Relay Games

SEED PLANTING RELAY

Following a line, or rope on the ground, and by walking heel to toe, each team member must stop (about every 3 feet and drop a seed in a small mouthed jar set near the line. When he reaches the end, he runs back and taps the next boy on the team.

POTATO RACE

Two teams. Give each starting player a fork and a potato. He tosses the potato into the air and catches it on the fork, takes it off and hands them to the next player. First team through wins.

CONE RACE

String paper cones on cords stretched between chairs, or posts. Each team member blows cone to the end of the cord, brings it back; next boy does the same. First team finished wins.

DRIVING THE PIG

Two teams; each team has a 3" long stick and a 1/2 gallon milk bottle (add a little water to the bottles). The players use the stick to push the bottle (pig) to the fair.

TOWEL ROLL ROLL

Using a broomstick and a paper towel cardboard tube, each team member uses the stick to roll the tube to one end of the room and them back. He then hands the broomstick to the next boy. (I have seen this one done -- it's harder than it sounds!)

TURKEY FEATHER RELAY

Divide into relay teams. First player holds a long turkey feather. At the word "Go" each throws his feather, javelin style, toward the finish line. As soon as it comes to earth, he picks it up and throws it again, and continues until across the finish line. He then picks it up and runs back to his team to give the feather to the next player.

CANDLE AND STRAW RELAY RACE

You will need:

• 1 candle and a box of matches per team and 1 drinking
• straw per team member

Each team member is given a straw. They have to race to the opposite end of the hall where their candle and box of matches is located. They must light the candle and then blow it out by blowing the flame through the straw. This can also be played in subdued lighting.

CHECKER RELAY

You will need:

• 6 wooden checkers playing pieces per patrol
• We often get these given to us at rummage sales

Scouts race up and down the hall in relay fashion, with a pile of 6 checkers balanced on the back of one hand. They are not allowed to steady the pile with the other hand. The only time they can touch the checkers with the other hand, is either when they have dropped them and are picking them up, or when they are transferring the checkers to another scout in their team.

CUBS ACROSS THE RIVER

You will need:

• 4 card or carpet tile stepping stones
• three awkward pieces of equipment such as a rucksack, a football and a hoop, for each six

Line up sixes with their equipment and draw two lines to represent the river. Lay the stepping stones across the river. Cub 1 carries cub 2 on his back across the river using the stepping stones. Cub 2 comes back and picks up cub 3 plus a piece of equipment. Cub 3 comes back and picks up cub 4 plus a piece of equipment and so on until all the cubs have crossed the river. Those cubs on the bank should be encouraged to cheer their team on.

17.10 DRIBBLE BALL

You will need:

• 1 ball and several skittles per team or six

Standing in teams, each person in turn dribbles the ball down the line of skittles slalom fashion, either using their foot, a stick or a washing up liquid bottle and then straight back to the next man in their team. If a skittle is knocked over, the player has to return to the start and begin again.

STACKING THE CANS

You will need:

• 6 tin cans or drinking chocolate tins with lids per team

Patrols or sixes stand in lines. They have to run to the end of the hall in relay fashion and each one add a can to the stack. The winning team is the first one back with a completed stack and all their team standing to attention. You could add a variation to the game by playing two teams at a time and have the other teams at the sides throwing bean bags or dusters at the piles of cans. If you played this variation then you would play against the clock to see which was the fastest team.

TUNNEL BALL

You will need:

• A ball or balloon for each team

The teams stand at attention in lines, the front player in each team has the ball. On the command 'GO' they spring their legs apart. The player at the front passes the ball between their legs. The ball must go between each players legs until it is picked up by the player at the back. The back player then runs to the front and continues the process until the original font player is back at the front. The winning team is the one with all players standing at attention with the ball at the front. If a ball breaks out from the line it must start its journey through the tunnel again from the front. As an alternative pass the ball from the back player through the tunnel to the front.

WHEELBARROW RACE

Teams stand in lines at one end of the hall. On the command 'GO', the front player gets down on his hands. The second player stands between his legs and lifts his legs up to waist level. They now have to go as fast as possible to the other end of the hall with the front player walking with his hands and the rear player holding him up like a wheelbarrow. When they reach the end of the hall the front player stands up and the rear player runs back to the front of his team and then becomes the front man of the new wheelbarrow. This process is continued until the whole team are at the far end of the hall.

HIGHWAYMAN

You will need:

• A short length of lashing rope and a chair for each team

Teams stand in lines at one end of the hall. There is a wooden chair with a bar back at the other end of the hall opposite each team. The front player of each team has a length of rope in one hand. On the command 'GO' the second player jumps onto the back of the front player and they race piggy back style to the chair at the other end of the hall. The player riding jumps down and ties one end of the rope around the top bar of the chair using the highwaymans hitch. He then jumps back on the other players back, pulls the end of the rope to free it and they then race back to their team. The player who was the horse goes to the back of the team and the player who was the rider now becomes the horse or front player.

FIREMAN, SAVE MY CHILD

You will need:

• A drinking straw for each player
• simple paper cut-out of a child, this should be about 1 1/2 to 2

inches tall. The arms and legs should be about 1/2 an inch wide on the figure

The game goes like this: The players are divided into two teams and are formed into two lines. Each team has a pile of the cut-out children on a table and a drinking straw for each player. Approximately 15-20 feet away from the start, place a small pail for each team on another table, chair, stool, or whatever.

At the call of "Fireman, save my child", the first player on each team must pick up a child by sucking up the figure against their straw. While holding the figure this way, they then run to their respective pail and deposit their figure in the pail. If they drop the figure en route, they must stop and pick up their child again, by getting down on the floor and sucking it up with their straw. After putting their child in the pail, they run back to the starting line, and the next player picks up his child and repeats the process. The first team to save all their children is the winner. Have enough figures so each player gets at least two turns.

LAYERED CLOTHES

My Girl Scout troop really liked a game I threw together to teach them about layered clothing. Gather a pile of assorted clothing, including socks, shoes, hats, etc. Divide the clothing "evenly" into piles (i.e. pair of pants in each pile, mittens in each pile, etc.). Make sure the clothes are large enough that the outer layers can fit over the other layers. Divide the group into teams. Divide the teams in half and place one half near the pile of clothes, the other about 50 feet away. At a signal, the first member of each team "dresses" in the clothing of the pile and gallops the 50 feet to the other side, "undresses" and another team member puts on the clothes. As long as there are no rocks in the way, this game can be really fun to play (and watch!).