September 29, 2007 Ideas Presented By: Debbie Nichols and Susan Peery Eagleton Extended School Program Blount County Schools Wacky Olympic Games Games Ideas: (We usually play about ten to twelve games) *Olympic Torch Relay – A relay race to cone and back carrying a plunger decorated with streamers. Hold it up like a torch. *Sno Cone Carry – A relay race to cone and back carrying a cone turned upside-down with a beach ball inside the hole (looks like a large sno cone). *Broom Ball – Use small brooms to sweep balls or beach balls past a cone marker and back or through a marked course in relay fashion. *Rodeo Barrel Racing – Each team is given a stick horse to “ride” through a marked course using cones. *Blanket Carry – Each team is given an old blanket to use to drag each other to a cone and back. *Balloon Burst Relay – Run to a cone batting a balloon in the air. At the cone, burst the balloon any way that you can (make sure that the kids do not use their mouths). *Scuba Scramble – Lay out three hoops in a line in front of each team. In the first hoop, put swim fins for each team. In the second hoop, put swim masks or goggles for each team. In the third hoop, put a large swim ring for each team. The first person in each team’s line goes to the first hoop and puts on the swim fins, goes to the second hoop and puts on the mask or goggles, goes to the third hoop and puts on the swim ring, and then goes to a cone and circles back. The kids drop off the items back into the correct hoops as they return. Then the next person in line goes. *Tunnel Race – Crawl through legs of teammates. *Three-Legged Race – (we have also done a four-legged race with 3 people) Use Velcro-straps to tie legs together. *Soccer World Cup – Kick a beach ball or soccer ball through an obstacle course using cones. *Foam Disc Bowling – Throw a foam disc at 3 plastic bowling pin targets per team. Set back up and hand off disc to next person. *Swim Ring Toss – Run to a cone, toss a swim ring over the cone, pick it up and return to the start. (Can also make them run wearing the swim ring around their waist) *Chicken Relay – Carry a tennis ball between knees to a bucket. Drop the tennis ball into the bucket like “laying an egg” and return to the start. *Potato Hockey – Use hockey sticks to bat a baking potato around a cone and back. *Holding Hands Relay – The first person in line runs to a cone and back. They then take the hand of the next person in line and circle the cone again. Continue adding one person at a time to make a long chain. *Leg Leap – Teams sit facing each other, legs extended and feet together. Count off down the line assigning numbers. Caller calls out number and that pair jumps up, jumps over legs down the line, circles around to the first of the line and jumps legs back to their original spot. *Hurdle Relay – Teams line up. First two people hold the ends of jump ropes and hold it about 6 inches off the ground. The two people holding the rope move on each side of the line moving the rope down as a hurdle. When get to the end, they pass the rope back to the front of the line. *Hoopla – Teams line up. First person holds a hula-hoop. On “go”, players place hoop on ground within jumping distance, jump into the hoop, pull it up over body and head and toss it again. Continue to cone and back. *Balloon Duo – Divide players in to pairs. Each pair will link arms and work together to bat a balloon to cone and back in relay race. If balloon hits the ground, players may pick it up but they can’t unlink arms. *Chicken Rotisserie – Kids stand in line. First person holds a rubber chicken above their head and spins in a circle. Pass chicken to next person who repeats. Last person in line runs to the front and starts rotation again. **We usually end the Wacky Olympic Games with an obstacle course. Sample stations are: -toss beanbags into a line of buckets -crawl through a tunnel of boxes -crawl under a table -make hurdles with milk crates and pool noodles -do a forward roll on mat -walk across a raised wooden plank -shoot a basketball into a goal -weave through cones or kick ball through cones Guinness Book of World Records Day The basic idea is to set up stations where kids can see how long, how many, how far, etc. that they can do certain tasks. A staff member was placed at each station and after everyone had a chance to try each station, we set up a new group of stations and started again. Station Ideas: (We did about ten stations in total) *Hula Hoop Duration – Who can hula hoop the longest? *Playing Card Stacking – Who can build the highest structure or use the most cards to build a structure? *Consecutive Free Throws – Who can make the most free throws without missing? *Tennis Ball Bounce on Racket – Who can bounce a tennis ball the most times on a tennis racket before dropping the ball? *Fastest Egg & Spoon Relay Mile – Which group can carry an egg on a spoon the fastest over the course of a mile? *Paper Airplanes – Who can build and throw a paper airplane for the longest distance? *Frisbee Pancake Toss – Using a two-colored beanbag, who can flip the beanbag the most times by tossing it in the air with a Frisbee within a one-minute time limit? *Jump Rope – Who can jump the most times within a one-or-two minute time limit? *Beach Ball Volley – Which two-person team can keep the beach ball in the air the longest by volleying it back and forth? *Biggest Bubble Gum Bubble – Who can blow the biggest bubble? *Limbo contest – Who can go the lowest? (use a pool noodle for the bar) *Fastest Reader / Counter in 30 Seconds – For the younger kids, we saw who could count to the highest number in 30 seconds. For the older kids, we let them read from the same book to see who could read the most words in 30 seconds. *Can we throw a mile? – Which group takes the fewest throws to measure the distance of a mile? *Long, long, long jump – Which group can make the longest jump by combining their distances? *Widest river crossing – Use two jump ropes and widen after each round. *Highest cup stacking in 30 second – Use disposable cups. *Farthest bean bag toss with feet – Lay on back and toss bean bag with feet to area above head. Measure for distance. *Garbage Bag Basketball – In pairs, each person holds end of large garbage bag and places a basketball in middle. They try to fling the ball into basketball goal. Give 30 second time limit. *Scream Race – Take a deep breath and exhale saying a loud “aaahhh” as run. Run as far as can. Stop when stop for breath. *Triangle Volley – Groups of three hold hands and form triangle. Each group tries to keep a balloon airborne by using forearms, heads, knees and elbows. *Towel Race – Stand on towels and scoot across floor to a cone and back. *Popping Cans – Use 2 Liter cans from cafeteria and tennis balls. Bounce ball off the inside of the can or bounce off the inside and then the outside. *Ball Toss on Back – While lying on back on a mat with arms outstretched overhead, kids try to heave a volleyball as far as they can without lifting bodies off the mat. *Great Circle Sit – Stand in a tight circle with everyone facing the same way. Try to sit at the same time. If successful, everyone in the circle should be sitting on someone’s lap. *Cooperative Life Raft – You can use sheets or blankets but we used hula-hoops. Lay them out on the ground and tell the team that all team members must fit onto the “life raft.” Have the team get off and fold it smaller or remove one hoop and have the team try getting on again. Continue making smaller and have the team working together to get everyone back on to the shrinking “life raft.” Our kids were trying to hold each other and squeeze in together – it was very funny. *Two-Tier Pyramid – We had the whole group come together and form a two-tier pyramid by placing the bigger kids on the bottom row and smaller kids on the top row. Again they had to work together to make it work. International Festival At this festival we did crafts, played games and ate foods native to different countries. The kids were also encouraged to dress in costumes native to their favorite countries. The kids were free to choose which activities they wanted to participate in. We had staff posted at each area demonstrating the crafts and games. Snack table – I just purchased a variety of snacks from the local grocery store and cut them up into sample sizes. Most were in the specialty foods section. You could also cook things such as tacos, pizzas, stir-fry veggies, etc. but I did not have enough staff to do it. ☺Japan - Origami demonstration and make and take -Paper Fans decorated with paints provided -Chopsticks practice with cotton balls (we gave kids chopsticks given to us by the Mandarin House) ☺Australia - Aboriginal dot painting with Q-tips - Tear colorful construction paper into interesting shapes and glue to a large piece of brown paper. Then paint with white dots along edges of shapes using Q-tips. -Tinikling – They use bamboo poles, but we used pool noodles. Two people hold the two noodles in each hand. They hit the noodles on the ground, raise, and then hit the noodles together. Kids stand and jump feet together and feet apart in conjunction with the poles. ☺Mexico - Paper Banners – I purchased intricately cut paper banners that the kids sprayed with diluted watercolor paint in spray bottles. ☺Native America - Dreamcatchers craft kit -Rainsticks craft kit ☺India - Bimbado Game – A stacking game on a wooden elephant that I purchased. -Katta Villayatu – A coin game similar to tic tac toe that I got from the PBS Zoom Kids website. I had also purchased a collection of musical instruments called the “Around the World Rhythm Band” from Oriental Trading Company. The kids enjoyed trying these out. There was also a collection of rubbing plates in the Oriental Trading Catalog that was called the “Around the World Rubbing Plates” that contained some of the most famous sites in the world. I taped them to a table and then the kids picked the ones they wanted to make. Messy Olympic Games These games are very messy and need to be done outside where the area can be hosed down. We suggested that children wear swimsuits and we hosed them down afterwards. Also, many kids do not like to get “messy” so we only involved children that wanted to play. ☺ Jello eating contest using no hands – We used the Jello gel packs that only had to be opened and dumped on to a plate (change plates for each child). ☺Gummy worms covered in chocolate sauce – The kids transferred them from a plate and dropped them into their team’s bucket (again put a new plate down for each child). ☺Have volunteers from each team lie on backs and hold an ice cream cone in their mouth. You should let kids wear goggles over their eyes. Other team members squeeze something or drop something into the cone. We used Gogurt in small tubes. ☺Soda Pop Shove – Give each team several empty two-liter bottles and a bag of “smooshy” items. We sent two team members at a time up to the bags to pull something out and then try to shove it into the bottles. Table judges told them when they had enough inside the bottle. Examples of “smooshy” foods: butter, butter mixed with flour, cat food, sliced peaches, bananas, grapes, pudding, marshmallows, chicken noodle soup. Put items in zip-lock bags. ☺Blindfolded Feeding -Divide up into pairs. Blindfold each pair and let them feed each other ice cream or pudding. ☺Fruit Roll-Up Chew Down – We sliced fruit roll-ups to about 6 inches long and hung them on a clothesline with clothespins. The kids ran up one at a time and chewed the fruit roll-up to the clothespin. ☺Stuck On You – Each team had two staff volunteers. The kids came up one at a time and sprayed cheese on a cracker then stuck the cracker on the staff member. ☺Messy Twister – Use paper plates filled with oatmeal, whip cream, pudding, applesauce, bananas, etc. for the colored dots in the regular Twister game. Play barefoot. Use 6 – 10 plates of each item for a total of 30 – 50 plates. Have two containers with paper slips to be drawn out. One container lists the items on the plates and the other lists body parts, such as: right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot, head or bottom. ☺Duck, Duck, Splat – Instead of a goose, you get a splat of ice cream (or other equally messy concoction) on your head. Survivor Games We divide the kids into three tribes. I also assign staff members to each tribe to be leaders. I purchased some cheap material off the bargain bin and cut it into small triangles for “buffs.” Each tribe has their own team color and flag. I tape the flag to the wall to designate each tribes “camp” and send them back to camp while I am setting up the next game. There is no voting out or score kept. We just play for fun. Challenge Ideas: ☺Food Challenge – We put the following items out on paper plates with labels. The children came up one at a time from each team. Each child rolled an over-sized dice and then sampled the corresponding “treat.” Be very sensitive to food allergies. 1 Rattlesnake ---- beef jerky 2 Dried Fruit Flies ---- golden raisins 3 Lizard Eggs ----- blueberries 4 Warthog Ears ---- blue nachos 5 Worms ---- gummy worms 6 Fried Grasshoppers ---- fried onion toppers ☺Mosquito Tag – The staff tags students with shortened pool noodles. When tagged, kids must freeze. Someone can unfreeze them by shouting the name of a bug spray (D-Con, Off, etc.) and tagging them again. ☺Octopus Relay – Each team sends eight players at a time who hold on to a hula-hoop with one hand. Eight buckets are scattered around the area with three tennis balls in each (one per team). Each group must go to each bucket and have one person pick up a ball (one person per bucket) until all eight have a ball. Team must circle around a cone and then return the balls to the buckets in the same manner. ☺Missile Attack – Give each player a straw and 5 cotton swabs. They try to shoot missiles (cotton swabs) to a bucket by blowing into the straw. ☺Frogs in a Bucket – Put numbers on small paper plates or small Frisbees and scatter around a large bucket with the smallest numbers closest to the bucket. Teams throw beanbag frogs into the bucket one throw at a time. If the frog goes into the bucket, that player picks up the numbered plate or Frisbee and scores that number of points for their team. The player also retrieves the frog and passes it to the next team member. If the frog misses, the player retrieves the frog only and passes it to the next team member. Play continues until all plates or Frisbees have been picked up. ☺Gummy Bug Eating Contest or Gummy Worm Relay – Carry worms in mouth and deposit in a bucket. ☺Mystery Box – Put 20 random objects into a large box. Each tribe sends one person at a time to peep into the box and see the items. That person returns to the tribe and can only say the name of one item. The next person then goes. If an object is repeated, it is just a lost chance and the next player goes. First team to list all 20 objects wins. ☺Quicksand Stand – All tribe members stand with both feet on a paper plate. Caller tries to get them to lose their balance and step off plate. If touch ground, they are out. Sample calls: one foot, change foot, squat, deep knee bend, march, cross feet, close eyes, etc. ☺Baby Food Roulette – Place jars of baby food along the edge of a lazy susan. Put an arrow to mark stopping point. Children come up one at a time and spin to see which jar they get to “sample.” Give each child a small spoon size taste. Throw spoon away after each child. Be sensitive to food allergies. Keep trashcan nearby for spitting back out. ☺Balloon Burst Relay – Hide jigsaw puzzle pieces in blown-up balloons designated by team colors. Team members retrieve team color balloon, burst it and return with puzzle piece. First team to put together their puzzle wins. ☺Bridge Over Troubled Waters – cross a designated area using pieces of cardboard. ☺Rat Tag – Using one jump rope per competitor, tuck rope at waist in back so it hangs down to ground. On signal, each tries to step on tail of other players. Do not use hands. Can continue after losing tail. ☺Bubble Walk – Attempt to cross a long strip of bubble wrap without popping. ☺Shipmates – Scatter objects over floor of large area (big and small random objects). Give each tribe a list of items to collect. Tribe members run to the area one at a time to pick up object from list. ☺Hoopla – Using one hoop for each tribe, place an equal number of objects in each hoop (beanbags or yarn balls). First person in each line runs to another tribe’s hoop and steals one object to put in their own hoop. On signal to stop – count objects. Most wins. ☺Categories – Give each tribe a pencil and paper. List categories across top and starting letters down left side. Most complete in time limit wins. Accept creative answers. ☺Crossing the Alligator Swamp – Put several cones, buckets or whatever in a designated swamp area. Each tribe member must cross without touching anything while blindfolded by listening to a caller. Water Day Games Water Day is one of the most popular of our special days. We have everyone wear their swimsuits and bring a change of clothes. Put out as many sprinklers as possible. Also, buckets of water and old paintbrushes are fun. Cleaned out dish detergent bottles make good squirters. You can make a “people washer” by building a 2 x 4” doorframe with an irrigation hose attached. A small pool with bubble solution and different wands can be included. I have read about using washable paints to do body art and then hosing off, but we have not tried it yet. We set up a volleyball net and used beach balls for volleyballs one year. We generally give the children the option of free play with the above items or to participate in relay games. The kids are free to go back and forth between activities. Water day game ideas: (I usually fill several large tubs with water before we begin to use for games – kids are told to keep out) Water Balloon Brigade- Form two lines of players. Place a bucket of water balloons at the front of each line. Place two empty buckets at the end of the lines. Teams toss water balloons down the line trying not to burst them. The team with the most balloons at the end wins. Sponge Toss – The same as the above game but toss wet sponges instead. Water Balloon Squat – Sit on water balloon to bust in relay fashion. Leaking Relay – Drill holes in coffee cans or small buckets. Players fill with water and carry above their heads to an empty bucket. They dump remaining contents and run back to start. Cold Potato – The group stands in a circle and tosses a water balloon across the circle. Out if drop balloon. Soap Shrink – Divide into 2 or 3 player teams. Give each a bar of soap (hotel samples work well) and a bucket of water. Teams wash hands to shrink the soap. If the bar breaks, they are disqualified. Call time after five minutes. Smallest bar wins. Obstacle Course – Set up an up, over, around and through obstacle course that players must complete carrying a cup of water. Dump cup contents in bucket at end of course. Duck, Duck, Splash – Like Duck, Duck, Goose except you squeeze out large sponge on person’s head instead of saying “Goose”! Sponge on Head Relay – Run to cone and back balancing wet sponge on head. Water Race – Hand out one cup per player. Place a bucket of water at front and empty bucket at back of line. Pass cups of water down line in bucket brigade fashion. Big Drip – Give each team a sponge and a bucket of water. Place two empty 2-liter bottles about 15 yards away. Teams fill sponges and run to bottles and try to fill by squeezing water out of sponges. Splash Tag – Use large extra-soft sponges to throw to tag. Drip the Well Dry – Place bucket of water at the front of each line. Give each team a sponge. First person in line passes sponge over their head to the next person. That person passes the sponge between their legs to next person. Continue over and under passing to end. Last person runs to the front and starts it again. Water Relay with Staff – Give each staff member an appointed “team.” Staff person sits on ground with 2-liter bottle between their knees. Their team one at a time takes either a cup or sponge and fills it at community tub of water and tries to fill the 2-liter bottles. Ice Cube Melt – Melt in hands. Fastest to melt ice cube wins. Ice Cube Toss – Out if ice cube drops or melts. Feet Freeze – Using a bucket or pool with ice cubes, player’s retrieve marbles with their toes and drop in buckets. Egg Toss – Toss water-filled plastic eggs. Super Soaker Relay – The first three people in each line stand about 10 yards in front of the remaining line. The remaining line has a bucket of water and a sponge. The first person next to the bucket takes a sponge and carries it to the other team members and squeezes it out on the first person in that line’s head. The squeezer goes to the back of that line and the person who was soaked takes the sponge back to the bucket and gets in the back of that line. Wet and Wild Relay – We set up the following relay stations: 1. Hula hoop three times 2. Dump cup of water from bucket on head 3. Burst a water balloon 4. Put both feet in a tub of ice water 5. Say, “She sells seashells by the seashore.” Passport Across America Games These games are based on visiting several “states”, doing the activity associated with the state and getting a Passport signed, stamped or a sticker from the “Governor” (staff member) of each state. We did a six state rotation and then changed to another six state rotation. State ideas: Florida – Cross the Florida swamp. We spaced polyspots around a designated swamp area for kids to cross. We put rubber snakes, alligators and bugs in the swamp. Idaho – “The Potato State” - Potato sack races. Kentucky – “Kentucky Fried Chicken State” – Line up kids and do an over and under pass of a rubber chicken and tennis ball (egg). The last person in line runs to the front and starts again. California – “Gold Mining State” – Put gold nuggets or ball under over-turned disposable cups. One person from each team runs up and picks one cup up and looks for gold nugget or ball. If no nugget – turn cup upside down and return to line. If there is a nugget, pick it up, set cup right side and return to the team. Team with most wins. Illinois – “Home of Abraham Lincoln” – Put small glass dishes in an old plastic swimming pool and do a penny toss. Try to land in dish. Vermont – “Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Founded Here” – Relay race with a ball on top of an overturned cone. Michigan – “Car Capital” – Relay race with large cardboard box cars. Alaska – “Iceberg State” – Each team uses 3 pieces of white painted cardboard or foam batting (blocks of ice) to cross an icy river marked with ropes. Montana – “Fishing Capital of the U.S.” – Players fish in a kiddie pool for paper fish with task listed on them. One at time, catch fish, do task and pass off fishing pole to next person. Colorado – “known for canyons and wildfires” – do bucket brigade relay with one cup per person and a full bucket at front and empty bucket at end of line. Maine – “Lobster” – Relay carrying plastic lobsters. Wyoming – “Cowboy State” – Relay race with stick ponies. Washington – “Apple State” – Use lots of red balloons (apples) and play volleyball over net or sheet. Or, scatter polyspots across floor. Put paper apples under some. First person on each team runs up and takes a peek under spot for an apple. If they find an apple, they can take it back to team. If not, they just return. Next player can then go. South Dakota – “Bronco Riding” – Relay race using hoppity hops. Texas – “Lone Star State” – Place 5 numbered cones in star shape. Line kids up behind cones and pass ball in order to form star shape. X1 X4 X3 X2 X5 Georgia – “Peanut State” – Relay race using packing peanuts. Transfer from one container to another. Mississippi – Cross the Mississippi river (marked area) on a scooter board. Use oars or pull across with a rope. Field Day We generally have a more competitive Field Day during the summer. We award ribbons for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place by age group. We also hand out ribbons to all participants and special ribbons for Sportsmanship. These can usually be found in mailorder catalogs such as Oriental Trading Company www.orientaltrading.com and S & S Sports www.ssww.com. Field Day Events: *Discus or Frisbee throw – need Frisbees, start line and markers such as flags or cones to mark leaders. *Javelin Throw – need pool noodles (javelin), start line and markers to mark leaders. * Girl’s and Boy’s Softball Throw – need softballs, start line and markers to mark leaders. *Running Long Jump – need start line and markers to mark leaders. *Standing Long Jump – need start line and markers to mark leaders. *Girl’s and Boy’s 50-Yard Dash – need start and finish lines. *Girl’s and Boy’s 100-Yard Dash – need start and finish lines. *Sack Race – need sacks, start line and finish line. Country Fair Field Day Event ideas: Driving the Pigs to Market – Use a hockey stick to push, not hit, the ball (pig) to a cone and back. Sack Race – Jump to cone and back. Egg and Spoon Race – Use wooden spoons and plastic eggs. Needle in the Haystack – Hide colored toothpicks in loose bale of hay. Milking the Cow – Run to a large bucket filled with water carrying a cup. Sit on stool, squeeze out water into cup using large sponge. Run back to empty bucket to empty cup. Bucket Run – Run with a bucket full of water to a cone and back. Keep handing off the same bucket. Measure at end which team has most water left. Cross Country Pony Express – Ride stick pony to cone and back. Use backpacks for mailbags. Frog Jumping Contest – Leapfrog to cone and back. River Jump – Use 2 ropes and widen after each rotation. Fishing Hole – Use magnetic fish and fishing pole and old kiddie pool. Corn Cob Foot Toss – Kids lay on backs on a mat, place corn cob between arches of feet and toss over head for distance. Calf Roping – Tie rope to small hoop and lasso a cone. Firewood Fetch – Put piles of rolled up newspapers (rolled and taped) about 20 yards from teams. First person in line runs up and picks up one newspaper and runs back. He hands off that paper to next person, who must carry that one back to pile and pick up another paper and run back. Continue adding newspapers each trip until they are all gone. Count to see which team picked up the most. Cattle Roundup – Scatter colored balls. Teams collect their colored balls with a hockey stick and corral them in to a team hoop. You can have a snack or treat station called “Country Vittles” and call the bathroom the “Outhouse.” Other activities that we have done during the summer that are pretty much selfexplanatory: ☺Carnival – We have built the games ourselves and serve cotton candy and sno-cones. This past summer we also had a dunking booth and moonbounce. ☺Mini-Circus – Each group performs an act or skit. ☺Bike Rodeo – The kids bring their own bikes and we set up skill stations. ☺Basketball Skills Camp – Tests skills in dribbling, shooting and passing. ☺Jump Rope Games – Includes jumping games with and without jump ropes. ☺Treasure Hunts or Scavenger Hunts – This year we had a gold rush where kids hunted for gold nuggets scattered about and then use them to shop in the “General Store”. ☺Obstacle Course Day – each group is responsible for designing sections of the course. ☺Art Festival – Do several projects to display and take home. ☺Messy Art Day – Do several projects that are required to be outdoors. ☺ Sock Hop ☺ Dance or Cheerleading Camps ☺Speed Stacking Competitions ☺Talent Show ☺Lip Synching Contest ☺Ice Cream Sundae Party The kids also enjoy dress-up days. The most popular we have done are: Wacky Hair Day Hillbilly Dress Up Day Hat Day Favorite Character Day Pajama Day Western Day Rock Star Day Safari Day Hollywood Glamour Day Wacky Tacky Day Topsy Turvy or Backwards Day Tacky Tourist Day Favorite Sports Team Day Camp Out Day Glitter and Glamour Day Camouflage Day
© Copyright 2026 Paperzz