Guides
Latest Forth Valley Guides Events...
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Best of Guiding UK is an unofficial site which has everything from games to camp activities; songs; patrol ideas; and loads more!
DRAWING BOARD
Equipment: A picture on a large piece of paper stuck up on a wall somewhere outside the meeting room. For example, the picture that we had was a picture of a face with long curls and a crown with points and jewels on the crown. It was drawn with a marker on white paper. Also a piece of paper and a marker for each team.
Number of Players: In teams of at least 4. One person is the drawer.
Category: Quiet, indoor.
Age: 9 and up.
In the first variation, one person is chosen as the drawer for each team, and that person is not allowed to talk at all. One of the members of the team goes out to the hallway to look at the picture, but she is not allowed to say anything except yes or no, to the rest of the team, who must ask her questions about the picture. The person with the piece of paper must draw the picture, as they hear it described to them, without asking any questions herself.
In the second variation, each member of the team can go look at the picture except the drawer, one at a time. Then the drawer can ask each team member one question, and they can only answer the question yes, or no. This continues until the picture is drawn. (I'm not sure I have explained this well, so I will provide an example. Kathy is the drawer and she has Natasha and Heather on her team. Heather goes to look at the picture. Kathy asks her if it is a picture of an animal, Heather says Yes. Natasha goes out to look and Kathy asks her if it is a dog, Natasha says No. Kathy asks Heather if it is a person, and Heather (who can remember this) says Yes. Kathy asks Natasha if it is a boy, and Natasha can't remember, so she goes to look and then comes back and says No. And so forth until Kathy feels she has enough information to start drawing - she might then ask if it is a whole body, just a face, in profile or straight on, long hair, curly hair, smiling, etc)
This game in either version tends to take awhile. And you can change versions partway through if you'd like.
FOUR CORNERS
One girl (or a Guider) is "It" and sits in the middle of the floor, hiding her eyes and counting to a pre-agreed number out loud (such as 20). The four corners of the room have been designated with numbers, letters, theme names or whatever you wish to distinguish them from each other. The other girls scurry to the corner of their choice (not necessarily all together) and stand there -- when It reaches 20 (or whatever) BEFORE LOOKING UP she calls out the name of one of the corners. Everyone in that corner is caught and comes to sit with it and helps count out loud for the next round. Eventually only one girl is left scurrying to a corner, uncaught. While this game can be (and often is!) loud and hilarious, girls soon catch on to the fact that the way to fool the "counter" is to be noisy running by one corner, tiptoeing to the next! I've had lots of girls Brownie and Guide age request this every week!
You can change the names of the four corners to go with the theme of your meeting, e.g., the four points of the compass, the four World Centres, etc.
STRING PUZZLE
Take a string/yarn about 3 foot long. Tie one end to the wrist of
a girl, tie the other end to her other wrist. Now, take a second
string, same length, tie one end to the wrist of her partner,
again, tie the other end to her other wrist - BUT make sure that her
string goes through her girl's string. Its hard to explain, but they
are now connected (their strings cross) - facing each other. Then
just tell them to get untangled - but they CAN NOT take the string
off of their wrist (or cut / break it). Also tell them that if they
figure it out to not tell the others. Most will NOT figure it out.
And I never tell them how - I may want to use it again... Cut the
strings on those that can't do it. Tell them to go home and try it.
SPUD
All you need for this game is a bean bag. Gather all the girls together in a standing circle, close enough that everyone touches elbows. Pick someone to stand in the centre of the circle with the bean bag. This girl then throws the bean bag up into the air and calls out someone's name. Everyone scatters as far and as fast as they can, except the girl whose name has been called: she grabs the bean bag. Once she has the bag, she yells "Freeze!" and everyone freezes in their tracks. The girl with the bean bag then picks someone to be her "target". She is allowed to take as many steps toward her target as there are letters in the target's name, spelling the target's name as she goes (don't worry too much about misspellings). Once she has taken as many steps as she is allowed, she throws the bean bag at her target. If she hits her intended target, that girl picks up a letter "S". This girl then becomes the next to stand in the centre of the circle and toss the bag up in the air. The game continues until someone has accumulated enough letters to spell the word "SPUD".
GIANTS, WIZARDS AND TROLLS
This game is very similar to the ever-popular "Paper, Scissors, Rock", but much more active! The game is best played in a gym or other similar room. Divide the girls into two teams. The teams gather at opposite ends of the gym and decide which creature they want to be for the first round: either Giants, Wizards or Trolls. The whole team must be the same creature. When both teams have decided, they line up, facing the other team, in the middle of the gym. Everyone together yells "Giants! Wizards! Trolls!" and then whatever creature their team has decided to be. For example, a team who is Giants would yell: "Giants! Wizards! Trolls! GIANTS!"
Now here's the catch: Giants step on Trolls (i.e. Giants beat Trolls), Trolls tickle Wizards, and Wizards zap Giants. In each round, whichever team "beats" the other team must chase the losers back towards their side of the gym. (For example: If one team yells "Giants!" and the other yells "Trolls!", the Giants have won (remember Giants step on Trolls). So the Giants chase the Trolls back to their side of the gym.) Anyone on the losing team to be tagged before they can touch their wall of the gym now belongs to the other team. In rounds where both teams end up being the same creature, consider it a tie and start over. Play the game until most of the girls are on one team.
In addition, there are actions to do for each of the creatures during the yell that starts off each round. Giants: raise arms high overhead; Wizards: arms in front of body as if throwing a magic spell; Trolls: hunch down curl arms inwards.
If the questioned player answers "no", then the players on either side of her need to stand up and switch places as fast as possible. Meanwhile, the player who began in the middle of the circle is also trying to grab one of the seats.
If the questioned player answers "yes", then she goes on to state something like "Yes I like my neighbors, but I don't like people who wear white shoes." In this case, everyone in the circle who is wearing white shoes has to get up and switch places. The player who began in the middle of the circle is also trying to get a seat at the same time. Whomever is left standing at the end of the mad dash will have to begin the questioning again.
CHAIRS
Everyone gets a chair and sits in a circle. The Guider has a list of items she reads out. If any of them apply to you, you move the appropriate number of seats clockwise.
Examples:
1. Anyone with one brother, move one seat clockwise. If you have 2
brothers, move two seats.
2. Anyone with black hair, move one seat clockwise.
3. Anyone who has been a Rainbow, move two seats clockwise.
4. Anyone who lives in _____ Area move one seat clockwise.
5. Anyone over the age of 21, move one seat counter clockwise.
6. Everyone wearing brown shoes, move one seat.
7. Everyone in Guides, move one seat.
The idea is to move all around the circle, and end up back where you started. It becomes fun because if you move, but your neighbour doesn't, you sit on her lap! Sometimes, you can have three people occupying the same chair!! Make sure you have lots of categories so that everyone gets lots of chances to move, e.g. all Branches of Guiding, all hair colours (at different times, of course), and so on.
GROUP WALK
Players line up shoulder to shoulder, each girl's right foot next to the
left foot of the girl to her right. The challenge to the group is to
'walk forward' as a group--with each group step every girl steps forward
with one (and only one) foot (keeping her feet touching the feet of the
girls on either side of her). Not easy!
ANIMAL ICE BREAKER
Everyone draws a slip of paper from a box that has the name
of an animal on it. (For a group of 100, use about 8 different
animals. We used duck, cow, pig, cat, rooster, horse, sheep, and dog.) At
the signal, you start making the sound that the animal you picked makes. You
must go around and find everyone else in your group by listening for their
animal sounds. It sounds like a huge barnyard! It is a great way to mix
people together and start off with something humorous.
COOPERATIVE GADGETS
Each group will have about 12 or so people. Each group must come up with an
appliance, gadget, or machine that they will portray WITHOUT WORDS.
("Machinery noises" are permitted. Example: whirring, humming,etc.)
Everyone in the group must be a part of the portrayal, so no one gets left
out. For instance, our group portrayed an electric can opener. The two
tallest people in the group stood next to each other with their arms up
together forming the lever of the can opener. The rest of us formed a tight
circle in front of them. When it was our turn to portray, the two "levers" moved their arms down together like when you push the lever down on an
electric can opener and started making a whirring noise. Those of us in the
tight circle then moved around in a circle, like the can does while the lid is
being removed. I hope you get the visual idea here!
This game was lots of fun. Groups portrayed popcorn poppers, toasters,
typewriters, and lots of other things. It was great fun seeing the
imaginative ideas people came up with for their portrayals!
THE WINDS THEY ARE A BLOWIN'
Have everyone sit in a circle---either on a chair or on the floor. One person
is in the middle and she says " The winds they are a blowin, for anyone
who.....(at this point she fills in something that may apply to some or all of
the members of the group ie: anyone wearing a necky, hairband or anyone who
likes the color purple or spaghetti)
Anyone who fits the description must jump up and trade places with someone else
who is on the move. The girl in the middle must scramble for a seat, leaving
one person left without a seat--that girl becomes the new one in the middle.
As with all games, make sure you stop when the girls still want to play!
ALI BABA AND THE 40 THIEVES
Girls line up shoulder to shoulder. The LEADER is one of the end girls.
The whole group chants 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves' (over and over
again). The LEADER begins an action on one chant (such as clapping her
hands). At the next chant, the girl next to the leader picks up the first
action, the leader starts a 2nd. On the next chant, the 3rd girl in line
picks up the first action, the 2nd girl picks up the 2nd action and the
leader begins a 3rd action.
And so on... Sounds easy? This is very funny to watch
DRIVERS RELAY
Divide girls into teams. Use a plastic/paper plate drawn to look like a
steering wheel. Write
on name of car - Porsche, Vauxhall, Ford, Mercedes, BMW whatever. Each girl needs to
know what number in the team she is as each number does a different action.
1 Nervous Driver Three steps forward, 1 step back
2 Broken steering wheel zig-zags
3 Dead Battery gets pushed by #4
4 Dead Battery pushes #3
5 Flat tire runs dragging one leg
6 Reverse runs backwards
7 Teenage driver runs up and back as fast as possible
This is a normal relay type game. Girls run one at a time handing over
the steering wheel
to the next girl in line. You can add or delete "actions" depending on
the number of girls in
your group.
BUBBLE CAR
Category: Indoor/ Outdoor (on grass)
Equipment: None but 2 chairs per team if possible
Number of Participants: any number . The more teams the better. If teams are not even, one girl can take 2 names.
To Play: Each team stands in a straight line behind a chair. The second chair is placed some distance away. Guider gives each member of the teams the name of a car e.g. all the number ones are Toyota, all the number twos are Ford, etc. The last person on each team is always Bubble Car. If the Guider calls the name of a car the team member who has that name runs from her place, around the far chair and back to her place. The first girl back to her place in the line wins a point for her team. The first person on each team could keep the score.
If the Guider calls Bubble car the last person on the team must crawl under the legs of all the members of her team before she runs to the far chair. The first girl back to her position at the end of the team wins the point. The winning team is the one to get to a certain number of points first e.g. 15!
ICE FLOW
The idea is to race across the floor without touching the floor. Each person (or team) is given 2 pieces of newspaper (or substitute - like the plastic placemats). You put one down, step on it, put the second one down, move to it, pick up the first one, move it up front, step onto it, move the second one in front of the first, step forward onto it, etc. thus progressing across the floor. If you are playing in teams, all of the team has to get onto one square so that the other one can be moved ahead.
Girls must be on an ice flow at all times, but you have to progress, so you need to move the ice flows ahead, one step at a time.
SUMMER SLEDGE RACE
Equipment: A toboggan per team, a tow rope if your sled doesn't already have one (or a magic carpet, or a piece of tarp) AND a bucket, a chair or marker for the other end.
Ages: 5 and up
Number of Participants: Teams of 4 or 5
Source: Calgary Area Training
Category: Outdoor
Each team needs a sled dog to pull the sled. The bucket must ride on the sled, so the rest of the team runs along behind to put it back as required. (Each team can be given something to put in the bucket to weight it down, if you think that'll help!) The sled must go down to the other end, around the chair (ice berg) and back to the starting line. If you'd like to make the game longer, or you have girls with lots of energy, then have them do it like a relay, with the first girl the dog, and the 2nd one the bucket watcher, then the bucket watcher becomes the dog, and the 3rd girl is the bucket watcher, then she becomes the dog and the 4th does the watching. When the last girl on the team pulls, the first is the bucket watcher.
FIVE PENNIES
Get the girls to sit on the floor in 2 parallel lines with a reasonable space between each line. Number them 1 - ? along one line and then the same starting at the other end with the second line. (If you ask them to choose a partner first and then sit them diagonally opposite their partners i.e. the two number 1s being partners, etc, it is easier to make sure that they are equally matched.)
In the middle of the space between them, put 5 coins on a chair and an empty chair at each end of the space. As you call out a particular number both those girls dash up, pick up one penny and place it on the chair at the end. You will already have told them which chair belongs to each side! They do the same for the second penny while the first girl to pick up the third penny and get it to her chair gains a point for her side.
This game can get wild very quickly!