Back Scratch Encouragements Players find a comfortable area and spread out on the floor, laying on their stomaches,

face down, eyes closed. The facilitator walks around and taps 6 or 7 people who stand up. The facilitator then reads a characteristic such as "good listener" or "leader". The people who are standing up then walk around the room and scratch the backs of all the people they think match that characteristic. The facilitator goes through around 10 or 12 characteristics. The facilitator then has the scratchers lay back down with their eyes closed and the facilitator chooses 6 or 7 different people to stand up and it repeats until everyone has had a chance to stand. Buddy Tag Camping Game Required: Need at least 12 campers, the more the better Instructions: All players except for two form into buddy pairs and link one arm. Pairs spread out over area. There is one player as 'It' and one player being chased - the 'runner'. The 'runner' may run up beside any buddy team and link his arm with one free arm of a buddy. This makes 3 campers together which is not allowed. So, the member of the buddy team that the 'runner' did not link arms with is now the 'runner'. 'It' can tag the 'runner' at any point. As soon as he is tagged, he is 'It' and 'It' is now the 'runner'. Usually, the tag is made when someone does not realize a 3rd has joined his team. Be careful about one camper being 'It' for too long. Change the game by having 2 Its and Runners at the same time. Balloon Tag A game of tag where players tie balloons around their ankles and try to stomp others' balloons. Blind leading the Blind Blindfolded person has to accomplish tasks. Team can't talk. Materials One blindfold and Random objects relating to task

How To Play There are three main groups for this game: 1) The blindfolded person 2) The team spokesman 3) The team The blindfolded person has a selected task is put on a field. The team spokesman faces away from the field and is not allowed to turn around to look at the field. The team stands in front of the spokesman, looking at the field, but the team is not allowed to talk. Through motions the team must try to get the spokesman (who can't see the field) to yell to the blindfolded person and explain what to do. The facilitator has previously set up some task (i.e. go pick up a ball, bring it to a bucket, and put it in) and has told the team what the blindfolded person needs to accomplish.

Circle Soccer A circle game where players try to throw a soccer ball between legs. Materials Soccer ball

How To Play Players form a circle, with all the players facing the center of the circle. All players should have their feet spread so there is about 3 feet from leg to leg. Players feet should be right up against the feet of the person standing next to them. One player starts by holding a soccer ball and throwing it across the circle, trying to get the ball through another person's legs. The person who the ball is thrown at is trying to block the ball from going in between his or her legs. If the ball does go between a players legs, that player then has to turn around so they are facing out from the center of the circle. That player then continues playing but has to play backwards. If a backwards player has the ball go between their legs, they are then eliminated from the circle. If the ball goes in the opening between one person and the next, both of the people it went in between must go to the next step (either face backwards or out, depending on their current step). As a result players are trying to defend not only between their legs but also working with their neighbor to defend the space next to them. Players may not throw the ball between the legs of the people standing directly beside them. Dizzy Stick Players race to a location and back after becoming very dizzy. Materials A stick for each player.

How To Play Players pick up a stick, and when the facilitator says go, they hold it up high and spin in 20 circles looking at the stick. Then they must run, reach the location previously specified, and run back to the facilitator. First one to tag the facilitator upon returning wins. Dodgeball Various ways to play dodgeball. Materials How To Play Dodgeballs TRADITIONAL

Players are split into equal halves and dodgeballs are placed on a center line. The facilitator says go and players rush forward, grabbing dodgeballs and throwing them at opponents. If a player is hit, he or she is out. Players who get out form a line in order of how they got out. If a player catches a ball, the next person in the line of people who has been eliminated is back in the game and the thrower of the ball is out. MEDIC Each team has one medic. When players get out, instead of going to the side they simply sit down. When the medic touches them, they are back in the game. If the medic gets out, players can no longer be healed. Before the game begins the facilitator makes sure both teams know

who the other team's medics are. MYSTERY MEDIC Same as above but teams do not share with the other team who their medic is. Medics then try to heal without being obvious and thus giving away their role to the opposing team. WOUNDED SOLDIER When players get out, they must sit down (on their bottom) where they were hit. They may still throw balls that role to them and get people out. If a sitting player catches a ball from an opposing player who is still standing, the thrower is out and the sitting player is back in. PRESIDENT One player is selected as a team's president. The facilitator tells both teams who the opposing president is. A team loses if their president is eliminated. STATUE DODGEBALL Two equally-sized figures (plastic statue of a character, etc) are found. One figure is placed on either side of the dodgeball court. A team is eliminated if their figure is knocked over by the opposing team (or if all their players are eliminated). Return Capture the Flag Camping Game Required: flag for each team. 40 foot rope per team. Preparation: Set up game boundaries with a center line. A football field sized area is good. Instructions: Create 2 teams. Each team displays its flag in plain view somewhere on its side of the play field. Each team also defines a jail area that is 10x10 feet - use a rope to define the area. Players attempt to steal the opposing team's flag and return it to their side of the center line without being tagged. If a camper has the flag and is tagged, the flag is dropped and remains there until another opposing player can steal it. The camper that is tagged is taken to the jail area by his captor. During this time, the captor can not capture any other players and the captive must go directly with his captor. Once in jail, a camper remains there until another of his team can run into the jail area without being tagged - this is a jailbreak. Decide if a jailbreak allows all captured campers a free walk to their side or a certain number only. Gun Name Game Players learn each others' names by "shooting" other players. Materials How To Play circle. None Players stand in a circle. A facilitator calls out one of the name of someone in the

The person who gets called tries to duck quickly. The two people on either side of him or her turn towards that person and make a shooting motion and sound.

If the person fails to duck in time, they get shot and are eliminated from the circle. If they do duck in time, whichever of the two shooters shot last is out (as the "bullet" would have gone over the ducked persons head and hit them). In the end, two people remain. Rock Paper Scissors or the game "Star Wars" can be a good way to resolve this Ha Players must point at others in a certain way while following a beat. Materials None

How To Play Players form a circle. One person starts it and with their palms together, they make a chopping motion to point at someone else in the circle during which they say "Ha!". The person who is pointed at must then put their hands (palms together), in the air and say "Ha!". Following that the two people on either side of the person who was just pointed at must, with their palms together, point inward to that person and say "Ha!" simultaneously. Then the person who was pointed at points at another, and the pattern continues. The catch in this game is that players need to follow a certain beat. When played successfully, the game sounds like Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha.... all evenly spaced out. The order that repeats is: Ha! (person points at someone) Ha! (person receives point) Ha! (people adjacent to person pointed at point inward) If anyone messes up the beat (fails to go, goes too soon), or says "Ha!" when it is not their turn, they are eliminated from the game. Human Etch-a-Sketch Teams compete against each other by forming shapes out of their body. Materials None

How To Play A number of teams are first formed (at least 5 members per team). One neutral judge then calls out some object (i.e. sailboat, state of Michigan, etc) that all the teams need to form with their bodies. Team members must lay down and together with the help of their team, form the object together which the judge has called out. The judge decides which team is first in the formation of the object. The judge declares that team to be the winner for that round.

Catch 10 Camping Game This Game is meant for older campers. Decide for yourself if it is appropriate for your younger campers or not. Required: a ball neckerchiefs or ribbons

Preparation: define the playing field - basketball court size is good. Divide group into 2 teams. Put neckerchiefs on 1 team's arm for identification. Instructions: One team starts with the ball. It is thrown to another teammate who yells "One!" At each successful catch, the next number is yelled. When a team reaches "Ten!" they receive one point. The other team tries to intercept the ball or knock it to the ground. On an interception, the camper yells "One!" and his team is now counting up. When the ball hits the ground, the team that was last counting loses control and the other team picks it up and starts counting up. The only physical contact should be incidental while going for the ball. Set a time limit or first team to a specific score. Look Up Look Down An elimination game involving eye contact and screaming. Materials How To Play "look up". None Players stand in a circle, all with their heads looking down. The facilitator yells

All players look up at someone else (they cannot change who they are looking at after they look up). If two people happen to be looking at each other (i.e. make eye contact), they both have to scream. Whoever screams last is eliminated from the circle. If someone screams when they are not making eye contact with anyone, they are also eliminated. The facilitator then says "look down" and everyone looks down. The facilitator then says "look up" and the process continues. The game continues until there are only two players left. When there are only two people left, rock paper scissors or the game "Star Wars" can help pick a winner. Zip-Zap Camping Game Notes: One additional rule you may need is that a new pointer may not immediately call on the old pointer to give him a chance. Instructions: Sit in a circle with one camper standing in the center. When he points to someone and says "Zip!" the camper must give the name of the camper on his right before the pointer counts to ten. If the pointer says "Zap!" the camper must name the camper on his left. If he says "Zip!Zap!", he must name campers on both sides. Anyone who gives the wrong name or is too slow becomes the pointer and the old pointer takes his place.