Guess That Smell

Required: Cotton Balls, Empty Film Tubes with lids, and different liquid extracts
Players: Small to large groups

Place one cotton ball in each empty film tube and poke a hole through the lid of each tube so you can easily smell the scent inside. For each cotton ball choose one scent to be added to the cotton ball. You can place numbered tags on the bottom of the tubes that correspond with a master list. Here are some ideas of scents to add to cotton balls, lemon, peppermint, vanilla, garlic, orange, bacon, cherry and coffee. The person that correctly identifies the most scents is the winner.

Games : Flyer Golf

Required: Flyers, play area, ribbon markers, score cards and pencils
Players: Small to medium groups

Set up a flyer golf course; if indoors use a soft flyer like the Fun Gripper Flyer or Finger Zinger. Use ribbons or colored tape to mark off each target, they can be attached by tying, tacking or taping. Have a starting point and one by one, players should throw their flying disc trying to hit the first marker. If anyone hits the target they will get a one on their scorecard for the first target. The player closest to the target will try again until they hit the target. You will take turns again until everyone has completed the task of hitting the first target. They will record the number of times it took to hit the first target. Then you will move on to the next. At the end, the person with the lowest score wins. If you have a combination of younger players or handicapped participants, allow for advancing these players 3-5 feet closer to the target.

Head Catch

Required: Disposable plastic bowl, elastic, glue and
Fun Gripper Bean Bag Set or Fun Gripper Juggle Set
Players: Small to medium groups

Purchase some disposable plastic cereal bowls at the store. Take two bowls and carefully hot glue the two bottoms together or you can use other reliable glue that will quickly dry permanently. Measure out elastic band so that it will keep the bowl attached to the top of someone's head. Attach the elastic by stapling or poking small holes and tying it off. If for a party you can decorate these hats ahead of time with the theme. You can use stickers, permanent markers or paint that will stick to plastic.

To play with these newly made items you can do several variations.

One game you can play is a relay game. Each team receives a bowl hat and the first person puts on the hat and stands about 3 feet away from the next person in line. The second person in line throws whatever soft objects you have chosen in the air, to attempt to get one into the bowl hat. Once they accomplish that, the throwing person moves up to the catching spot and the next person is the thrower. The catcher moves to the back of the line. You rotate until the first catcher is throwing and has accomplished that task. The first team done is the winner. You can mark off throwing and catching lines so that all players move to the correct locations.

To use this game idea for a birthday party, you can make it so that everyone gets a hat. Have them decorate their own hat then give each player a soft item to try and catch. The first person to make a catch is the winner. You can then keep playing the game individually with 3 to 5 catches and they win. Or you can have them in pairs where one is the thrower and one is the catcher. Then they can switch sides after the task is accomplished. The first pair to sink two shots wins.
Submitted by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.

Magic Carpet

Required: Shower curtains from the dollar store
Players: Small to large groups

Game of the Month 12/02

Set up teams of 8 to 12 players. Each team will be given one shower curtain as a magic carpet and all team members will be standing on it. You start out the game by telling teams the following:
You are on a magic carpet, up in the sky. You’ve discovered that you’re not going anywhere because your carpet is upside down. The object is to flip the carpet back upright without anyone stepping off into the abyss. You may use your hands. The team that reverses its carpet first without anyone stepping off is the winner.
Submitted by Merrily, Mary Nolte

Games : Ice Bowling

Required: Winter weather with icy play area or indoor ice rink, one galloon plastic milk jug, 10 plastic 2 liter pop bottles and food coloring

Players: Small groups

Fill all plastic bottles and milk jug with colored water, and freeze. Clear off snow on an icy play area about 10 feet by 4 feet and then set up the ten bottles at one end. The bottles should be set up in a pyramid, 4 in the back, then 3, then 2, and then 1 in front. Players will take turns trying to knock down the bottles with two sliding throws of the milk jug. One or two players should be placed a few feet behind the targets to return a sliding throw back to players, without knocking down targets. You can even play this game while on ice skates.

Blinded Number Line

Required: Blindfolds and numbered tags
Players: Small to large groups

Provide blindfolds for all the players. You can have players bring a blindfold or make them out of cheap thick material. Set up teams into groups of 5-7 players. Every player will get one blindfold and will be instructed that they will receive a small tag with a number. They are to read that number to themselves and not let any other player see it. They cannot talk or even react when they read the number because that could give it away. Once all players have read their number they will be instructed to put on their blindfolds. When the leader of the game signals, all players on each team will try to put their members into a numerical order line. When they have accomplished this and are correct they are the winners. But it’s not that easy because here is how you’ll number each set of tags for each team: negative 2, negative 1, zero, 1 and 2. This numbering system is for 5 players per team. Just add additional numbers for larger teams. If your working with lower grade school players try 2, 4, 5, 9, and 11, that system can cause enough confusion. The game will require all players to work as a team as they cannot talk. They can only communicate with their hands to communicate their numbers.
Submitted by Audrey Dodson - Grand Rapids, MI

What a neat team building game. After this game have players reflect on how frustrated they felt when they were handicapped on communicating information. How do the disabled feel when they cannot communicate?

Games : Bean Bag Target Toss

Required: Five Flingocks, bean bags, or smooth stones
Players: Two to six for each target

Playing Area: Three concentric circles are drawn on the floor, start with a 10", then 20", and then 30".

Points allotment: 10 points -10" center
5 points - 20" boundary
2 points - 30" boundary
1 point - on the line
Each player takes a turn throwing bags toward the target about 10 to 15 feet away. To score, toss must be completely in boundary and not touching a line. After each player is given five throws and the score is determined from the final position of that person’s five tosses.
Variations: You can compete against each other by alternating throws.