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Flashlight
Games
Flashlight games
are fun. An ordinary treasure hunt becomes an exciting adventure if held at
night with only a flashlight to aid a player search for the required articles. Many youngsters
begin to feel cooped up as spring approaches and this may be the best time to
introduce these games to your group. During March, dusk still arrives early and
most of your meeting will take place during darkness. Flashlight games
offer versatility and variety. If your meeting hall is small, take the games
outdoors. If your indoor facilities are adequate, just turn out the lights. When
the weather is poor, indoor flashlight games will make the boys forget whatever
weather prevails outdoors. And, of course, these games are perfect while at
camp, around the campgrounds. But whatever the
situation, remember safety first. Take no chances; clear the area as well as
possible and warn your group of boundaries set up beforehand. Another
watchword is 'plan ahead'. Advise the boys ahead of time, so they can bring
their own flashlight equipment with a new battery and bulb, to be on the safe
side. It might be a good idea for the leaders to bring a few spares, just in
case. Once a
Flashlight Games Night is planned, even ominous weather can't postpone it --just
carry on indoors--lights out of
course! Know
Your Neighbour This game helps
the players learn each other's names and at the same time have some fun. It's a
good 'ice-breaker' for the first night at camp. One player is
designated to be IT. He takes his place in the centre of the players, sitting in
a circle in the dark. IT suddenly flashes his flashlight on one of the players
and asks "Who are your next door neighbours?" And then he flashes the
light on the nearby neighbours. If
the player who was asked the question, can't name both neighbours correctly, he
becomes IT. If he does name them correctly, IT asks him "How is So and
So?", naming either of the players. If the reply is "OK", the
players remain seated, but if the answer is "Not so good", all players
must change seats. While everyone is shifting IT tries to get a seat. If he
succeeds the one without a spot then becomes IT. Note: Until
everyone is sure of the names, IT must give them time to learn the names of
their neighbours before they shift. Flicker
Relay Line up patrols
or sixes in relay formation, providing the player at the head of each line with
a flashlight. At the word GO, the one at the head of each team flashes his light
and passes it to the second player who flashes it and passes it to the third and
so on until the light reaches the last player. The player at the end of
the line leaves the flashlight on and runs to the head of the line. At the head,
he turns the flashlight off, hands it to the first player who passes it back as
before, meanwhile remaining in his place. This way the race continues until the
person who was originally at the head of the line returns there a second time. Note: To make it
a 'steam-off' game too, you can provide extra running. Have each player run
forward, with the flashlight on, touch a designated object a certain distance
away, before returning to the head of the line, to hand the flashlight to the
next player. Test
Your Senses Players sit
around in a circle so that objects may be easily passed in the dark from player
to player. When explaining
the game, the leader should try and create an air of mystery, a ritual-like
atmosphere, to add to the fun of the game. Get all the players to whisper each
sense in the order you want, See, Touch, Taste, Smell, Hear. After they whisper
this, the leader says, "Now we'll chant the senses softly until we're sure
of their order." Fifteen
mysterious objects are to be passed around the circle in three series each
containing five objects, the first of each series is to be identified by Sight,
the second Touch, the third Taste, the fourth Smell and the fifth Hearing. The
players must maintain absolute silence throughout the game, concentrate and try
to remember the names of all 15 objects. With the lights
out, the leader passes the flash light first, next an object to be identified by
touch followed by something to be tasted, next by something to be smelled and
then something to be heard (an old cow bell?). The leader continues to pass the
objects in the established order. After the first series of five objects, start
a second series beginning again with a flashlight. The third series is also
started with another flashlight. When all 15
objects have been passed, assign each player a partner and together they must
write a list of the 15 objects passed in their exact order. The pair that
prepares the best list is declared winner. Note: Objects
for touch: matchbox, button, wool, candle, thimble etc.
This also makes a great Halloween
game using the old stand-by's; wet, stuffed rubber glove, cold spaghetti, peeled
grape, etc. Objects to smell: sachet powder, herbs and spices such as mint
leaves or chili powder. A small piece of cloth could be soaked in a liquid with
a distinctive smell, such as the newer scented shampoos, strawberry, lemon,
cucumber etc. You
Can See It - Can't You? This game can be
played indoors or out. Show the players
the article to be hidden. Explain the game and then ask them to leave the room
or standby in a designated spot, if outdoors. Hide the object
'in plain view', that is, place it in an out-of-the- way spot where it may be
easily seen when a player flashes his flashlight upon it if standing in just the
right spot. When the object
is 'hidden' call the players back to start the hunt.
As soon as a player sees the object, he sits down. The hunt continues
until everyone spots the object and is sitting down. Note: A
flashlight is needed for each player or team them in pairs with one flashlight a
pair. Variation: One
player with a flashlight hunts for the object while the group watches, yelling
out HOT, COLD or WARM as the player gets closer or farther from the hidden
object. Find
the North Scouts are
posted thirty yards apart, and each lays down his staff on the ground pointing
to what he considers the exact north (or south), without using any instrument,
and retires six paces to the rear. The umpire then compares each stick with the
compass. The boy who is most correct wins. This is a useful game to play at
night, or on sunless days as well as sunny days. Monkey
See, Monkey Do This is a good
outdoor campfire game. Select one player to be IT and provide him with a
flashlight. Send him some distance from the campfire. Select another player to
be Monkey No. 1, and then recall IT to the centre of the circle. Monkey No. 1,
unseen by IT, starts some silly motions, such as making faces, ape-like
scratching, crossing and uncrossing his legs, moving his arms, legs or head in a
funny fashion, etc. The other 'monkeys' must copy Monkey No. 1 while IT tries to
see who is starting it all. When Monkey No. 1 is discovered, they trade places,
and a new Monkey No. 1 is picked while IT is sent away from the campfire. Note: Select
lively players to be Monkey No. 1 as much of the success of the game depends on
him. Night
Tree Hunt This game can be
tied in with nature lore taught earlier in the day. Preparation: One
of the leaders must sneak into a wooded area and tack ten numbered cards to ten
trees, noting the name of each tree and its corresponding number. In the
meantime another leader arranges the players in pairs, with one flashlight per
pair. Each pair also needs a piece of paper and pencil. The hunt begins!
The teams scatter and try to locate numbered trees without letting the other
teams see. If players find a tree but don't know its name they write down its
number and bring in one leaf. If they think they know the correct name, they
write both number and name. Scoring: Each
team receives a point for each tree found and an additional point for each tree
named correctly. Note: Tell the
players the boundaries of the area in which the numbered trees are located. You
can also set a reasonable time limit on this game depending on terrain and
distance. This
night-scouting game not only affords recreation but is a good test for hearing
and eyesight, and furnishes a splendid practice in judging distances. A Scout
makes his way across fields, in the dark, and on hearing his leader's whistle,
shows a light from a lantern for five seconds. He remains there, but hides the
light, and the rest of the Scouts estimate how far away and whereabouts he is. I
Then they set out to where they think the light was shown and each one tries to
get there before the others. The lantern - bearer hands over the lantern to the
Scout who first reaches him, and then it is that boy's turn to go away and show
the light. The Scouter should note the various estimates propounded by the
Scouts, and though he may be unable to discover the exact distance he should
know which Scout gave the nearest figure. Candle
Game This game,
played at night, is a variant of Capture the Flag that we just call "the
candle game". Two small pots
are placed at opposite ends of a field (with trees or bush down the sides of the
field) and lids for the pots are placed on the ground, just beside the pots;
a small, lighted candle is placed in each pot. Each team tries
to put out the other team's candle by sneaking up on their opponent's candle and
putting the lid on the pot without being caught.
The rest of the rules are pretty much the same as Capture the Flag - you
can have one jail in the middle of the field (at the dividing line, where a
leader can stand and let people go after a couple of minutes), or two jails -
one at each end with escape/rescue rules. Teams
can hide their candles if you want, but safety usually dictates keeping them in
the open. When we played this at our
February outdoor camp, there wasn't much of a fire hazard with snow all around,
but you probably want to have a leader fairly closely involved with each team if
the candles aren't readily visible. We've found that it's enough of a variation from Capture the Flag that we can easily keep the interest and fun levels up by interchanging the two as our Friday night "after arrival/setup" games. Our Scouts love to sneak around in the bushes and trees hiding from and hunting down each other. Perhaps this can inspire dozens of other variants of night games too. |
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