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Antonym-Synonym
Have the girls sit in a circle. The leader will choose the category and give out the first word for next girl to give an antonym or synonym depending upon the category.
Awareness Scavenger Hunt
Lists may be given to each camper, buddies or a group of campers. It should be emphasized that some items on the list should be remembered rather than collected (they could be drawn). Anything living should not be harmed. This is a sample list. You can choose from this list and/or make up your own.
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something that looks different in winter something that smells sweet something that squeaks something yellow something that makes a noise when you step on it |
something red something which has a rough texture something which smells sour something you could eat a round shape a smooth texture |
something that looks like a flower but isn't 3 leaves with different shapes a piece of gravel with a corner a poem about nature a pretty design 3 kinds of rocks something blue |
Give the "Scavenger" about 15-20 minutes to look for their items. Don't forget to set boundaries so they won't go too far away. When time is up, gather the group to share what they found/saw for each item.
Back to Back
Divide the girls into pairs and have them sit back to back. One girl describes an object while the other girl tries to draw it, based on what she is being told. Another variation would be to allow the girl drawing to ask questions about the object. Some ideas for objects: acorn, bone, oddly shaped rock, sweet gum ball, seed pod, etc...
Barnyard Bedlam
You need: A paper bag for each group & a bag of peanuts in their shells or a lot of small pine or fir cones. Scatter the peanuts or cones in a designated area, such as a large meadow or playing field.
How to Play: This is a great, noisy activity for large groups of people. Divide the group into teams. Each group represents an animal, & must practice making the noise of its animal. Each team must select a captain, who carries the team's paper bag. Explain the boundaries of the search. At a signal, the total group rushes out to the seeded area. If a peanut is discovered, a player must stand & point at it & make her team's animal noise. The team captain is the ONLY one who can pick up peanuts. The bedlam continues until all the peanuts are found or a set time is up. Have each team count its peanuts; the team with the most peanuts is the winner.
"Blind Eagle"
"Blind Eagle" is a terrific stalking game to play at night in a large field or meadow. You will need a blindfold & a strong flashlight. One player, the "Eagle" stands blindfolded in the middle of the field, holding the flashlight (make sure that the blindfold does not cover her ears, because she will depend on hearing to protect herself). An assistant stands next to her. The other players form a large circle around the edge of the field, and, on a given signal, begin to stalk toward the eagle as silently as possible. If the eagle hears anything, she aims her flashlight in the direction of the sound, snaps it on, & yells "Freeze!" All players stop immediately. The eagle's assistant looks to see if any players have been caught in the ray of light. If so, they are out of the game. After they have left the playing area, the assistant says "okay", & the remaining players continue stalking forward. The first one to touch the eagle without being spotted is the winner.
Bottle Filler Relay
Relay form: File
You need: Five plastic bottles, a bucket of water, a funnel, & a plastic or metal cup for each team. A judge at the turn-around line.
How to play: Set up stations with five plastic bottles & a funnel for each team at the turn-around line. At the starting line, each team should have a large bucket of water & a cup. On signal, player No. 1 on each team fills the cup with water, & runs to the team's bottle station. She empties her cup in a bottle, using a funnel, & then returns to tag & h& off the cup to the No. 2 player. She fills it & runs to the team's bottles. The first team to fill all five bottles wins. This is a game best played outdoors.
Camera
Divide girls into teams of 2. One "photographer" & one to play the role of the camera. The camera keeps her eyes closed while the photographer guides her in search for beautiful & interesting places. When the photographer sees something she likes, she points the camera's lens (eyes) at it & presses the shutter button to open the lens. To press the shutter button, the photographer taps the camera's shoulder once to OPEN the lens (eyes) & a second to close the lens (eyes). Leave lens open 3-5 seconds. Have photographer count silently 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 slowly. It is important that the camera keep her eyes closed between pictures so the "exposure" will have impact of surprise.
Photographers need to be encouraged to be creative -- as unusual angles, close ups, or wide angle shots. They can lie on the ground & look up, or get close to flowers & plants or look at far away mountains, sunsets or farms. Have each photographer take 5 pictures, then switch with the camera & repeat the exercise. After everyone has played both roles, give each girl a 3x5 piece of paper -- tell them "Remember one of the pictures you took when you were the camera. Develop it by drawing it, & give it to the photographer." The goal of this activity is to give the girls a more lively appreciation of nature's beauty.
Centipede
Divide players into two teams. Mark the starting and finishing line about 30 feet apart. Teams line up with one person behind the other, facing the finish line. Next, players sit down and wrap their legs around the person in front to form the body of the centipede. Players' arms become the legs. When the leader says "GO", players lift their arms and begin to push the centipede toward the finish line. If players become separated, they must try and reconnect. The winning centipede must completely cross the finish line with all its players connected.
Chinese Jump Rope
You will need a 12 to 15 foot length of 1/4-1/2" elastic. Sew or knot the elastic together to form a circle. This is a Chinese jump rope.
How to Play: Two jump rope anchors stand in the middle of the rope circle & move away from each other, so that the rope is stretched taut between them at about 8" off of the ground. Girls line up to perform an agreed upon sequence of jumps in & out of the oval formed by the Chinese jump rope as the anchors hold it. Such a sequence might involve jumping into the oval on one foot, hopping out, & repeating the move on the other foot OR jumping into the oval using both feet, then jumping out, from both sides of the rope OR jumping into the oval with both feet, spreading legs after leaping up so that feet l& just outside the rope on either side, & humping back into the ring with both feet again. Girl's feet or legs should not make contact with the jump rope. If a girl touches the rope, she loses her place in line & must go to the end. The first girl to progress through the various jumps accurately wins. The game can be increased in difficulty by raising the height of the rope after successful completion of a round of jumps.
Clean Sweep Relay
Relay form: File
You need:: A broom & a minimum of two inflated balloons for each team.
How to play:: Teams line up with a broom & a balloon. The No. 1 player proceeds to move the balloon with the broom to the turn-around line & back. If she touches the other balloon, she must return to the starting line. In the event a balloon breaks, she must return to the starting line as well. When the first player crosses the starting line with her balloon, she hands off the broom to player No. 2.
Cooperative Log Race
Divide the girls in two teams. Find a long log. Have the teams line up at opposite ends of the log. Each team has to cross over the log to the other end at the same time the other team is crossing. They will have to work together to try not to fall off when they meet in the center of the log.
Cotton Ball Relay
Relay form: Zigzag
You need: One spoon for each team member & a bag of cotton balls for each team. A clock to time the play.
How to play: Each team should line up in a close zigzag formation. Each team member is given a spoon. The team member on one end picks up a cotton ball & places it on her spoon. It is then passed down the line in a zigzag pattern from spoon to spoon. If the cotton ball is dropped at any time during the passing, the team must begin again. The team to get the most cotton balls to the end , in a timed period, wins.
Create a World
One person decides on place - acts out part of that place (for example, being at the beach). When anyone in the audience knows what that place is, she joins in but does not say what it is until many people in the group have joined in. World examples: gym, beach, shopping, carnival.
Crossing the Ice
Relay form: file
You need: Two sheets of newspaper for each team, each sheet folded to a size of a little larger than a player's foot.
How to play: The folded papers represent cakes of ice. On signal, the No. 1 player of each team places one piece of paper on the floor, steps on it, & places the other piece on the floor for the other foot. She then retrieves the first piece of paper, pushes it forward, & steps on it. This continues until she has reached the turn-around line & returns to her team to tag & h& off the papers to the No.2 player. If a girl steps on the floor instead of the paper, she falls into the water, & must return to the starting line to try again. Younger girls may put both feet on the same paper; older girls cannot place both feet on the same paper at any time. The first team to finish wins.
Dress up Relay
Relay form: File
You need: A large assortment of loose clothing, enough for one outfit per team member.
How to play: Place assorted clothing into a large pile. On signal, No. 1 players race to the pile & "get dressed." All clothing put on must be properly tied, buttoned, & zipped. Player No. 1 returns to her team & tags player No. 2, who continues. The first team to become fully dressed wins.
Hand Jives
Have girls sit in pairs to sing songs with jive hand motions; clap hands together, slap right hands together, clap hands together, slap left hands together, clap hands together, slap both hands of partner 3x’s, start over.
Example:
Miss Lucy had a baby. She called him tiny Tim Tim Tim.
She put him in the bathtub, to see if he could swim, swim, swim.
He drank up all the water, he ate up all the soap, soap, soap.
He tried to eat the bathtub, but it got caught in his throat, throat, throat.
Hulk
Divide players into two teams. Define start and finish lines about 10 or 15 yards apart. Each team transforms into the hideous Hulk by interlocking arms, holding hands or by any other creative means. The only rule is that the number of arms and legs that may be used for walking is determined by subtracting two from the number of people that make up each Hulk. For example, if there are ten people on a team, only eight legs and eight arms may be used for moving. Both Hulks assemble on the start line. When the leader says “GO” both monsters creep toward the finish line. The first Hulk to completely cross over the line wins.
I Am A Balloon
Ask all the girls to shake loose and collapse as much as possible. Leader will slowly fill the “balloons” (children) with air. Let the girls work at becoming slowly filled with air. Let “balloons” float slowly for a while then develop a slow leak and finally begin to droop then collapse. Leaders can put patch on the “hole” and you can continue again.
I Feel
Group sits in a circle. First person says: "My name is Hilda Martinez & I feel silly" (or nervous, or crazy, or however she feels). The group echoes: "Her name is Hilda Martinez & she feels silly. Hooray!" The same sequence is repeated for each person in the group & no matter how a person feels, the group yells, "Hooray!"
I-Spy
EX: Leader says “I-SPY five trees in a row”. Then give the group members two or three minutes to find the “I-SPY”. When girls think they see it, have them sit down. Have girls take turns being the leader.
Initial Game
Object is for each player to state her own name (Mary Brown) & some object whose letters begin with the same letters as her name (marshmallows). Each person following must state the persons' names & objects who precedes her & then state her own name & object.
Introductions
Arrange the group in a circle. Divide group into pairs. First five minutes, Lee would interview Jane; second five minutes, Jane would interview Lee. Each would find out name, hometown, interests, likes, dislikes, etc. Then Lee would present Jane & information about her to group; then Jane would present Lee.
Jell-O Jiggle
Can you move like Jell-o? Try it. Can you let your arms hang loose and shake like Jell-O? Start hips moving. Can you be loose in the knees? Is your head easy and floppy? Can you wobble very slowly - a big slow motion wobble. Can you wobble forwards and backwards? Can you wobble in a circle, up and down. Do you feel loose? Can you wiggle with a friend?
Kim's Lattice
A demonstration lattice of sticks is laid out on the ground with a nature object such as an acorn, maple leaf, small stone, etc., place in each opening. Teams are formed. All teams observe the completed lattice for one minute before it is covered up. Each team then makes one of its own, trying to duplicate each object & its correct placement in the lattice. The team constructing the most accurate lattice in the shortest time wins. The objects used by the teams may be provided by the leader or gathered by each team.
Links
Select one player to be LT. The rest of the group forms pairs (an extra person may form a threesome). Pairs link inside elbows and arrange into a single circle with IT in the center. To select the missing links, IT closes her eyes, turns around, and points to a pair of players. When IT says “GO”, the pair breaks apart, and the two players try to link up with other pairs without being tagged. When a person links up, she shouts “GO, and the person on the other end of the pair must detach and run, trying to find another pair with which to link. When a missing link is tagged, she switches places with IT.
Loose Caboose
Select a player to be the Loose Caboose. Divide the rest of the group into “trains” of three. Each player is a train car and holds the waist of the person in front. The first player in a train is the Engine. The object is for the Loose Caboose to try to attach to a train. When all are aboard, the trains chug around the train yard (whistle blowing, engine chugging, and other sound effects are encouraged), trying to dodge and turn to keep away from the Caboose. When the Caboose attaches to a train, the Engine of that train becomes the new Looses Caboose.
Lost at Sea
You need: A large field to run across; a circular piece of 1/2" plywood approximately three feet across (or a tire) for each group to use as a ship.
How to Play: Divide into groups of no more than 8 to 10 girls. Each group is given a "ship", which all members must grasp onto. The group is to run with its "ship" until the game leader shouts, "Shark!" Then all jump on board the ship. The first group to get all their feet on board gets a point. Repeat this several times, with the first group reaching the finish line getting five points. Allow the group to strategize & try again.
Machine
With 3-5 people, become a machine. Create a machine that already exists (ie. can opener, engine) or create one that doesn’t exist (ie. rotten banana peeler.
Memory Circle
This is a memory game. Campers will increase their listening & memory skills & be able to relate experiences they have had in the woods.
1. Have campers sit in a circle.
2. The first camper tells something she has observed in the forest (I saw a bird sitting on a branch).
3. The next player repeats the first statement & adds one of her own.
4. The game continues around the circle until the list is too long to remember. If you don't get all the way around the circle, just start with a new camper where the list ended.
5. Do this game again with campers telling something they DID TO or IN the forest. (I burned wood in my campfire) OR what the fires DID TO or DOES FOR them. (I cooked on the wood burning in my campfire or I got cooled off when I sat under a tree).
6. After the game list the camper's statements on newsprint. Have the girls decide whether each is good or bad or has little effect on the forest environment.
7. Talk about: What makes an action on event good for a forest? How do you tell the different between a good & bad effect?
Mirrors
One girl is the mirror and the other is the image. The mirror has to do what the image is doing -- brushing teeth, putting on stockings, combing hair, etc. -- remembering to use the opposite hand of the image so it will be reflected in a mirror.
Nature Scavenger Hunt
You need: Scavenger hunt list, defined boundaries.
How to play: This scavenger hunt does not emphasize collecting. Rather, girls record & describe each object as it is found. Girls can do the scavenger hunt as individuals, as pairs, or in a group while hiking. The game leader can set a time limit if it is a contest, or tell girls to take their time discovering things along the hike. The following is a sample scavenger hunt list:
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Something yellow The coolest place The hottest place An eroded trail The oldest item The newest item The prettiest thing Something with size legs Something that has no place in nature |
A seed The coolest place Something perfectly straight Something that makes a noise A camouflaged animal or insect Something that changed the environment A sun trap (this could be a rock or a green leaf, for example) |
Something round Something important in nature Something soft Something hard A chewed leaf The largest thing The smallest thing Something yellow A compound leaf |
Number Game
Each girl numbers off consecutively (1,2,3,4,5,6, etc.) BUT using expressions as they are doing so. In other words, happy, sad, surprise, crying, whispering, etc.
Object Toss
Get in circle. Throw imaginary object to next person telling them what it is. They use expression in catching item such as bowling ball, feather, baseball, e.g., golfball, bug, stone, basketball, etc.
Odors In Nature
Divide group into teams. Give them five minutes to go outside and find as many odors as possible. Some possible odors they may find: 1) smell of rain; 2) wood decomposing (rotting); 3) plants; 4) stagnant water; 5) soil; 6) animal decomposing; 7) trash left behind; 8) etc...
Opposites
Stretch your vocabulary with this quick game and help girls learn the meaning of opposites. Have the players form two lines facing each other. One side begins by calling out words which have an “opposite”. The other side must give the opposite word before the first side can count to five. Go down each line, giving each player to chance to call a word.
Orange Delight
Props: one orange for each girl.
Directions: In a circle, give each girl an orange and have them peel it. Have each girl take one segment and chew it slowly until it is liquid then swallow. Ask the girls to trade segments with the person on their right to see if the taste is different. Share results as they occur.
Pick up the Baby
Girls pair off, keeping the pairs relatively equal in size. The pairs of girls walk in a circle waiting for the instructions. The leaders yell out the instructions:
Pick up the Baby - one girl picks up the other in her arms
Walk the Dog - one girl gets down and crawls on all fours
Monkey on the Back - one girl carries the other piggyback
The slowest group to perform the instruction is out of the game.
Plant Race
Props: paper, pencils. Patrols hike in different directions to return at a given time. Each keeps a list of the kinds of plants seen. Longest list wins.
Prui (pronounced PROO-ee)
The Prui is a gentle, friendly creature that grows. All girls mill about with their eyes closed. When you bump into someone, ask “Prui?” If the other girl answers “Prui?”, you have not found the Prui. The referee whispers Prui to one of the players. Since the Prui can see but cannot talk, the player opens her eyes. When someone bumps into her and asks “Prui?” and there is no answer, you have found the Prui. That person opens her eyes and becomes part of the Prui. The line of girls will become long and it may take some time for the last players to find the end and become part of the Prui.
Rainmakers
You need: A game leader who knows the sequence of motions that is outlined for this game.
How to play: This activity is a good one for inclement weather, in the hope that if it "rains" inside, it will stop raining outside. It works well with large groups. The girls are seated. The game leader explains that everyone must follow her lead if they are to make a good rain. As she passes, they are to do the motions she is doing at the tempo she is doing them. The motions are:
Rubbing palms in a forward/backward motion: slowly/softly; louder/faster
Snapping fingers: slowly/softly; more loudly/swiftly
Slapping thighs: slowly/softly; more loudly/swiftly; slowly/softly
Snapping fingers: loudly/swiftly; more softly/more slowly
Rubbing palms: loudly/swiftly; more softly/more slowly
Silence
Relaxation Exercises
Have the girls relax like a rag doll. Start by rolling the head back and forth, next roll the shoulders, shake out each arm gently making the arms and fingers loose, sway the torso back and forth as if in a gentle breeze. Have the girls slowly move to sitting position, shake out each leg gently till the legs and feet are relaxed. Slowly lay back, close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you as you relax.
Row Race
Divide the group into pairs. Mark a short course with a start and finish lines 15 or 20 feet apart. Pairs line up. Partner A (P-A) sits on the starting line with knees together and legs extended straight out. Partner B (P-B) sits facing P-A with soles of shoes together, knees bent, and hands clasped. To move, P-B pulls P-A into a bent-knee position. P-B then pushes back to straighten her legs. Next, P-A straightens her legs and pushes P-B’s legs into a bent position. This pushing and pulling motion resembles rowing and moves players along at about a yard at a time. The first pair to row across the finish line is the winner.
Say It with Emotion
Try this variation of “Simon Says” to help girls learn to communicate their feelings. Start with “Simon says you’re going to a circus.” Ask the girls to express how they feel by showing emotions. Emphasize that no two emotions need to be the same. An event causes different feeling in people and people express these feelings in different ways through different emotions. Explain that a feeling is an inside thought and an emotion is how it shows on the outside.
Sign Hike
Signs help people find their way & know what is going on in their town. Walk through your neighborhood & list signs that advertise, signs that give directions, signs that give names, signs that give a command. Or make it into a bingo game with cards to fill up spaces on as they spot the signs. What signs in your neighborhood are most important to you? What would your town be like without signs?
Sounds & Smells
Sit quietly outdoors for a few minutes & listen to the sounds. Closing your eyes helps. How many sounds can you hear? How many sounds are happening at once? Are there any new sounds you've never noticed before? Do the same thing with smells. "How do you know it's spring? & how do you know it's fall?" Suppose your eyes were always shut & you couldn't see at all. Could you smell & hear the spring? & could you feel the fall? Or close your eyes & raise one finger for each different sound you hear. When all fingers on one h& are raised, open your eyes but don't talk until everyone has their 5 seconds. Share your findings.
Space Stations
Three to five round objects are placed on the ground to become Space Stations. One person is selected to be Ground Control. Everyone else are Astronauts floating through space, singing their favorite space theme. When Ground Control shouts “Red Alert!” the spaced-out players run to hook up with the nearest Space Station. Unfortunately, the last player to touch a Space Station is lost in space forever and is out of the game. Two players cannot touch while hooking up to a Space Station or they are both out of the game. As the Astronauts become better at locating Space Stations and the group gets smaller, Ground Control occasionally removes a Space Station until only one is left. The last person to survive a “Red Alert” is the next Ground Controller.
Spirit of the Season
Each season has a different “feel”. To capture the spirit of the season, go to your favorite outdoor place with a sheet of paper and pencil. Make yourself comfortable and then close your eyes and listen. Now look around. How do your surroundings feel and smell? Write down words as they come to mind. Now cut the words up and arrange them to make sense, adding linking words to make a poem of the spirit of the season.
Spot the Lion - An African Game
You need: A small piece of masking tape or adhesive tape.
How to play: Teams of five to eight players are formed. Each team is given its own corner or place. On signal, the players scatter & stand with their eyes shut. The game leader runs around tapping each girl lightly on the back; at the same time she puts a piece of tape on one of the girls who, unknown to herself, becomes the "lion". When everyone has been tapped, the game leader shouts, "The lion is loose!" All girls then open their eyes & run around trying to spot the lion. When a girl does so, she hurries to her team corner, trying not to arouse the lion's suspicion. If a girl suspects that she is the lion (no girl is allowed to touch her own back to find out whether or not she is the lion), she goes to the center of the room & roars loudly. When this happens, all players must freeze. If the girl who roared is the lion, the game is over. If the girl who roared is not the lion, the game continues for one minute before time is called. The winning team is the one with the most girls in its corner when the game ends.
Variation: continue playing until only the lion is left.
Stalking the Leader
How to Play: Divide the group into teams. The total group stands in a circle facing outward, with a leader standing in the center of the circle. Girls advance about 50 yards & stop. On signal, they start to creep back toward the leader. They try to get as close as possible to the leader without being seen. The leader may turn around but may not move from the center. If the leader sees a girl moving, that girl must return to her original starting point & begin again. When a girl is motionless, she is "invisible". On signal, the girls must stand up wherever they are. The girls nearest the leader score points for their teams.
Variation: Advancing statues. Two parallel lines are marked out about 20 feet apart. Girls stand in back of one line; a leader stands on the other, her back to the group. From time to time the leader turns around to look at the girls. When the leader is not looking, each girl advances toward the leader's line. When the leader is looking, girls stand like statues. On noticing the slightest movement by a statue, the leader tells that statue to go back to the starting line. The first girl to reach the leader's line wins.
Status Tag
Select one player to be IT. Draw a start line with a stick or a piece of chalk. The other players gather behind the start line while IT stands 20 yards away with her back to the group. IT counts to 10 out loud as fast as possible while everyone runs or walks quickly toward her. As soon as 10 is reached, IT turns around and players stiffen into statues and may not move. Anyone caught moving, is sent back to the start line. The person who is IT turns around and counts to 10 again. The first player to get close enough, tags IT, and all players run back to the starting line with IT in pursuit. Players reaching the start line are safe. If a player is tagged by IT while running, he or she becomes the next IT. If IT fails to tag anyone, she continues to be IT for the next round.
Stretching Exercise
Have girls stretch for a reason -- reach for an apple on a tree by stretching up towards the tree, part the branches, stretch past more branches to reach the apple. Other motivations might be: pushing a heavy desk or refrigerator, washing windows, hanging curtains on your clean window, pretend you are a rubber band, etc.
Stick Up
Select one player to be Sticky Fingers. Start the game by saying “This is a Stick Up!” as players scatter around the playground. When Sticky Fingers tags a player, the tagged player must place a hand on the place touched while still continuing to run. As more and more players become “stuck” on themselves, Sticky Fingers has a better change to totally immobilize one player. Usually when both hands of a player are stuck, the third touch sticks her with being the next Sticky Fingers.
Stress Ball
“Hi, I am your stress ball. Name me anything you want, but I will be there to comfort you when things get to be too much and you need a release...just squeeze.”
Survival Game
Mammals require certain things to survive the winter: food, shelter, water, and bedding. Choose a small area outside and become an animal such as a field mouse, squirrel, chipmunk, etc. Can you find all the things necessary to survive? Set a time limit. Sometimes you will not be able to find all the requirements. Imagine what would happen to the animal if this happened in real life.
Tell a Story
One person gets in front of the group and tell a story in pantomime. For example, walk through a swamp, then walk through hot sand without the shoes.
Texture Walk
In a flat area with no hazards on the ground, each girl slowly leads a blindfolded partner barefoot over grass, dirt & different types of ground. The blindfolded girl tries to guess what it is she is walking on. What can you 'see' with your feet? Can you feel the difference between sun & shade? wet & dry? rough & smooth ground? Or sit in a circle & with eyes closed or blindfolded let the girls feel different objects with their feet instead of their hands & guess what they are. No sharp objects, please!
That's my Leaf
Each girl takes a leaf from the same kind of tree (father fall leaves from the ground if possible) & looks at it carefully, getting to know it. Then put all the leaves in a pile & mix them up together. Can you find your one-of-a-kind leaf? What makes it special - different from all the other leaves? Do this with small rocks, too, but keep your eyes closed as you feel for your rock.
Thumb Taping
Start off by talking about what kind of 'hands' different animals have & how they use them. How are people's hands different? We have thumbs that make it possible to grip things, turn things, etc. Then have each girl fold her thumb across her palm & tape it in place. (Adhesive tape works best.) Pretend to be thumbless animals as you explore an outdoor area trying to catch things, lift up rocks, etc. Or do it indoors - try writing, throwing a ball, drinking out of a cup.
Touch and Go
Divide the group into two teams. Both teams line up side-by-side in the middle of the play area facing the caller. Teams arrange themselves in a specific order, such as by height, age, alphabetical and so forth. The caller shouts the name of an object or thing found in the play area such as a tree or shelter. Players then break ranks, touch the object names, the reassemble rapidly in exactly the same order. Since this is a game of instant discovery, callers should add their own creative touches and name things that aren’t usually noticed such as the knot in a tree, a crack in the dirt, the broken limb, and so on. The team reassembling first most often after a specific number of rounds is the winner.
Wake Up Your Fingers
Campers handle various items from their surroundings & identify, sort, group, & classify them.
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1. Show camper 2 items very different in size, shape & texture. 2. Put items in a bag. 3. Let camper reach in bag & touch one object. 4. As the object is touched & felt, the camper identifies it. 5. Add more items & repeat 1-4. |
* Have campers look for things to use in this touching game. * Let campers exchange bags & try to identify each others choices. * Have campers describe what is in their bags for others to guess. * Run a texture relay. The counselor names a texture. The camper runs to the bag, reaches in, selects the texture & runs back. * Things you can use for different textures: rocks, leaves, twigs, seeds, nuts, objects of similar size but different to touch. |
Wax Museum
Select one player to be the Curator of the Museum. The rest of the players are the suspicious visitors. Suspicious players try to avoid the Curator. When a person is caught, he or she is instantly transformed into a hideous wax sculpture, twisted in a strange pose. One by one, players are caught by the Curator. Two players can free a wax prisoner by joining hands and encircling her. But players can be tagged while saving another player, and the entire trio is turned into wax. The game continues until everyone is turned into wax and put on display in the museum. The last player caught becomes the Curator of the next game.
Web of Life
This is a good way for the girls to see that all things in nature are related to each other & depend on each other for survival. Each person in the group is given an identity - robin, oak tree, worm, fox, soil, squirrel, acorn, person, etc. Everyone stands in a circle to form a typical 'community'. A ball of yarn is used to connect one member of the group to any member that she may be related to in terms of food, shelter, etc. Example - squirrel eats acorn, acorn becomes oak, oak is home for robin, robin eats worm, worm needs soil, & so on. When all possible interconnections have been made forming an intricate yarn web, the leader announces that a change has taken place in the forest - for instance, all the squirrels have been shot by hunters or all the oak trees have been killed by a disease. The member that has been removed from the community drops her yarn to signify that she is no longer part of the web. After the first member drops her yarn anyone who felt the loosening on their end of the yarn drops theirs also. Pretty soon the whole web has been destroyed. Afterwards discuss with the girls how all living things have a place in the environment & are all related to all other things, the importance of balance in nature.
Who Stole the Cookies?
Girls sit in a circle and perform a rhythm sequence together. The standard rhythm is that used for categories - clap hands on thighs twice, then clap hands twice, then snap the fingers on the left hand once, following by once on the right hand, and repeat the whole process. One player begins by saying “Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?’ Another player answers “________ stole the cookies from the cookie jar?” The named player says “Who me? Couldn’t be.” The accused player then gives the name of another player. “________ stole the cookies from the cookie jar” and so. All statements are made in time to the rhythm.
Wonders
Have girls complete these sentences spontaneously:
I wonder about...
I wonder when...
I wonder if...
I wonder how come...
I wonder why...
Keep the completions moving quickly around the circle changing frequently from “wonder” to another.
Zero Gravity
Select one player to be the earthbound mortal who cannot fly into space. This person is considered IT. Other players, with their magic zero gravity shoes, are safe as long as they can balance on a stone, hug a tree, stand on a log, anything to stay off the ground. The earthbound IT may guard closely any player who is losing her grip or balance and is soon to fall back to earth. Anyone tagged while on the ground loses her magic shoes and becomes the new IT.
Zip Zap
Players are arranged in a circle. "It" stands in the middle, points to someone in the circle & says, "ZIP" or "ZAP" & then counts to ten. If the command is "ZIP", the player must name the person on her left before the count of ten. If "ZAP", the person on her right must be named. If "ZIP ZAP", players on BOTH left & right must be named.
Zombie
Select one player to be the Zombie. The Zombie wanders the earth looking for victims to join her. When a person is caught, she becomes a Zombie and holds hands with the original Zombie. Together they hunt for others, and the chain becomes longer as more and more players are caught. The last player to be left alive is faced with a chain of pursuers chanting “Zom-bie, Zom-bie, Zom-bie.” At that time, the last remaining player becomes the Zombie and the other Zombie and those that were caught are now being pursued.
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