Get Up And Get Moving
By Lori Pine
Whether it’s a relay race, a skit, or a game, nothing gets the blood pumping like good, old-fashioned play. Here are some ideas to get your campers moving (and playing) together:
RELAYS
Bubble Gum Relay Game
Materials:
- 1 piece of bubble gum or chewing gum for each person
- 1 purse for each team
- 1 pair of gloves for each team
Instructions:
- Teams line up single-file at the starting line.
- A purse containing gum and gloves is placed 20 to 30 feet away from each team.
- The first player on each team runs to the purse, opens it, puts on the gloves, pulls out a piece of gum, unwraps it, and chews it (optional step: blow a bubble). Then the player replaces the gloves into the purse, closes the purse, and runs back to tag the next team member.
- Continue until each person has had a turn.
Dress Up
Dress-up relay combines two favorite kids’ activities—dressing up and racing. This indoor game uses old clothes for a fast-paced relay race. Start by following the steps below.
Materials:
- Old clothes—at least five to 10 items for each team
Instructions:
The object of this relay is to dress and undress as quickly as possible, regardless of where the clothes on the body actually wind up.
Step 1: Divide into teams.
Step 2: Pile five to 10 clothing items for each team or player—anything from scarves to pants to shirts to purses to hats—at the opposite end of the room.
Step 3: When someone says “go,” the first player on each team runs to the pile and puts on the clothes over his or her own, as quickly as possible. Anything goes, as long as nothing falls off the body as the player runs.
Step 4: The player runs back to the starting point and takes off the clothes.
Step 5: The next player on the team must put on the clothes, run back to the far end, and take the clothes off.
Step 6: Then that player races back to the team and touches the hand of the next player.
Step 7: The next player runs to the clothes and puts them on. The game goes on until the last player returns to the team. The first team finished wins.
GAME
Drama Game: Trades
Split the ensemble into two groups, one at each end of the room.
Teach the group this cheer: (Each group says every other line.)
Group 1: “Here we come.”
Group 2: “Where from?”
Group 1: “New York!”
Group 2: “What’s your trade?”
Group 1: “Lemonade!”
Group 2: “Give us some!”
Group 1: “Here we come!”
Once the ensemble gets the cheer down, groups huddle up and decide what trade they will select to act out. Then the cheer begins again. At the point where Group 1 says, “Here we come,” Group 1 comes towards Group 2 and acts out the trade it has decided on, such as a barber, a shoe maker, etc. Then Group 2 has to guess what trade group 1 is acting out.
Once Group 2 has guessed the trade (by shouting out answers), Group 1 runs back to its own side before Group 2 can get them. If members of Group 2 tag the members of Group 1 before they can touch their home base, Group 1 members become Group 2 members. Then the game switches, and Group 2 begins the chant and acts out its trade.
SKITS
Bubble Gum Skit
Cast:
- Kid
- Dog
- Basketball player
- Jogger
- Old Man
Setting: Park
Kid enters with baseball and mitt, throws the ball up, catches it, sits on a bench, keeps playing catch, blows bubble with his gum, etc. Takes gum out of his mouth and sets it on the back of the bench. He or she walks off, still playing catch.
Enter dog, who stops, sniffs at gum, pees on it, and exits.
Basketball player is dribbling the ball when it gets stuck on the gum. He tries to loosen it and finally does.
Jogger goes by and his foot gets stuck on it. Pulls gum off shoe and throws it down.
Old man comes by and his cane gets stuck on it.
(Add as many characters as you like)
Finally, Kid comes back.
Kid: “Ahh! There's my piece of gum” (may be spoken or pantomimed!) He picks up gum, pops it in his mouth, and continues chewing.
Sob, Sob
Characters:
- Pa
- Ma
- Daughter
- Villain
- Hero
- Animals
Pa walks in rhythmically bending his knees.
Pa: “I haven’t got the money for the mortgage on the farm. No, I haven’t got the money for the mortgage on the farm. Sob, sob, sob-sob-sob! I say, sob, sob, sob-sob-sob!”
Ma walks in rhythmically bending her knees with Pa.
Ma: “What’s the matter, Pa? What’s the matter, Pa?”
Pa: “I haven’t got the money for the mortgage on the farm. I haven’t got the money for the mortgage on the farm.” Ma sobs with him. “Sob, sob, sob-sob-sob! We say, sob, sob, sob-sob-sob!”
Daughter walks in, rhythmically bending her knees with Pa and Ma.
Daughter: “What’s the matter, Pa? What’s the matter, Ma?”
Pa, Ma: “We haven’t got the money for the mortgage on the farm. No, we haven’t got the money for the mortgage on the farm.” Daughter sobs with them. “Sob, sob, sob-sob-sob! We say, sob, sob, sob-sob-sob!”
Cows: “Moo, moo. Moo-moo-moo! We say, moo, moo, moo-moo-moo!”
Pigs: “Oink, oink, oink-oink-oink! We say, oink, oink, oink-oink-oink!”
Sheep: “Baa, baa, baa-baa-baa! We say, baa, baa, baa-baa-baa!”
Chickens: “Cluck, cluck, cluck-cluck-cluck! We say, cluck, cluck, cluck-cluck-cluck!”
Horses: “Neigh, neigh, neigh-neigh-neigh! We say, neigh, neigh, neigh-neigh-neigh!”
Villain walks in, rhythmically bending his knees with the family.
Villian: “I’ve come for the money for the mortgage on the farm! Yes, I’ve come for the money for the mortgage on the farm!”
Family: “We haven’t got the money for the mortgage on the farm. No, we haven’t got the money for the mortgage on the farm.” “Sob, sob, sob-sob-sob! We say, sob, sob, sob-sob-sob!” Animals make noises with the family.
Villian: “Then I’ll take your daughter for the mortgage on the farm! Then I’ll take your daughter for the mortgage on the farm!”
Family: “Sob, sob, sob-sob-sob! We say, sob, sob, sob-sob-sob!”
Animal noises
Hero walks in, rhythmically bending his knees with everyone.
Hero: “I’ve got the money for the mortgage on the farm. Yes, I’ve got the money for the mortgage on the farm.”
Family: “He’s got the money for the mortgage on the farm. Yes, he’s got the money for the mortgage on the farm. Rah, rah, rah-rah-rah! We say, rah, rah, rah-rah-rah!”
Cows: “Moo, moo. Moo-moo-moo! We say, moo, moo, moo-moo-moo!”
Pigs: “Oink, oink, oink-oink-oink! We say, oink, oink, oink-oink-oink!”
Sheep: “Baa, baa, baa-baa-baa! We say, baa, baa, baa-baa-baa!”
Chickens: “Cluck, cluck, cluck-cluck-cluck! We say, cluck, cluck, cluck-cluck-cluck!”
Horses: “Neigh, neigh, neigh-neigh-neigh! We say, neigh, neigh, neigh-neigh-neigh!”
Villian: “Sob, sob, sob-sob-sob! I say, sob, sob, sob-sob-sob!”
ARCHERY GAMES
Tic-Tac-Toe
Materials:
Construction paper circles (approximately 6 inches round)
Instructions: As in standard tic-tac-toe, the archer shoots, wanting to create a line across, up and down, ordiagonally. This can be either a single person shooting, or a pair on a target.
The size of the tic-tac-toe grid can be made to fit different skill levels of the archers, or the distance can be adjusted to the skill level.
Archery Golf
Place targets around the archery range. Each target has a different hole, and a different skill is required at each (e.g., clout shoot, down on one knee and shoot uphill, tic-tac-toe, balloons, long-range shot)
Balloon Shoot
Scatter balloons placed on a target (using thumbtacks or staples; push into target). Shoot at balloons and try to pop them.
Point Shoot
Make each color on the target worth points 1 through 5 (white =1, bullseye =5). Try reversing the points so outer ring is worth 5 points. Try just having one color count.
Lori Pine is the Director of Vallejo Community Day Camp in Vallejo, Calif. Reach her at lpine@inmotionfitness.net.