Tug o' war or hug o' war.

Great Games for groups

I will not play at tug o' war. I'd rather play hug o' war, Where everyone hugs Instead of tugs, Where everyone giggles And rolls on the rug, Where everyone kisses, And everyone grins, And everyone cuddles, And everyone wins.

- Shel Silverstein Where the Sidewalk Ends

Tug-of-war

Tug-of-war is an old-fashioned favorite and often the finale to large group play sessions. However, campers on the losing team often feel sad and blameful as "May the best man win!" rings hollow in their ears. After all, hadn't they tried their best! Here's a version for the 1990s with a surprise outcome!

Preparation

For two teams, tie a bandanna in the middle of a long, sturdy rope. For three-way tug-of-war, tie the ends of three ropes together, forming a Y, and tie a bandanna at the intersection. If you have forty or more players, tie two long ropes together in the center, forming an X, and tie a bandanna in the middle. Form a circle on the ground with a 12-foot section of rope and place the tug-of-war rope and bandanna in the center. Each team grabs an end of the rope. Remember, rope wrapped around wrists or waists can cause injury.

Let's play

A counselor says, "On the count of three, pull the bandanna outside the rope circle without stepping into the circle. You get one point for each time in the next three minutes that the rope crosses to the outside of the circle. Ready, set, go!"

Each time the bandanna crosses to the outside of the circle, the counselor asks, "How can you get more points in the next three minutes?"

Several tries usually pass until someone responds. A discussion about competition versus cooperation or about how things have always been done versus how things can be done differently may follow. Ask, "Do we pull against each other in camp? In what ways? Is there anything we want to do differently?" Then go for an all-team record.

Hungarian Frisbee

This game is best played on an open field or playground.

Preparation

Players divide into two teams of six to twenty players. Mark a playing field of considerable depth and about the width as a baseball diamond. Designate a home plate and one base (a bush, tree, or rock). The distance to the base from home plate varies depending on the number of players; 20 to 30 yards is a good starting point.

Ask for a volunteer to be the referee. The referee can make decisions on boundaries and close calls at home plate. He may also decide if the base needs to be moved farther from home plate to help the fielding team or closer to home plate to help the batting team.

Let's play

One team lines up behind home plate. They are "at bat." The other team goes into the playing field. The first player on the team at bat throws a Frisbee into the playing field, runs to the base, and then runs back to home plate. If a member of the fielding team catches the Frisbee in the air, the runner is out. If the Frisbee hits the ground, the entire fielding team rushes toward the Frisbee and lines up behind the first player to reach it. The players bend over and pass the Frisbee backward through their legs to the end of the line. The last person in line runs to the front of the line and holds up the Frisbee.

If the fielding team completes this process before the runner reaches home plate, the runner is out. If the runner beats the fielders, a point is scored for the team at bat. The next batter then throws the Frisbee and the fielding team goes into action again. When the batting team has three outs, the teams switch places. Hungarian Frisbee has no regulated number of innings. For a win-win version, have the team member who scores rotate immediately to the other team.

Bring me

This game is fun for large numbers of players and can keep a group happily occupied for more than an hour.

Preparation

Each player needs a bag or pillowcase filled with a variety of everyday items. In a residential camp, these can be things campers have at camp with them; in a day camp, campers can bring the bag from home.

The game leader creates a list of items to call out. The list should include forty to fifty items. Customize the list for each camp situation, but some ideas are a toothbrush, a post card, a tennis racquet, a towel, a baseball cap, someone with no cavities (the fortunate player runs to the judge who inspects her mouth for telltale fillings), a pencil, a letter from a grandparent, a blue sock, and an original work of art (creative teams will quickly manufacture one).

The group is divided into teams of five to ten players. Each team has a few minutes to organize the items its players have brought.

Let's play

The judge calls out an item from the prepared list; for example, bring me a white T-shirt. Each team scrambles to find the item the judge wants among their accumulated possessions. If they find it, one team member runs to show the item to the judge. The team that reaches the judge with the correct item first gets 3 points. The second team gets 2 points, and the third team gets 1 point.

For a win-win version, the first team to deliver a white T-shirt returns it to the team stash with shirts delivered by all other teams in that round. In the end, each team creates and performs a five-minute skit using all the items they collected. Challenge players to return all items to their owners intact when finished.

Bomber relay

This game is great as an evening program or as a special afternoon activity for the whole camp.

Preparation

Divide the camp into teams of ten to twenty players. Mix ages on the teams so each team consists of younger as well as older campers. Designate a staff captain for each team and let each team choose a color name. The green team wears green armbands, the blue team blue armbands, and so on.

Decide upon the course and events of the relay. Use the entire camp facility, if possible, and include some events that will be comfortable for younger and less athletic children. Possibilities include: run to Sunday Rocks and read a quote to the referee, swim two laps of the pool using a kickboard, build a fire and roast and eat a marshmallow, sing two verses of a popular camp song, pitch a tent, and hit a volleyball over the net three times. Include at least one event for each team member. Be aware that the team will complete the race much faster than you can imagine, so have plenty of individual events. The game is finished when all players from all teams perform something together. Team captains take suggestions to a five-minute meeting to plan the grand finale.

Let's play

Before the race begins, give each team about thirty minutes to organize and determine which camper will do which event. This also gives other staff members who act as referees time to get any necessary materials together for their event. When all teams know the plan and are ready, start the first players and be ready for a wild and exceptionally fun event.

Theodore Roosevelt said, "Every child has inside him an aching void for excitement and if we don't fill it with something which is exciting and interesting and good for him, he will fill it with something which is exciting and interesting and which isn't good for him." What better place than camp for interest and excitement!

Reference

Silverstein, Shel, Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.

Faith Evans is the owner of PlayFully, Inc. She has thirty-five years of camp experience and specializes in experiential training serving camps, schools, and organizations. Contact Faith at [e-mail]

Jane Sanborn is a director of Sanborn Western Camps. She has thirty years of camp experience and has written several books, including Bag of Tricks II, available from the ACA Bookstore for $10.95. Call 800-428-2267 to order.