Games And Ideas To Brighten Up Meetings

[Eamonn]

Please post any games or things that you have done or do that add fun to your meetings. Even if you think that everyone "Knows that one" post it anyway -Not everyone does.

I'll start with a couple:

HEAD AND CATCH - Equipment needed a large ball

( volley ball works well but any ball works, a beach ball if you are worried about breaking stuff)

Scouts form a circle, one scout in the center. He throws the ball to each Scout. As he lets go of the ball he calls either "Head it" or "Catch it" if he calls head it the Scout has to catch it and of course if he calls " Catch it" the Scout has to head it.

You can play this as a gathering game having the Scout who does it wrong enter the circle and become the caller or you can play for a winner.

ON THE BANK, IN THE RIVER.

EQUIPMENT Needed some sort of line on the floor, chalk, or a long rope laid out across the meeting hall.

One side of the line is the Bank the other is the river. A Scout calls. Everyone starts on one side of the line.

The calls are:

On the bank

In the river

Scouts start on the bank when "In the river is called they jump with both feet in the river.

When on the bank is called they jump back, anyone getting it wrong is out.

Once they get used to that add

In the Bank

On the River

You can't jump on a river or in a bank so anyone who does is out, as is anyone who falls.

I'll add more when some else adds one.

Eamonn.

[CNYScouter]

There is a very good Web site that has a large number of games and activities that can be searched by levels (Tigers through Scouts) or by Activity Type (quite, active or loud).

 

Most of the Scout level stuff can be used at the Venturing Level also.

 

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/default.asp

 

Look at the left side under Activites and Games

 

[frank10]

Eamonn,

Our best game is much like yours but we have a light house (one side, Shore (the other side), Dock (line down the center of the hall) and best of all SURF! (on your belly where ever you are).

 

Every now and then I'll ever yell out SURF! when were not playing and the scouts will still dive for the floor.

[WDL Mom]

Webelos love playing tag, here is one of their favorites:

 

Circle Tag:

 

Each boy needs a partner. They hold hands.

The entire group makes a circle with partners standing together.

One boy is "it" and chases another boy around and through the circle.

 

The boy being chased may link up with any of the pairs, so now they are a group of 3. The boy that linked up is "safe" and so is the middle boy... the outside boy now is being chased!

 

If the boy who is "it" tags then the game reverses and he is chased.

 

 

Cup Stack: This is a gathering activity.

 

Equipment: paper or styrofoam cups, rubber band, string

 

Tie four strings to a rubber band so that it looks like a sun with 4 rays sticking out of it.

 

Four boys grab the strings and expand the rubber band.

 

Their job is to make a pyramid with the cups using only the rubber band and strings.

[Eamonn]

Great Stuff

Please keep them coming.

 

Just A Minute.

Ask Scouts to sit down when they think one minute has passed. The Scout who is nearest the exact time is the winner.

Make sure they can't see any clocks or watches!!

It's really strange how quiet they get.

This is a great way to calm everyone down after an activity where they have been making lots of noise.

 

Hypothermia Knot Relay

Equipment:

Basin full of ice water per patrol.

Thin rubber /latex Gloves one pair per Scout.

(We use the food service gloves they are cheap!!)

Scouts place their hands in the ice water for several minutes -While you explain all you know about hypothermia.

Then while the rest of the Patrol keep their hands in the ice water you call out the knot of the week (Keep it easy)

The Scouts learn how cold makes even doing a simple task (Square knot?) hard.

Note if you are a nice person and have big enough containers (The big things they sell after Christmas) add a can of pop to the ice. When the relay is over they get to drink the pop.

Normally they get so interested with the pop they forget about putting the ice down each others shirts -Normally but not always.

Eamonn.

Wing nut

We have a very similar game.

We have : Freeze! (no movement.) Clear the decks (Get off the ground) And Captain coming aboard. (Scouts salute and yell Aye, Aye Captain) You can then add he is deaf : They yell louder!! then you can add "He is very deaf" -They yell their heads off.

[Robin]

Snail racing

[SSScout]

Lowfat Steal the Bacon:::

 

Count off by 2's to divide into two teams. Line up on opposite sides, on lines about 20 yards apart, if room. If you're inside, have the boys touch the wall behind them so they can get back to the starting point "fairly".

Now, in the 'original',high fat version, the teams count off again, one end to the other. The "caller" then calls out a number and those two numbers from opposing sides run out to 'steal the bacon' , a hat or ball or towel, laid in the middle between the two sides, and runs it back to their side for scoring, if youre into that sort of thing.

 

In the new and improved low fat wesion, once the two teams are lined up on their respective sides, the 'caller' calls the boys out with other defining qualities. Use your imagination, thus:

anyone wearing shoes without laces.

anyone born in February..

Anyone with a sister who is a Girl Scout...

All Tenderfeet...

Wearing black shorts...

red hats...

if you like eating raw oysters...(note the reaction to this one among Cub Scouts!)

Born in NewJersey...

born in a country other than the USA...

Father wears glasses...

attends XYZ school...

 

Note the need to be honest about things. They are "on their honor" to react truthfully!!

Scoring? Ha! they'll forget all about who's ahead if the caller keeps the pace fast...

 

The caller can be very creative and will elicit sometimes one, sometimes nearly all of the players.

 

KISMIF

 

YiS

[Gonzo1]

How about Jump the Shot?

 

20' of rope with a weight on the end like a couple of rolled up towels or something. Scouts circle up and a scouts swings the weighted rope around so that the 'shot' flies just above the floor. As the shot approaches, scouts jump to avoid the shot. The scout who get tangled up get to swing the rope.

 

 

[Gonzo1]

Keep Aloft

 

Equipment: Volley bal or soccer ball.

 

Circle up the scouts. Someone tosses a ball high into the air and the scouts pass the ball around but don't let the ball touch the ground.

When a scout does, he's out, the circle gets smaller and smaller.

 

Good time killer, generally fun.

 

[caleen]

These games are great. I'm going to try them.

 

Here's one we do, it's a blast and the scouts love it.

 

Big Glove Gum Race

 

This is a relay. Get 2 pairs of really large gloves. We used work gloves. 2 paper grocercy bags. Packs of bubble gum, enough for each scout on each team.

 

Divide scouts into teams, put bags on one side of room, scout teams on the other. On GO, one kid from each team races to the bag, puts on the gloves, has to get a piece of gum out of the pack, unwrap it, and chew it 5 times. Take off the gloves, put them back in bag, race back and tag the next kid.

 

First team to have all scouts back chewing gum wins. But, every kid wins since they all have a piece of gum. My Wolf and Webelos II dens love this game.

[baden]

The boys in our Troop are mad for Dodge ball. They agitate to play it at every meeting. We used to play a game the boys called Nuke "Em. Basically dodge ball played with a medicine ball. We had to shelve it finally. Pretty violent, hence its appeal to your basic teenager.

[frankj]

LINE UP:

 

Divide up into two or more groups. Approx equal number of boys in each group. Line up facing one another with feet on a line, such as a seam in concrete or a chalk line. On signal, each line rearranges itself into some order from left to right, such as by height, or by alphabetical order of last name. Each Scout has to keep one foot on the line at all times. You can do the "verbal" version where Scouts communicate directions to each other, or the "non-verbal" version where no directions are allowed.

[WDL Mom]

Here is one that is a take off of the old Red Light, Green light.

 

All the boys line up at one end of the room. One person is it, and he is located on the other end of the room with his back to the group.

 

Adult calls "fingers up". Each boy in the group puts up a number from 1 - 5. Then the Adult calls "shoot". The boy that is it puts up his number. Any boy that matches him is frozen and can't move. If you did NOT match then you move forward the number of steps that you put up.

 

Gets really interesting if you have 2 or 3 boys be it at the same time....