OUTDOOR GAMES • ANIMAL CRACKERS Write the names of common zoo animals on bits of paper and have each child draw one of the papers out of a hat. The children sit in a circle. One is the "animal trainer". He/she walks slowly around the circle, calling out names of animals, one at a time. As an animal is called, the child who drew that name gets up and follows the animal trainer around the circle. At any time, the animal trainer may call out, "animal crackers". At that time, all the children, try to sit in a vacant seat. The child left without a chair becomes the new animal trainer. You can play this game with papers taped to the gound, or rocks marking a spot, or chairs, etc. Make sure there is one less spot than there are children. • BALLLOON BREAK Each child has a blown-up balloon tied to one or both ankles. The children then try to break each others balloons while protecting their own. • BALLOON TOSS Form two teams, and have the teams line up facing eachother. The members of a team should be in a straight line, far enough apart so that they cannot touch one another. Have a supply of water balloons for each team. The first child for each team picks up a water balloon and tosses it to the next child. The balloon is tossed down the line until it breaks or reaches the last child, who puts it on the ground. The team with the most unbroken balloons win. • BEANBAG TOSS Using beanbags, hav a child stand in a marked spot and try to hit a target by tossing the beanbag. The target can be a basket, a large pot, a hole in a box, a pie tin hanging from a tree branch, or anything else you can think of. • BLIND MAN'S BLUFF One child is "it" and is blindfolded. The rest of the children hold hands and form a circle around the "blind man." The blind man claps his hands once, and the circle begins to move. when the blind man claps again, the circle stops. The blind man then points to one child ang gets one guess as to who it is. If the blind man is right, then that child becomes the next blind man. If the guess is wrong, the chosen child must come into the circle with the blind man. With both of them staying in the circle, the blind man tries to tag the other child. Once tagged, the child must stand still. The blind man can then touch the child in an attempt to learn who it is. If the blind man guesses correctly, the chosen child becomes the next blind man. If the blind man cannot tag or identify the chosen child in a limited time, he or she must repeat as the blind man. In a variation on this game, when the circle stops, the blind man points to one child and gives a command requiring use of the vouce, such as "bark like a dog". If the blind man can't guess correctly, the circle moves again, and the blind man makes another try. • BOTTLE RING Make a ring with an opening about two inches. Cut it out of light wood, heavy cardboard, or a plastic coffee can lid. With a piece of string about two feet long, tie the ring to a stick several feet long. Have each child hold the end of the stick and try to loop the ring over the neck of a pop bottle withing a limited time. • BOX RELAY Divide the children into two teams. Have a set of boxes for each team, each set having the same number of different sized boxes, one nestled inside the other. The first member of each team runs to the boxes and takes them apart, holds up the smallest box, and then puts the boxes back together. The child then runs back to the team and tags the next team member, who repeats the action. • CHARADES Have two teams. Have a list of charades ready before the game starts. Use single words for younger children. Alternating teams, each child in turn must take a charade from a bowl and act it out for his or her team. Put a time limit on each charade. The team that guesses the most correctly wins. • CLOSE THE GAP Two children are choses as the "chaser" and the "chased". The rest of the children stand in a large circle, just far enough apart so that each can join hands with the child on either side. At the signal to start, the chaser starts after the chased child. The chased child weaves in and out of the circle. Everytime that he or she enters the circle between two children, those two children join hands. Now, neither the chaser nor the chased child can go between those two children for the rest of the game. The object of the game for the chased child is to close all the gaps in the circle, ending up inside the circle while the chaser is on the outside. The chaser tries to tag the chased child before the circle is closed. • DODGE BALL This can be played with a wadded-up sheet of paper, or a beach ball. The players form a circle, with one player in the center. The others try to hit the one in the center with the ball. If the child in the center is hit, the one who hit him takes his place in the center. • DROP THE HANKY One child is "it" and the rest form a large circle, facing inward. The child who is "it" holds a handkerchief and walks slowly around the outside of the circle. The children in the circle chant the song: A tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basked. I wrote a letter to my love,l and on the way I dropped it. I dropped it, I dropped it, the green and yellow basket, a little child picked it up and put it in his pocket. At any time, the child who is "it" may drop the hanky behind any child in the circle. "It" then takes off running and the child by the hanky tries to catch "it" before he or she makes it all the way around the circle and takes the vacated place in the circle. If "it" is tagged, he or she is "it" again. If not, the child left out of the circle is "it" for the next round. • FIREFIGHTER'S RACE Divide the children into two or more teams, giving each team a small glass or paper cup to carry water. Start each team with a full glass of water. The first member for each team runs to the other end of the yard and dumps the water into the team's bucket or other container. He or she ten returns to the starting line and hands the glass to the next team member, who fills the glass from a common water source. The first team to fill its bucket is the winner. • FOLLOW THE LEADER This game is self explanatory, just remember to switch leaders often. • HAT TOSS Give each child five playing cards, crumpled sheets of paper, soda straws, ect. Have them stand behind a line and see who can get the most into the target. • HOT POTATO Everyone knows how to play this - just a reminder of the game! • ICE CUBE RELAY Divide the children into teams and give each team an ice cube. The object of the game is to melt the ice cube. The ice cube must be passed from team member to member every few seconds. Players can rub the ice cube with their hands or against their clothes, or against eachother, but they cannot put it in their mouths and it cannot touch the ground. • MOTHER MAY I, AND SIMON SAYS Everyone knows how to play these games- just a reminder of the games! • POM-POM PULL AWAY Disignate a squkare playing area about 25 feet on a side. One child, who is "it" stands in the area, while all the rest line up on one side of the square. the child who is "it" cvalls out, "pom-pom pull away, run away, run away", and all the children must run across the square, trying to get to the opposite side without being tagged. Anyone tagged must join "it" in the center of the square and help tag the others on the next run through. • RED ROVER Divide the children into two teams, and have the teams line up facing each other, about 10 feen apart. One team holds hands and the team captain calls out, "red rover, red rover, let ___________ come over," naming one member of the other team. The player whose name was called runs across the open space and tries to break through the line by running into the joined hands of any two players. If the player does break through, he picks one of the two players between whom he broke through to go back with him to his own team. If he does not break through, he stays and joins the other team. • RUN FOR YOUR SUPPER All the players form a circle, holding hands, except the one player who is "it". "It" walks around the circle and stops anywhere he wants, pulling the hands of two adjacent children apart, saying "run for your supper". The two children run around the circle in opposite directions, while "it" takes the place of one of them. The first child back to the gap completes the circle, and the other one becomes "it". • STATUES A starting line and a finish line are established and the child who is "it" stands at the finish line. The rest of the children line up at the starting line. The one who is "it" turns his back on the rest and starts counting aloud, in a regular cadence, to five. During the count, the other children move as quickly as they dare toward the finish line. At the cound of five, "it" turns around. All the children must be totally motionless at this point. If "it" sees anyone moving, that child must go back to the starting line. The first child to the finish line is "it" for the next game. • STEAL THE BACON Mark off two parallel lines about firteen to twenty feet apart. Have the teams line up along the lines, and have each team count off from their left to right. (this way, the children who are #1 on each team will be at opposite ends of the lines.) The referee puts the "bacon" (a ball, hat, etc) in the center of the playing area. The referee then calls out a number between one and the number of players on each team. The player on each team who counted out that number tries to steal the bacon before the other team member does. Return the bacon to the center and start another round. • MONSTER TAG The child who is "it" is a monster. As he tags other children, they become monsters too, and help chase after the children who have not been tagged. The last one tagged is the winner, and the first one tagged becomes the monster for the next game. • PRAYER TAG A child is safe from being tagged if she can kneel down with hands clasped as if in prayer before being tagged. After "it" gets at least 10 feet away, the child must get back up again. •"Squirrels." We have 1st thru 5th graders but K's could probably play too. First have the children divide into groups of 4. Three of them will stand together holding hands to be a tree, the fourth one will be the squirrel. You will also need 2 extra children. One will be the dog and one will be an extra squirrel. When you count to 3, the dog chases the squirrel. To get away, the squirrel can run into a "tree" but when he does, the "squirrel" in that tree must run out and then the dog chases that child. If the "dog" catches (tags) the "squirrel," he now becomes the "squirrel" and the other child becomes the dog. We usually play for about 5 minutes, then stop and have the groups trade around so that the "squirrel" in each tree becomes part of the tree and one part of the tree now gets to be the squirrel. That way all the children eventually get to be a squirrel and run around. (That's really what they want to do). This is the kids favorite game to play. It's really fun to watch them. One time they played it and somehow they ended up without a "dog". They weren't even aware of it! They were having so much fun running in and out of "trees!" •RING-O-LEVIO * Object of the game: One group must find and then capture all the members of the opposing team. * Getting started: Choose a safe park or quiet street. Section off a five-foot square, which will serve as the "jail." Players divide into two teams and select captains. * Rules: Team A stands in the square area (the jail) with their eyes closed as Team B hides. When everyone is hidden, Team B's captain shouts, "Ready!" Team A then searches for Team B members to tag and bring back to the jail, where Captain A guards them. The only way prisoners can escape is if a still-free teammate puts both feet in the jail, yells, "Ring-O-Levio," and runs out again without being tagged. If Team A's captain touches her, she stays in jail. * Game over: When all the members of the opposing team are captured (the two teams then switch roles). •KICK-THE-CAN * Object of the game: "It" must capture all of the other players. * Getting started: Take a coffee can (one with no sharp edges) to the backyard or a nearby park. * Rules: One child kicks the can as far as possible, and the other players scatter to find hiding places. A child labeled "it" retrieves the can, brings it back to the kickoff spot (home base), and counts to 100 with his eyes closed. Next he shouts, "Ready or not, here I come," and begins to search for the hidden players. When "it" spots one, he calls out that person's name and rushes to beat her back to the can. If "it" gets there first, the other child becomes a captive at home base and is released only if another player comes out of hiding, kicks the can, and shouts, "Home free!" Any time that "it" calls a player's name and that player beats "it" back to home base and kicks the can, all the prisoners are freed. * Game over: When "it" captures all the players. •SPUD * Object of the game: To eliminate each of the players. * Getting started: Bring a large rubber kickball to a playing space. * Rules: Everybody makes a loose circle around one child, who tosses the ball in the air and calls out another participant's name. The group scatters, and the player whose name was called runs to catch the ball. Once she does, she yells, "Freeze!" Then she tries to hit someone (gently) with the ball. The person who is "tagged" is assigned the letter s. (When a player collects the letters s-p-u-d, she's eliminated from the game.) If the catcher misses her target, she gets a letter and the person she tried to hit tosses the ball in the air. * Game over: The last player, the one who has avoided spelling the word spud, wins the game. >> --------------------- Forwarded message: Subj: CURRIC: Topical: Outdoor Games Date: 97-09-19 01:56:47 EDT From: Wiggy516 To: AMOM Chryl,AMOM Wanda,LindaFDC To: Shmissteri,Thregr8kdz,Wiggy516 To: ANewHeart,Ariel 610,BobbieFDC To: CBDBree,CGFGFREEE,Dizee70 To: Dkelkins,Eibbil,Fishkissy To: GIBBYGGG,HTWHLZ,Jeanet3814 To: Kenisons6,Kjjt,KJP40,Lea098 To: Lorris4,LOSTN 78,Luv3kids,Mandap To: Mlori1,MrciaJones,Nan1003 To: Nancy235,Nunflying,PBeach3040 To: PObrien788,PRO CALIF,PScml To: Queenbe352,Rckably,Su F 4 To: The4mitchs,TOcon41865,TRACODAND To: UCrawf123,WHansen1,ZRJ,AnneW1 To: Arlc1,AuntGill,BECKYLEM,Bedon1 To: Bethsmom1,BHuhtala,BROWN893 To: BunniePtch,CA55IE,CANTfam To: Cath no1,CBlac113,CCPPIN,CDA Jen To: Cechs,Cia0,CTharion,Cyn4kids To: DAYCMOM,DENCRE,DKnow624,DSinVA49 To: ECook58656,Elegantmom,FBercaw To: FDC Fun,FIREWIFE25,Flannel63 To: GnBGras,GOSColleen,HERR0728 To: Himies4me,Holcombcj,HUGSKISS2 To: Im1031bb,Ivegotkids,JEAN4KIDS To: JFoga143,Jkel110,JoyD RN To: JThomas610,JUDYMULLER,KallieS To: KGWolek,KShadow4U OUTDOOR GAMES * ANIMAL CRACKERS Write the names of common zoo animals on bits of paper and have each child draw one of the papers out of a hat. The children sit in a circle. One is the "animal trainer". He/she walks slowly around the circle, calling out names of animals, one at a time. As an animal is called, the child who drew that name gets up and follows the animal trainer around the circle. At any time, the animal trainer may call out, "animal crackers". At that time, all the children, try to sit in a vacant seat. The child left without a chair becomes the new animal trainer. You can play this game with papers taped to the gound, or rocks marking a spot, or chairs, etc. Make sure there is one less spot than there are children. * BALLLOON BREAK Each child has a blown-up balloon tied to one or both ankles. The children then try to break each others balloons while protecting their own. * BALLOON TOSS Form two teams, and have the teams line up facing eachother. The members of a team should be in a straight line, far enough apart so that they cannot touch one another. Have a supply of water balloons for each team. The first child for each team picks up a water balloon and tosses it to the next child. The balloon is tossed down the line until it breaks or reaches the last child, who puts it on the ground. The team with the most unbroken balloons win. * BEANBAG TOSS Using beanbags, hav a child stand in a marked spot and try to hit a target by tossing the beanbag. The target can be a basket, a large pot, a hole in a box, a pie tin hanging from a tree branch, or anything else you can think of. * BLIND MAN'S BLUFF One child is "it" and is blindfolded. The rest of the children hold hands and form a circle around the "blind man." The blind man claps his hands once, and the circle begins to move. when the blind man claps again, the circle stops. The blind man then points to one child ang gets one guess as to who it is. If the blind man is right, then that child becomes the next blind man. If the guess is wrong, the chosen child must come into the circle with the blind man. With both of them staying in the circle, the blind man tries to tag the other child. Once tagged, the child must stand still. The blind man can then touch the child in an attempt to learn who it is. If the blind man guesses correctly, the chosen child becomes the next blind man. If the blind man cannot tag or identify the chosen child in a limited time, he or she must repeat as the blind man. In a variation on this game, when the circle stops, the blind man points to one child and gives a command requiring use of the vouce, such as "bark like a dog". If the blind man can't guess correctly, the circle moves again, and the blind man makes another try. * BOTTLE RING Make a ring with an opening about two inches. Cut it out of light wood, heavy cardboard, or a plastic coffee can lid. With a piece of string about two feet long, tie the ring to a stick several feet long. Have each child hold the end of the stick and try to loop the ring over the neck of a pop bottle withing a limited time. * BOX RELAY Divide the children into two teams. Have a set of boxes for each team, each set having the same number of different sized boxes, one nestled inside the other. The first member of each team runs to the boxes and takes them apart, holds up the smallest box, and then puts the boxes back together. The child then runs back to the team and tags the next team member, who repeats the action. * CHARADES Have two teams. Have a list of charades ready before the game starts. Use single words for younger children. Alternating teams, each child in turn must take a charade from a bowl and act it out for his or her team. Put a time limit on each charade. The team that guesses the most correctly wins. * CLOSE THE GAP Two children are choses as the "chaser" and the "chased". The rest of the children stand in a large circle, just far enough apart so that each can join hands with the child on either side. At the signal to start, the chaser starts after the chased child. The chased child weaves in and out of the circle. Everytime that he or she enters the circle between two children, those two children join hands. Now, neither the chaser nor the chased child can go between those two children for the rest of the game. The object of the game for the chased child is to close all the gaps in the circle, ending up inside the circle while the chaser is on the outside. The chaser tries to tag the chased child before the circle is closed. * DODGE BALL This can be played with a wadded-up sheet of paper, or a beach ball. The players form a circle, with one player in the center. The others try to hit the one in the center with the ball. If the child in the center is hit, the one who hit him takes his place in the center. * DROP THE HANKY One child is "it" and the rest form a large circle, facing inward. The child who is "it" holds a handkerchief and walks slowly around the outside of the circle. The children in the circle chant the song: A tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basked. I wrote a letter to my love,l and on the way I dropped it. I dropped it, I dropped it, the green and yellow basket, a little child picked it up and put it in his pocket. At any time, the child who is "it" may drop the hanky behind any child in the circle. "It" then takes off running and the child by the hanky tries to catch "it" before he or she makes it all the way around the circle and takes the vacated place in the circle. If "it" is tagged, he or she is "it" again. If not, the child left out of the circle is "it" for the next round. * FIREFIGHTER'S RACE Divide the children into two or more teams, giving each team a small glass or paper cup to carry water. Start each team with a full glass of water. The first member for each team runs to the other end of the yard and dumps the water into the team's bucket or other container. He or she ten returns to the starting line and hands the glass to the next team member, who fills the glass from a common water source. The first team to fill its bucket is the winner. * FOLLOW THE LEADER This game is self explanatory, just remember to switch leaders often. * HAT TOSS Give each child five playing cards, crumpled sheets of paper, soda straws, ect. Have them stand behind a line and see who can get the most into the target. * HOT POTATO Everyone knows how to play this - just a reminder of the game! * ICE CUBE RELAY Divide the children into teams and give each team an ice cube. The object of the game is to melt the ice cube. The ice cube must be passed from team member to member every few seconds. Players can rub the ice cube with their hands or against their clothes, or against eachother, but they cannot put it in their mouths and it cannot touch the ground. * MOTHER MAY I, AND SIMON SAYS Everyone knows how to play these games- just a reminder of the games! * POM-POM PULL AWAY Disignate a squkare playing area about 25 feet on a side. One child, who is "it" stands in the area, while all the rest line up on one side of the square. the child who is "it" cvalls out, "pom-pom pull away, run away, run away", and all the children must run across the square, trying to get to the opposite side without being tagged. Anyone tagged must join "it" in the center of the square and help tag the others on the next run through. * RED ROVER Divide the children into two teams, and have the teams line up facing each other, about 10 feen apart. One team holds hands and the team captain calls out, "red rover, red rover, let ___________ come over," naming one member of the other team. The player whose name was called runs across the open space and tries to break through the line by running into the joined hands of any two players. If the player does break through, he picks one of the two players between whom he broke through to go back with him to his own team. If he does not break through, he stays and joins the other team. * RUN FOR YOUR SUPPER All the players form a circle, holding hands, except the one player who is "it". "It" walks around the circle and stops anywhere he wants, pulling the hands of two adjacent children apart, saying "run for your supper". The two children run around the circle in opposite directions, while "it" takes the place of one of them. The first child back to the gap completes the circle, and the other one becomes "it". * STATUES A starting line and a finish line are established and the child who is "it" stands at the finish line. The rest of the children line up at the starting line. The one who is "it" turns his back on the rest and starts counting aloud, in a regular cadence, to five. During the count, the other children move as quickly as they dare toward the finish line. At the cound of five, "it" turns around. All the children must be totally motionless at this point. If "it" sees anyone moving, that child must go back to the starting line. The first child to the finish line is "it" for the next game. * STEAL THE BACON Mark off two parallel lines about firteen to twenty feet apart. Have the teams line up along the lines, and have each team count off from their left to right. (this way, the children who are #1 on each team will be at opposite ends of the lines.) The referee puts the "bacon" (a ball, hat, etc) in the center of the playing area. The referee then calls out a number between one and the number of players on each team. The player on each team who counted out that number tries to steal the bacon before the other team member does. Return the bacon to the center and start another round. * MONSTER TAG The child who is "it" is a monster. As he tags other children, they become monsters too, and help chase after the children who have not been tagged. The last one tagged is the winner, and the first one tagged becomes the monster for the next game. * PRAYER TAG A child is safe from being tagged if she can kneel down with hands clasped as if in prayer before being tagged. After "it" gets at least 10 feet away, the child must get back up again. *"Squirrels." We have 1st thru 5th graders but K's could probably play too. First have the children divide into groups of 4. Three of them will stand together holding hands to be a tree, the fourth one will be the squirrel. You will also need 2 extra children. One will be the dog and one will be an extra squirrel. When you count to 3, the dog chases the squirrel. To get away, the squirrel can run into a "tree" but when he does, the "squirrel" in that tree must run out and then the dog chases that child. If the "dog" catches (tags) the "squirrel," he now becomes the "squirrel" and the other child becomes the dog. We usually play for about 5 minutes, then stop and have the groups trade around so that the "squirrel" in each tree becomes part of the tree and one part of the tree now gets to be the squirrel. That way all the children eventually get to be a squirrel and run around. (That's really what they want to do). This is the kids favorite game to play. It's really fun to watch them. One time they played it and somehow they ended up without a "dog". They weren't even aware of it! They were having so much fun running in and out of "trees!" *RING-O-LEVIO * Object of the game: One group must find and then capture all the members of the opposing team. * Getting started: Choose a safe park or quiet street. Section off a five-foot square, which will serve as the "jail." Players divide into two teams and select captains. * Rules: Team A stands in the square area (the jail) with their eyes closed as Team B hides. When everyone is hidden, Team B's captain shouts, "Ready!" Team A then searches for Team B members to tag and bring back to the jail, where Captain A guards them. The only way prisoners can escape is if a still-free teammate puts both feet in the jail, yells, "Ring-O-Levio," and runs out again without being tagged. If Team A's captain touches her, she stays in jail. * Game over: When all the members of the opposing team are captured (the two teams then switch roles). *KICK-THE-CAN * Object of the game: "It" must capture all of the other players. * Getting started: Take a coffee can (one with no sharp edges) to the backyard or a nearby park. * Rules: One child kicks the can as far as possible, and the other players scatter to find hiding places. A child labeled "it" retrieves the can, brings it back to the kickoff spot (home base), and counts to 100 with his eyes closed. Next he shouts, "Ready or not, here I come," and begins to search for the hidden players. When "it" spots one, he calls out that person's name and rushes to beat her back to the can. If "it" gets there first, the other child becomes a captive at home base and is released only if another player comes out of hiding, kicks the can, and shouts, "Home free!" Any time that "it" calls a player's name and that player beats "it" back to home base and kicks the can, all the prisoners are freed. * Game over: When "it" captures all the players. *SPUD * Object of the game: To eliminate each of the players. * Getting started: Bring a large rubber kickball to a playing space. * Rules: Everybody makes a loose circle around one child, who tosses the ball in the air and calls out another participant's name. The group scatters, and the player whose name was called runs to catch the ball. Once she does, she yells, "Freeze!" Then she tries to hit someone (gently) with the ball. The person who is "tagged" is assigned the letter s. (When a player collects the letters s-p-u-d, she's eliminated from the game.) If the catcher misses her target, she gets a letter and the person she tried to hit tosses the ball in the air. * Game over: The last player, the one who has avoided spelling the word spud, wins the game.