Whew! I can't believe it's time for Fun'n'Games Friday again. This time I'm actually in a gaming mood, but only a little bit. So I'm going to tell you about a game my family learned from one of my Mom's co-workers over 30 years ago. It's a very simple game. It requires no equipment, has no real rules, and can be played anywhere. It's called the tv game.
What's the tv game, you ask? Simple. It's a game where you have to guess the name of tv shows from the opposite of the words in the title. Did you get that? Let's see if I can clarify. In this game two or more people pick a tv show, tell the other person(s) the words that are the opposite of the words in the show's title and that person(s) has to guess the show. If the words in the title don't have exact opposites you can use words that are similar. Here's a simple example: Cottage. Can you guess which tv show that is? Right, House!
As you can see, "cottage" is similar to "house" rather than opposite to it. Here's another example: Spirit Shouter. Can you guess this one? Think hard. That's right! Ghost Whisperer. I could use both a similar and an opposite word for that show's title. And that's the gist of the tv game. Like I said, simple.
You can make "rules" to the tv game if you want. You might decide to do only dramas or comedies. You could also include the title of cd's or the names of bands in the game. It's strictly up to you how serious and involved you want this game to be. And because there's no equipment for this game except your brain it's great for road trips. My family and I have had tons of fun with the tv game. I'm sure you will, too.
Showing posts with label Fun'n'Games Friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun'n'Games Friday. Show all posts
Friday, December 7, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Not In A Gaming Mood
Hi all. I know this is Fun'n'Games Friday but, for some reason, I'm just not in a fun'n'games mood. I know what game I want to post but I just can't bring myself to do it. I've been thinking alot about what's going on in my life and the world and my mood is so serious right now. Writing about a game seems so...trivial, a waste of time. I know I said that Fun'n'Games Friday would be a weekly thing and I still plan on it being that, but this Friday fun just isn't where I'm at. Sorry.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Cat and Mouse
I can't believe it's Friday again! Here's installment #2 of Fun'n'Games Friday. Hope you enjoy it!
Cat and Mouse
Like Jump the Creek, this game was a big hit with the kids at day care. It's basically another version of tag that evolved out of a regular game of tag we were playing one day. It's great outside or in. On rainy days we played it in the gym. Have fun!
As always, supervise children while they're playing this or any other game.
Type of Activity: Running Game
Objective: Catch all the "mice"
Equipment: Kids!
Location: Inside or outside
Number of Players: Works best with from 5-10, although more can play
Age Group: 5 and up
The kids and I actually came up with two versions of Cat and Mouse, the short version and the long version. I'll give you the short version first.
Short Version
In this version of CaM the game is over when the "cat" catches all the "mice". What makes it go so fast is that every "mouse" caught turns into a "cat" and helps the original "cat" catch the other "mice". The last "mouse" caught becomes the new "cat".
Before you begin find some place to be the mouse house. This is where the "mice" will run to to be safe. The mouse house can be anything: a tree, the side of a house, a square drawn on the ground, the circle beneath a basketball net, anything. Just make sure all the players know the mouse house's boundaries. Next, pick someone to be the "cat". Now you're ready to play!
All the "mice" start in the mouse house. At the count of three off they go! The "cat" tries to catch them. The "mice" run in and out of the mouse house, teasing the "cat" as they run. Catching them isn't as easy as the "cat" thought! The "mice" run very fast, but as they get captured some will forget who's a " cat" and who's still a "mouse". This will make them vulnerable. Soon, the "cat" and his helpers will catch the last "mouse" and the game will be over. Start over again with the new "cat"! That's the short version of Cat and Mouse.
Long Version
The objective of the long version of CaM is for the "cat" to imprison all the "mice" in the mouse house. This version can be endless, like Monopoly. You may want to put a time limit on it and let the last "mouse" caught within that limit be the new "cat". Here's how you get started.
First, choose a mouse house like in the short version, only this time it'll be the "mices'" jail, as stated above. Next, chose a "cat". Now, gather the kids in a crowd, count to three, and let 'em rip!
The "cat" has to catch the "mice" and put them in the mouse house. This sounds simple; however, there's a wrinkle. The "mice" who're free can tag their imprisonned friends and get them out. This forces the "cat" to do two jobs: catch the "mice" AND guard the mouse house. Of course, the "cat" can't be two places at once. He has to decide when to chase and when to guard. No matter what choice he makes there's always a chance "mice" will be freed from the jail. So, the goal of capturing all the "mice" gets complicated. That's what makes the long version of Cat and Mouse well...long. As I said above, you can put a time limit on the game, or just let the kids play until they're tired. Either way, you'll have a lot of fun.
Play Cat and Mouse the next time the gang's over . It'll give everyone some fun filled exercise. And it might become a favorite of yours like it did for me and my kids. Have fun!
Cat and Mouse
Like Jump the Creek, this game was a big hit with the kids at day care. It's basically another version of tag that evolved out of a regular game of tag we were playing one day. It's great outside or in. On rainy days we played it in the gym. Have fun!
As always, supervise children while they're playing this or any other game.
Type of Activity: Running Game
Objective: Catch all the "mice"
Equipment: Kids!
Location: Inside or outside
Number of Players: Works best with from 5-10, although more can play
Age Group: 5 and up
The kids and I actually came up with two versions of Cat and Mouse, the short version and the long version. I'll give you the short version first.
Short Version
In this version of CaM the game is over when the "cat" catches all the "mice". What makes it go so fast is that every "mouse" caught turns into a "cat" and helps the original "cat" catch the other "mice". The last "mouse" caught becomes the new "cat".
Before you begin find some place to be the mouse house. This is where the "mice" will run to to be safe. The mouse house can be anything: a tree, the side of a house, a square drawn on the ground, the circle beneath a basketball net, anything. Just make sure all the players know the mouse house's boundaries. Next, pick someone to be the "cat". Now you're ready to play!
All the "mice" start in the mouse house. At the count of three off they go! The "cat" tries to catch them. The "mice" run in and out of the mouse house, teasing the "cat" as they run. Catching them isn't as easy as the "cat" thought! The "mice" run very fast, but as they get captured some will forget who's a " cat" and who's still a "mouse". This will make them vulnerable. Soon, the "cat" and his helpers will catch the last "mouse" and the game will be over. Start over again with the new "cat"! That's the short version of Cat and Mouse.
Long Version
The objective of the long version of CaM is for the "cat" to imprison all the "mice" in the mouse house. This version can be endless, like Monopoly. You may want to put a time limit on it and let the last "mouse" caught within that limit be the new "cat". Here's how you get started.
First, choose a mouse house like in the short version, only this time it'll be the "mices'" jail, as stated above. Next, chose a "cat". Now, gather the kids in a crowd, count to three, and let 'em rip!
The "cat" has to catch the "mice" and put them in the mouse house. This sounds simple; however, there's a wrinkle. The "mice" who're free can tag their imprisonned friends and get them out. This forces the "cat" to do two jobs: catch the "mice" AND guard the mouse house. Of course, the "cat" can't be two places at once. He has to decide when to chase and when to guard. No matter what choice he makes there's always a chance "mice" will be freed from the jail. So, the goal of capturing all the "mice" gets complicated. That's what makes the long version of Cat and Mouse well...long. As I said above, you can put a time limit on the game, or just let the kids play until they're tired. Either way, you'll have a lot of fun.
Play Cat and Mouse the next time the gang's over . It'll give everyone some fun filled exercise. And it might become a favorite of yours like it did for me and my kids. Have fun!
Friday, October 26, 2007
Jump the Creek!
Home Fires is my newest blog and I've decided to try to make it more "organized" than my other blogs. I don't want to structure it too much and box myself into rules that might get in the way of meaningful writing. However, I think--and hope!--that if I give my readers "columns" to look forward to on a regular basis it will encourage them to keep returning to HF. So today I'm introducing my first column, Fun'n'Games Friday.
Fun'n'Games Friday will be featured--you guessed it!-- every Friday (because fun and Friday both start with "f", hehe). As the title implies this column will be about games and other ways to have family fun. A lot of my ideas will come from my childhood and my years as a day care teacher. Other ideas will come from books, magazines, friends, and any other sources I can find. Some posts in this column will have just one game or activity, other posts will have more. It'll just depend on what I can come up with each week. Well, that's it with the introduction. Let's get into the first issue of Fun'n'Games Friday. Hope you enjoy!
Jump the Creek
Type of Activity: Game
Objective: Last child to jump the creek wins
Location: Outside
Equipment: Two jump ropes, sticks, lengths of yarn, or anything else to make the "shores" of the creek
Number of Players: Works best with about 10, not counting the "constuction workers"
Age Group: 6 and up
As always, supervise children when playing this or any other game.
Jump the Creek was one of the most popular games in one of the day care centers I used to work at. It's a very easy game to play, with minimal equipment and only one real rule: don't land in the creek. I hope you find it as fun as my kids and I did.
The object of this game is simple: be the last person to jump the creek and win. To make the creek place two jump ropes on the ground a few inches apart. Appoint two kids to be the "construction workers" on the creek. They will each hold an end of ONE of the jump ropes and move it away from the other rope as the game progresses. To begin play line up the jumpers and have them start jumping the creek (the space between the jump ropes). This will be easy and go fast, at first, because the creek will be very narrow. But it will quickly get harder.
After the last jumper has jumped, the construction workers yell, "Construction on the creek!", and move their rope a few inches from the other one. The jumpers line up and go again; when the last one has jumped the workers yell and move the rope. This continues so the creek gets wider and wider. Soon, the jumpers have to get a running start to make it across the creek. Any jumper who lands in the creek, i.e. between the ropes, is out. Finally, it'll come down to two jumpers. They will keep on jumping until one just can't make it across and "falls" into the creek. When this happens the last jumper wins and the game is over.
As stated above, this was one of the most popular games at day care. Sometimes half the center--about 50+ kids--would gather on the playground for a Jump the Creek "tournament". Most of them were spectators cheering on their friends as the creek got wider, the jumping got harder, and the suspense got more and more intense. Shouts of "Go Patrick!", "Go Erik!", or "Go Ryan!" filled the air along with squeals of delight when the favored one won. And then the game was immediately started again.
Try Jump the Creek at your next birthday party or family reunion (adults can play it as well as kids). Create teams, start your own tournament, give out ribbons or medals. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you want. It might even become a family tradition. Most of all, just have fun with it like me and my day care kids did. Get out your ropes and jump that creek!
Fun'n'Games Friday will be featured--you guessed it!-- every Friday (because fun and Friday both start with "f", hehe). As the title implies this column will be about games and other ways to have family fun. A lot of my ideas will come from my childhood and my years as a day care teacher. Other ideas will come from books, magazines, friends, and any other sources I can find. Some posts in this column will have just one game or activity, other posts will have more. It'll just depend on what I can come up with each week. Well, that's it with the introduction. Let's get into the first issue of Fun'n'Games Friday. Hope you enjoy!
Jump the Creek
Type of Activity: Game
Objective: Last child to jump the creek wins
Location: Outside
Equipment: Two jump ropes, sticks, lengths of yarn, or anything else to make the "shores" of the creek
Number of Players: Works best with about 10, not counting the "constuction workers"
Age Group: 6 and up
As always, supervise children when playing this or any other game.
Jump the Creek was one of the most popular games in one of the day care centers I used to work at. It's a very easy game to play, with minimal equipment and only one real rule: don't land in the creek. I hope you find it as fun as my kids and I did.
The object of this game is simple: be the last person to jump the creek and win. To make the creek place two jump ropes on the ground a few inches apart. Appoint two kids to be the "construction workers" on the creek. They will each hold an end of ONE of the jump ropes and move it away from the other rope as the game progresses. To begin play line up the jumpers and have them start jumping the creek (the space between the jump ropes). This will be easy and go fast, at first, because the creek will be very narrow. But it will quickly get harder.
After the last jumper has jumped, the construction workers yell, "Construction on the creek!", and move their rope a few inches from the other one. The jumpers line up and go again; when the last one has jumped the workers yell and move the rope. This continues so the creek gets wider and wider. Soon, the jumpers have to get a running start to make it across the creek. Any jumper who lands in the creek, i.e. between the ropes, is out. Finally, it'll come down to two jumpers. They will keep on jumping until one just can't make it across and "falls" into the creek. When this happens the last jumper wins and the game is over.
As stated above, this was one of the most popular games at day care. Sometimes half the center--about 50+ kids--would gather on the playground for a Jump the Creek "tournament". Most of them were spectators cheering on their friends as the creek got wider, the jumping got harder, and the suspense got more and more intense. Shouts of "Go Patrick!", "Go Erik!", or "Go Ryan!" filled the air along with squeals of delight when the favored one won. And then the game was immediately started again.
Try Jump the Creek at your next birthday party or family reunion (adults can play it as well as kids). Create teams, start your own tournament, give out ribbons or medals. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you want. It might even become a family tradition. Most of all, just have fun with it like me and my day care kids did. Get out your ropes and jump that creek!
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