GAMES & CHALLENGES for all Sections (see also LINKS page)
See also DOWNLOADS pages for printable resources.

Principles of The Multiple TURKS HEAD Knot explained.
The GUYLINE HITCH - Birth of a Knot.
Learn SEMAPHORE the easy pictorial way.

GAMES COMPENDIUM (You can download and view this off-line)

PROGRAMME IDEAS - 32 Pages / Hundreds of ideas ) pdf file)

BENCH BALL

Divide the hall into two with a chalk line.
Line a row of strong chairs against the wall on each of the two sides.
Scouts gather in both sides and throw a soft ball at each other's team trying to hit below knees.
If Scout is hit below knee s/he crosses over to the other side and stands on opponents' chair - captured!
Team try to get the captured Scouts out by throwing them the ball.
If Scout catches ball s/he is released and goes back to play

How Silly Can You Get

Each group or patrol is given a piece of paper containing the following instructions.

1. All girls stand on their right leg.
2. The boys sit on the floor.
3. The youngest participant closes one eye.
4. The tallest participant gets up on a chair (exception from point 1 and/or 2).
5. Line up in order of height with the shortest person first.
6. The third from the end has all participant's neckerchiefs around his right arm.
7. All shout "HURRAY" when the above is complete (all at once).

Taken from: Hello World. The Scout Association 1985

Spend a quiet evening playing
JOIN THE DOTS - An ancient game.

Download an A4 pdf sheet above with two games on each sheet.

'EIGHTS' – A CARD GAME ~ Good for an evening at camp.

One full pack of cards – no jokers.
Eight cards to each player – rest in centre face down. One card face up.
Object: Get rid of all cards from your hand.
Starter puts down a card to match suit of first card on pile,
or to match same face value but different suit.
If none available, takes card from bank.

Rules:
If Ace put down, player can change the Suit by declaring new one.
If Eight put down, next player misses turn.
If Two put down next player has to pick up two cards from Bank.
But if has a Two puts it down and next played picks up four.
When matching a card’s suit, say with a six, and you have other 6’s you can put all the 6’s down. Goes for all cards.
If you put down a Jack, play reverses direction.
If one card left in hand, owner knocks twice on the table.

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DOWN MEMORY LANE - A Team challenge

FINISH     

START     
Peg out with string or rope a grid of say 5 x 8 squares each big enough for a Scout to step in - see diagram.
Plan a secret route on paper for Scout to walk from one end of the grid to the other; the above is just an example.
A team of Scouts stands at the start and the first Scout takes a step in the grid.
If he (or she) follows the route you planned (the yellow squares), he can take another step to the second row.
If he steps in the right one again he carries on, and so forth.
But if he takes a wrong step, or steps on the string, he goes back to the start, and the next Scout takes a turn.
The next Scout should have remembered the correct steps taken by the first one.
The object is for the whole team to succeed in: 
a) following the secret route you planned beforehand, and
b) each of the team to remember which right steps were taken by their predecessor.
Best to give the team say 20 minutes in which to finish.

  Game brought from 'Malvern Challenge' in Cheltenham by Steve Hanks, 15th Cheltenham (SHURDINGTON) Scout Troop

DECK CHAIR SHUFFLE

Equipment - 1 chair per player - Deck of cards.

All player sit on a chair in a circle facing inwards. Give each a playing card at random.
The Game: Draw a card from your pack and call out the suit (Hearts, Clubs, Spades or Diamonds). Each player with a similar suit moves one chair to their left (clockwise). One rule: IF SOMEONE IS SITTING ON YOUR LAP, YOU CAN NOT MOVE. Carry on drawing cards, until one player reaches his/her original seat. That player is the winner!

CORNER SUITS

Equipment - Deck of cards.

One adult in each corner of the room, holding Aces of Hearts, Diamonds, Spades and Clubs. Use chairs if no adults available. All players in centre of room. At the word GO players run to the corner of their choice. You can shout CHANGE YOUR MINDS to give each an opportunity to change corners (makes it more exciting).
Now pick a card from your pack and shout the suit. All players in the corner that matches the suit are OUT.
Rest in middle of room and play carries on, until two players are left. The last one to stay in is the winner.

A PROBLEM TO SET

FARMER, HEN, FOX, GRAIN
Farmer has to cross all three over a river in a boat safely, one at a time! Boat only takes two things at a time.
But beware: (Fox eats Hen / Hen loves grain / Fox hates Grain)
Make a mock-up river and boat to make it more interesting.

The answer is as follows:
1) Farmer takes Hen over. - 2) Comes back alone. - 3) Farmer takes Grain over. - 4) Brings Hen back.
5) Farmer takes Fox over. - 6) Goes back alone. - 7) Takes Hen over!

WALKING THE PLANK or BRIDGE THE GAP

See how it is done

HUMAN NOUGHTS & CROSSES

Good game for a quiz night. Equipment: 3 rows of 3 chairs in the form of a square. Two teams of Scouts (or Beavers or Cubs), identifiable from each other, say one team wearing neckerchief, one without. Draw for which team to start. Ask first team a question. A right guess means they can place a Scout on one of the chairs - strategy required here as in the paper noughts and crosses. A wrong guess, and it's the other team's turn.

Winning team is the team that has three Scouts in a row, down, across or diagonal.

PROFICIENCY MIME

One Patrol or Six mime a proficiency Badge (no talking allowed). The others try to guess which badge.
Suggest you give each team a list of Badges with pictures and explantion of what it's for.

KIM'S GAME

The standard Kim's Game, a memory observation game, is to place some objects on a tray, let the Scouts see them for 1 minute, cover the tray, then ask them to write what they remember - a fuller description gains extra points. There are several way you can improve or change Kim's Game, a few of which are listed below. If you know any other please e-mail me and I will add them on.

1. Copycat Kim - Lay 12 items on a table in a square 4 x 3. Show these to the Scouts for 1 minute. Then follows a treasure hunt. Scouts have to go out, fetch twelve similar objects as close to yours as possible, and place them in a 4 x 3 square to match yours. Compare and give points accordingly.

2. Throwing Kim - Two Leaders stand about 15 feet apart facing each other. Scouts stand in line either side of the Leaders. Leaders fling 12 objects across the room, catch and immediately place in a bag. Scouts have to memorise the objects and list them.

3. Feeling Kim - Have twelve objects in a bag. Give each scout 1 minute to feel what's in the bag then go away and write them down.

4. Smelling Kim - Let Scouts smell ten items blindfolded. Go away and list.

5. Hearing Kim - Let Scouts hear 12 pre recorded noises on tape. Go away and list. Noises can be anything from pouring water in a jug, vacuum cleaning, slicing bread, starting a car, slamming a door, putting the phone on the hook, stirring a tea cup, flushing a toilet (or perhaps not), opening an envelope, jingling money, tearing paper and so on.

6. Mapping Kim - Draw a simple map of say, an imaginary Scout Island, on a large grid of about 8 x 8 squares. Place objects such as roads, churches, and other landmarks in strategic places. Give each Scout or say Six or Patrol, a black gridded sheet. Let them look at the map for say 1 minute, then rush off to their table to try and make a copy of your map. Compare results with your original.

7. ...waiting for your ideas...please e-mail.

WHO IS THE LEADER

Players in a circle, seated on the floor. One sent out of room, and one of the circle chosen as Leader. The one sent out returns and tries to find the Leader. All Leader has to do is initiate things like picking his nose, standing up, crossing legs, sneezing, touching his hair, the list is endless... Scout has to find out who is starting the motions.

FOOTBALL CRAZY

Scouts insisting on just playing football? There are several 'football' game alternatives.

1. Crazy football - Just an ordinary game with two teams and two goal posts - BUT each time someone scores (s)he has to change sides and play for the team he scored against.

2. Four corner football - Substitute two teams for four, and two goal posts at each end for a goal post in each of the four corners. Any team can score against of the other three. To make a quicker indoor game, each time a team is scored against they are out and their goal post is 'closed' for the duration. You can play the quick version any number of times.

3. No goal football - Divide your hall into two with a chalk line. Team in each. patch. Players kick a soft ball from end to end of the hall keeping the ball away from their 'patch'. Every 10 seconds Leader blows a whistle (ensure Leader has back turned to the game). Team loses a point if the ball is in their patch when the whistle goes. Can be played endlessly!

4. Crab football - An old one this - both teams sit on floor and can only kick with feet whilst moving around with hands whilst on the sitting on the floor.

5. Three-legged football - Each two persons tied together like three legged race. Play a 3 minute game of football.

6. ...waiting for your ideas...please e-mail.

MAP SYMBOL QUIZ

A useful pack to have in your store. A set of photographs of places and things around your town and country side which can be used to match with map symbols. Ideas would be a church with spire, one without, a steep road, a canal, railway cutting - the list is endless.

TRAFFIC LIGHTS

Good for a base for Scouts of any age, especially for those vying for the Cyclist badge. Make up a set of five cards with the traffic light sequence in colour; RED - RED/AMBER - GREEN - AMBER - RED. Scouts place them in order. Start them off with the RED on the table.

Download Picture

PHOTO CHALLENGE

Anyone doing the Photographer Badge? Ask them to take some pictures of familiar objects or parts of buildings around you hut, taken from unusual angles or very close up. Challenge Scouts to recognise the object or place.

CHIPS WITH EVERYTHING - AGAIN

Plenty of chip shops near your Scout Hut? Why not spend an evening buying a bag of chips from each shop in town, and getting Scouts to sample and judge which is their best chip?

Give the chippie a certificate - and make a new friend - (s)he may even give you a discount next time .

NAISMITH'S RULE ['neismi?s] noun
(Mountaineering)  a rule of thumb for calculating the time needed for a climbing/walking expedition, allowing 1 hour for every 3 miles of distance plus 1 hour for every 2000 feet of height.

In Mountaineer Joe brown's words: "NAISMITH'S RULE - This gives an approximation for walking time on good terrain.  It assumes a speed of 3mph (5kph) and makes an allowance of 30 minutes per 1,000ft. (or 1 minute per 10m.) of ascent"

Copyright since 1998 ã Paul Calleja-Gera - All rights reserved.