything in the natural environment to provide camouflage. The leader waits about five minutes until all players are hidden. He walks the distance of the trail once only, and tries to find as many players as possible. After his walk, he calls out, and watches to see where all the successful animals hid

This game can be repeated many times with different players taking the role of the searcher. It is fun to talk about the hiding places that were the most successful.

SPONGE RUN

Objective: Two teams compete to fill a bucket with water by handing off a sponge.
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 6 or more players
Needed: Four buckets, two sponges and some water
Rules: Divide into two teams. Give each team an empty bucket and a bucket filled half way with water. The buckets should be off equal size and filled the same amount. Place one member of each team a distance of 20 feet from the rest of the team with the empty bucket on the ground at their feet. The rest of each team should line up facing their team mate 20 feet away with the filled bucket at their feet. The object is to move as much water as possible in a pre-determined amount of time (usually 90 second or 2 minutes). When you say "go", one member of each team (let's call them #1) fills the sponge and races to the empty bucket and empties it. #1 then hands the sponge to the team member standing there (#2) who then runs back to the waiting team. #2 then hands the sponge to #3 who them dips the sponge and runs to the other bucket and empties it. They then hand the sponge to #1 who runs to the team and hands it to #4 etc. etc. The team who accumulates the most water wins.

FRISBEE WAR

Objective: A sports game you can think of as frisbee dodge ball.
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 6 or more players
Needed: Two to four frisbees
Rules: This game can be played indoors or outdoors. Determine a boundary in which all players should stay. Two or three frisbees are used for throwing. Anyone can throw a frisbee to anyone else. If a player catches the frisbee, the thrower is out and the catcher can throw it again to someone else. You play until only one person remains.

Variation: You can divide into two teams and play with one team in the middle, similar to regular dodge ball.

PETRIFIED BASEBALL

Objective: A sports game similar to baseball but you can't move your feet.
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 6 or more players
Needed: Volleyball
Rules: Divide into two teams. The rules are similar to regular baseball except that a volleyball is used (no bats!) and the fielding team may not move their feet. It is best to keep your players in close without too much distance in between each other. The hitting team hits the volleyball with their hand, and crawls around the bases. To score a point, the batter must run around the bases on feet and hands (like a dog or horse) and back to home before the fielding team gets the ball to the catcher at home. If the fielding team gets the ball ahead of the batter, he is out. After three people are out, the teams trade places.

CLOTHESPIN TAG

Objective: Clamp as many clothespins as possible onto the clothes of your opponents.
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 6 or more players
Needed: Clothespins with springs
Rules: Use four clothespins for this two-person confrontation. Each player begins with two. If you can get both pins securely attached to your opponent's clothes, you get one point. If you find yourself wearing both clothespins from your opponent, take two in hand and toss the other two to your opponent. Play begins again immediately. The game continues as long as the players can stand it. The player with the most points wins.

Variations: It can be played with virtually any number of players, as long as there are plenty of clothespins. Again, start with two clothespins for each player. The goal here is simply to clamp clothespins on other players indiscriminately. First player to clamp both wins. This game is ideal for breaking the ice or relieving tension in large groups.

Another variation is elimination. Each player begins with two pins. If you get pinned with two pins you are out and must stand aside while the rest carry on. Eventually it will be down to two players and one will be victorious.

DOCTOR

Objective: A tag game where balls 'kill' you out but a 'doctor' can heal you instantly.
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 10 or more players
Needed: Two jackets or vest for the doctors Lots of playground balls (they should be soft enough not to injure someone when thrown)
Rules: Divide the group into two teams. Each team must choose a person to be the doctor. Both doctors must wear something to distinguish them as doctors such as a hunting vest or a bright jacket. There are no out of bounds in this game. There should be at least one ball for every 3 players. Someone says 'go' and each team tries to get the other teams players out by throwing the balls at them. If you are hit you must remain where you are. The doctors can move around the playing field and heal people by simply touching them. If you are healed you are back in the game and can continue moving. Doctors can be permanently removed from the game by being hit by a ball. Once a doctor is out he/she can't be healed. The game continues until all players are out and one team wins. .

Valid throws: 1. Outs cannot be made by deflection shots or shots which bounce off one person and hit another.
2. Outs cannot be made by grounders or balls which bounce off the ground and then hit a person.
3. Outs cannot be made by simply touching a ball to someone like in baseball. They must be thrown at least a one foot distance to be valid.
4. You cannot get your own team mate out.

BOWLING BASKETBALL

Objective: Compete against another team and acquire points by knocking over a bowling pin with a basketball and shooting hoops.
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 8 or more players
Needed: A bowling pin (or a bottle or similar object which can be knocked down on impact) and two basketballs Basketball court with two hoops
Setup: Divide the group into two even teams. There also must be a leader who acts as judge and sets up the pin each time. Have each team line up at corners of the basketball court. Place the pin in the middle on the opposite site of the court.

Rounds: Each round consists of two matches - a bowling match and a shooting match. Both teams always start rounds at the same time. Play continues non-stop through both matches until someone has won the bowling match and someone has won the shooting match.
Bowling Round: The leader signals the start and the first two people in line bowl their basketballs across the floor at the pins with the intention of knocking it down. The first ball to touch the pin and knock it down wins the match and scores 2 points. Sometime the leader may have to make a judgment call as to who was first. The winner must retrieve their ball and bring it back to the next person on their team. This team immediately moves on to the shooting match (see below) while the loser has to chase down their ball (no matter how far it rolls) and run it back to the next person on their team and continue in the bowling match. If both teams miss, they both chase their balls and return them to the next people in line. However, keep in mind that once a match begins, teams do not have to wait for the other team to catch up before bowling or shooting again. They should only do this at the beginning of each new round. After a pin is knocked down, the leader should be nearby and set it up again quickly for the next bowlers.
Shooting Round: When one team advances to the shooting match the next person in line must shoot and make a basket from the free throw line on their end of the court. If they miss they must continue chasing the ball, returning to the line and shooting until they make it. This make shooting a bit harder than bowling. If they make a shot, they score 1 point for their team and the round ends. Teams then regroup and the balls are moved to the next people in line and the pin is set up again.
Winning: Rounds continue until one team reaches 20 points.
4 Team Variation: On larger courts with two full length courts side by side, four teams can play against each other by bowling from each respective corner and shooting at their assigned hoops. All the same rules apply.

KEEP AWAY BALL

Objective: A group game where you quickly pass a ball around a circle and try to keep it away from the person in the middle.
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 6 or more players
Needed: Playground ball
Rules: Chose someone to be "it" and give them a ball. Everyone else is in a circle around "it". "It" starts the game by passing the ball to a player in the circle who throws it to anyone else in the circle. The object of the game is for "it" to either catch or touch the ball while it is being passed around the circle. When "it" intercepts the ball, the player who touched it last becomes "it".

KEEP AWAY BALL

Objective: A group game where you quickly pass a ball around a circle and try to keep it away from the person in the middle.
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 6 or more players
Needed: Playground ball
Rules: Chose someone to be "it" and give them a ball. Everyone else is in a circle around "it". "It" starts the game by passing the ball to a player in the circle who throws it to anyone else in the circle. The object of the game is for "it" to either catch or touch the ball while it is being passed around the circle. When "it" intercepts the ball, the player who touched it last becomes "it".

LEMONADE

Objective: A combination of charades and red rover. This game is active and relys on fun improvisation!
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 6 or more players
Needed: None
Rules: Divide the group into two teams. Determine a playing area in the shape of a rectangle. Decide on two safety lines, one on each end of the retangle. One is the safety line fo team A and the other for team B. Team A are the actors and team B are the guessers. The actors decide on a geographical location (a country) and a related occupation (painter, policeman, baker etc.). Dialogue between A and B goes like this and can be yelled:

A: Here we come.
B: Where from?
A: From another land
B: What's your name?
A: Lemonade.
B: What's your trade?
A: Goes like this.

At this point group A acts out their occupation. Group B is given 3 tries to guess. If the guess is correct, group A must run to their safety line without being touched by a group B player. If all 3 guesses are wrong group B must run to their safety line without being touched by a group A player. Any player touched must switch teams.