OVC Yam Blog

I'll throw down some ideas that I've got, feedback is always appreciated:

Four Square:

* The game court consists of a large square subdivided into four squares of equal size
* Each square shall be numbered starting at one and going to four in a counterclockwise fashion
* The "one" square is called the entrance square; it is the square that a new player enters the court
* The player in the "four" square is called the king/queen; a smaller square shall be placed in the far corner from the center which is called the serving square
* The king starts the serve: a serve consists of an underhanded strike and a bounce on the ground in the "four" square to any of the other three squares (like ping pong)
* The ball then is played so that the ball strikes a player's square but once and then struck so that it goes into another square
* A player is out when: 1. The ball is in a player's square and is unable to strike it into another player's square or 2. The ball is in a player's square and the player's return lands on a line

Depending on the number of kids, we could have multiple squares set up.

The Game of Snickers:

What you need: 4 Frozen Snickers Bars, 2 Pairs of gloves, 2 Winter hats, 2 Scarves, 2 Forks, 2 Knives, 2 Cookie Sheets, 2 Bowls, 2 Pair of Dice

The group is divided into two even groups. The table is set up before hand with the following sequence on both sides: the dice in the bowl, the gloves, the hat, the scarf, the fork and knife, and the frozen Snickers (still wrapped) on the cookie sheet. When the whistle is blown, the first teammate rolls the dice until he rolls a seven. As soon as he rolls a seven, he puts on the gloves, and then the hat and finally the scarf. He then must cut off a piece of the wrapped Snickers bar using his fork and knife and then eat it. As soon as he has put it in his mouth, the next person can begin rolling for a seven as he takes his winter wear off. The first team to have each member finish their piece of the Snickers wins! Note: Depending on the size of the group, it may be necessary to put more Snickers out.

The Garbage Can Game:

What you need: One or two garbage cans

Everyone joins hands and stands in a circle around the garbage can. When the whistle blows, everyone tries not to touch the garbage can but get other people to touch it. Whenever someone touches the garbage can, they are out and have to sit out of the circle. Anyone who lets go of someone's hand is automatically out (both people are out). The last person left is the winner!

Balloon Stomp:

What you need: Balloon, strong

Every kid gets a balloon tied around their ankle. When the whistle blows, everyone tries to pop everyone else's balloon. The goal is to be the last person with your balloon not popped.

Shipwreck:

In a large room, mark four walls: Starboard, Port, Bow, Stern. The center box is Shipwreck and Man Overboard is lying on your belly. Everyone starts on one wall. When a location is called out, the last person to it is out. Last person in wins.

Rubber Band Dance:

What you need: Large, industrial size rubber bands

The kids get divided into two groups. They line up, shoulder to shoulder. When the whistle blows, each kid has to "step through" the rubber band, then pass it to the next person who has to do the same. The first team that passes the rubber band down and back is the winner.

Shockwave:

What you need: Coin, wooden spoon (or some other trinket)

Divide the group into 2 even teams. Have teams sit on the floor facing. Members from each team must hold the hands of the teammates next to them, preferably behind their backs so that the other team cannot see them. At the end of the line, place a spoon on the floor between the last two people. On the other end, you need an impartial person (you or a volunteer) to flip a coin. Everyone except the two people at the beginning must close their eyes, or sit facing out and all must be silent. When the coin is flipped, if it is heads, the people at the beginning squeeze the hand of the person next to them, who then squeezes the hand of the person next to them, and so on. When the squeeze gets to the end, the last person can open their eyes and grab the spoon. The team that grabs the spoon first sends the person from the end of their line to the beginning and everyone shifts down one. The object is to be the first team to rotate all the way back to the starting position. If the coin is tails, nothing happens and you flip again. If the people at the beginning of the line squeeze on tails, they go to the end of the line (rotating backwards). They also go backwards if anyone on their team opens their eyes prematurely or makes any noise. It is helpful to have judges standing behind each team to watch for erroneous squeezes and to listen for noises.

Who's Voice?

What you need: Two blindfolds

This is a great team building exercise. Split your kids into two groups. Choose one person from each group to be "it". One team lines up on one end of the room, the other team lines up on the other end of the room. "It" gets blindfolded. While "it" is blindfolded, the leader places one red ball and one blue ball out on the "field". When the whistle is blown each team tries to get their "it" to find the ball, using only spoken instructions. The first team to get their ball wins.

An alternative way of playing: the blue ball is worth 100 and the red ball is worth 50. The team with the most points after 5 rounds wins.

The Name Game

What you need: Bean bag

This is another great team building exercise. There is no winner in this game, the goal is for the team to win. Everyone stands in a circle. One person starts with a bean bag. They call out the name of a person and then throw it to that person. If they get the name wrong or the person they're throwing it to doesn't catch it, they have to start again. The game is over when each person can catch it, say the persons name they're throwing it to and throw it in about 1 second.

Kidz Olympics:

This is set of mini games that are usually played well together; works especially well when score is kept for all of the events, especially since they're fairly short.

Power Press: Bathroom Scale
Whoever can squeeze the hardest on the scale wins.

Orbital Launch: Brooms, Masking Tape
The goal is to rest the end of a broom on your toe and then see how far you can launch it.

Bubble-able: Bubble gum
The first kid to unwrap a piece of gum in his mouth without using his hands is the winner.

Baby Guzzler: Baby bottle, soda
The first to finish drinking all of the soda from a baby bottle wins.

Fine Feelers: Duct tape, blindfold
Each kid is sent out of the room and a maze is drawn up on the ground with duct tape; the child is then blindfolded and brought in and must navigate the maze with their hands. The person who can do this in the shortest amount of time wins.

Marble Madness: Bucket of ice, marbles
Each kid has a minute to get as many marbles as they can out of the bucket of icy water... using only their bare feet!

Any other ideas I've overlooked?