The Camping Club

Frisbee Bocce

It's an aerodynamic wonder, an international sporting phenomenon -- and one heck of a dog toy. It's the flying disk, of course, and your family's ticket to high-flying fun.

Who needs an expensive set of boccie balls for an afternoon of fun? Not Frisbee players. Merely toss a tennis ball or baseball into the yard, then take turns trying to land a Frisbee as close to it as possible. A player who manages to land a throw directly on the ball automatically wins that round, otherwise the closest throw wins. Each win scores 1 point, and you can play to whatever score you like. For even more fun, each player can use more than one Frisbee.

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Spoons Card Games

Few cards serve up the kind of excitement that are part of every game of Spoons.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Deck of cards
• Spoons (one less than # of players) 

HOW TO PLAY:

1. The object is to collect four cards of one kind (four twos, four kings and so on) and not to be the person left without a spoon. To begin, place the spoons (one fewer than the number of players) in the center of the table within grabbing reach of all players. Each player is dealt four cards. The dealer keeps the deck.

2. The dealer picks a card from the deck and then discards one card from his hand, sliding it facedown to the player to his left. That player takes it, then picks one card from his hand and passes it to his left.

3. Each player in turn does the same, as quickly as possible. Each person should have four cards in his hand at all times. The player to the right of the dealer places discarded cards in a pile to his left to be used by the dealer when the original deck is used up.

4. Play continues until one player has four of a kind, at which time he takes a spoon from the pile. He may steal the spoon surreptitiously, continuing to pass cards until someone else notices. Or he may grab his spoon, creating a mad rush for spoons at the table.

5. The player left without a spoon has lost the round. If you like to keep score, that player is given an S. As players spell S-P-O-O-N-S, they are out. The player left at the end is the winner.

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Gigglebelly Game

Just the name of this game cracks kids up; playing it only intensifies their joy.

WHAT YOU NEED:
Nothing

HOW TO PLAY:
1. Have one player lie down on his back. The next player lies down with his head resting on the first player's belly and the next player lies down with her head on the second player's belly. Arrange all the players until everyone is zigzagged around the lawn or floor, each with his or her head on someone else's belly (if possible, make the line into a loop so that the last player can put her head on the first player's belly).

2. Then, the first player shouts, loud and clear, "Ha!" The second player responds with a vigorous, "Ha, ha!" then the third player chimes in, "Ha, ha, ha!" Continue until all players have shouted out their "Ha's" or (more likely) have dissolved into uncontrollable laughter, with heads bouncing on the bellies of giggling friends, uncles, cousins or grandmothers.

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Laughing Matters

However you do it -- with a joke, a well-timed tickle, or just a contagious case of the giggles -- few things feel better than cracking up your kid. Laughing together warms relationships, smooths ruffled feathers, eases frustration, and releases tension. And of course any laughter, from the slightest chuckle to a sidesplitting howl, simply feels good. But did you know that laughter may actually be good for you?
Comic Relief
According to a number of recent studies, laughter may play a role in physical health. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found a link between the experience of joy and overall physical well-being, citing a reduction in stress-inducing hormones as the key. The study, which was led by cardiologist Michael Miller, revealed that laughter releases endorphins, those same feel-good chemicals produced during cardiovascular exercise that are believed to cause the phenomenon known as runner's high. Still more research has linked laughter with lowered blood pressure, a boosted immune system, and improved cardiovascular health.

Laugh Tracks
Getting your child to laugh isn't always easy. Sure, most parents quickly learn their baby's tickle spots. A high-pitched "Who's my crazy-legs monkey?" might slay your toddler, and most preschoolers will fall into a fit of the giggles if you so much as mention the word underpants. But older kids may not go for that sophisticated verbal humor. For them, it's often old-fashioned silliness -- such as that provided by the games and goofiness shown at right -- that has the biggest payoff.
It's a sad fact that as kids get older, getting them to laugh becomes more of a challenge. For 'tweens, it's about as cool to share a joke with your mom as it is to wear her bathing suit. "It wasn't always easy to get Molly to laugh," says Paul Statt of Amherst, Massachu-setts, of his now 16-year-old daughter. "But I would say, 'Don't laugh, Molly!' and it actually worked because it was so corny -- an old family joke from her childhood." With Molly, Paul found that it was often easier to share a joke if the humor came from somewhere besides uncool Dad -- a kid-friendly comedy on TV, say, or a funny board game.

Laughter Is Contagious
To be sure, what works for one family may not work for another. But once you start laughing, you never know where it will lead. Indeed, "Laughter Yoga" is an entire movement based on the premise that you can "fake it till you make it," in the words of Sue Herz, a certified Laughter Club leader from Wakefield, Massachusetts. Without jokes or humor, laugh yogis encourage the physical act of laughter with special breathing, sound, and pantomime exercises -- until the brain takes over, and real laughter erupts and takes hold of the group. Laughter Clubs, started in 1995 by Indian doctor Madan Kataria to stimulate good health, now number 5,000 worldwide. Herz says laughter makes her feel physically stronger: "If there's a bug going around, I feel like I'm not going to get it." (See if a Laughter Yoga exercise, right, gets your child giggling.)

Comedy Central
No matter what gets your family chuckling, preserving those funny moments is a great way to perpetuate the laughter. Record your child telling his favorite jokes. Write down the funny things your kids say, starting with baby mistakes like "Pliget" for Piglet. Save photos of your kids (and yourself) during particular fashion periods. Keep a journal to remember your family's hilarious mishaps: the camping trip when Dad got sprayed by a skunk, or the night Mom walked into her surprise birthday party half dressed.
The point is, if your kids are laughing, well, maybe it really is funny. As Sue Herz puts it, "Laughter is one thing that our kids are better at than we are. We might as well let them teach us."
So laugh, and the world -- or at least your family -- will laugh with you.

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Garbage Pick Up

I hand out grocery (trash) bags (or even just have them collect the trash in their hands) to all the kids in the group & make a game of picking up any trash (generally not ours, but actually there when we arrived) around the campsite before we leave. I might offer a prize (like a candy bar) to the first one to bring me 10 pieces of trash. The kids happily run around picking up all the little pieces of trash (it's truly a great way to get all the bottle caps, little scraps, etc picked up). The kids don't even realize they are "cleaning up" since it's so much like a game! I remember learning as a Girl Scout... "leave the place cleaner than you found it".

Submitted By: Karin Burgess

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Clean Up!

My favorite game is who can clean up after themselves the best. Keep track with points such as 5 points for shaking and hanging or folding their sleeping bags, clothes or personal items. 10 points for not arguing and 5 more for just being nice or going out of the way to help put WITHOUT being asked. Each camp experience is adjusted to the age and such population. Winner(s) get a day to do nothing or choice of restaurant to eat at, or if they really like to camp the winner(s) with most points gets to choose which camp ground they want to explore next. Good Luck to all.

Submitted By: Graciela Ennis Baccera

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15 Questions

We’re so good, we can guess in less then 15 questions!

Around the campfire we have one person who thinks of something. For example a car, boat, goat, etc. The rest of the group goes around with a question about the something to try to figure out what it is. Example questions would be "Is it a person/place or thing?" "Is it bigger than a car?" We are so good at figuring it out, we can do it in less than 15 questions!!

Submitted By: Diana Ramirez

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Bocceball

Anyone who can throw a baseball can play this game.
We play bocce ball every time we go camping. You can play with two people or in teams, and you can play anywhere. Each team has to try to get their ball closest to the Balini. The team who is closest scores a point – we always play to ten points.  Anyone who can hold and throw a baseball can play bocce ball. It’s a lot of fun!

Submitted By: Sherrie Cisler

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Charades

It can take as few as 2 people to play!

It can take as few as two people or as many as ten. Divide up into two teams and choose a theme. Each team gets small pieces of paper and they write down what they want the other team to act out. Put them in a hat so the other team can select randomly. Act out a favorite TV show, movie, character and whoever guesses does the next round. Lot's of FUN! Kids and adults both can play.

Submitted By: Pamela Allen

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What's in Grandma's Trunk

It starts with the letter A then goes to Z. Each player has to name an object that starts with the letter that is next in the alphabet. The item in Grandma's Trunk has to be able to be held or touched. If it is your turn and you can't think of the name of the object then that person is out. Keep going until one person is left or the others have all fallen asleep.

Submitted By: Annette Reynolds

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Bean Bags

You can play with any amount of people, single or teams, so everyone can play at once if they want to or just two people can play. You have 5 bean bags that you throw at a board. Each bag is about 4 square inches and filled with either popcorn or pinto beans. You get one point for each bean bag that goes through the hole. You can either play up to a certain amount of points (we play to 21 or to 10 if there are small children) or you can play so everyone shoots 3 rounds, and the team with the most total points wins the game.

It has been a BIG hit for camping, and we make sure we bring it every time or we get yelled at!

Submitted By: Lynn & Jeff Timm

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Blind Volleyball

You need two teams of four or more people, line up in volleyball formation. A blanket is placed over the net so that the teams cannot see one another.

The designated referee throws the ball into play. Each team may hit the ball as many times as they desire, as long as the ball doesn't hit the ground.

When they are ready, they send the ball over to the other team. As soon as one side puts the ball out of bounds or touches the ground with the ball the other team scores a point.

Add more balls as the game goes on, up to six.

Requirements:

Volleyball(s) or Balloons

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The Camping Trip "Last Letter" Game

The first player must say the following:
"I'M GOING ON A CAMPING TRIP AND I'M GOING TO BRING...
The player will end the sentence with the item they will bring like a "Flashlight."

The next player must say the above sentence and his/her item must start with the last letter of the previous item.
Example: If the first person said "Flashlight", the next person must use the letter "T" as the first letter for what they will bring such as "I'M GOING ON A CAMPING TRIP AND I'M GOING TO BRING A TENT"

When someone brings an item that does not start with the previous person's last letter, such as Marshmallows when the last item was Tent, then everyone will say "You can't Bring Marshmallows!"

Everyone can keep playing until you arrive at your campground or the next stop on your trip!

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The Nature Guessing Game

You need a minimum of 2 people to play this game. The task is to find anything that is nature related near or around your campsite. You have two choices, you can pick up the object and take it with you providing you can mask the objects identity or you can write it down on a piece of paper and fold it so your opponent cannot see what you wrote!

Next… you take turns asking questions about the other's object but they have to be 'yes or no' questions. The first to guess the other's object wins the game.

Some example questions:

Is your object round?
Is your object blue?
Is your object big?

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Around the Circle

This game is good for elementary school aged children. Have campers join hands and stand in a circle. One camper is "it" and stands outside the circle. "It" walks slowly around the circle, and then taps two campers holding hands on the shoulder and shouts "around the circle." "It" takes one of their places. The two tapped campers run in opposite directions around the circle and try to be the first one back to the empty space by "it." The first camper back joins hands with "it." The other camper becomes "it" and walks around the circle to tap two other campers.

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The Sleeping Bag Game

First things first! Everyone can play this game. You start out by making an obstacle course, you can use sticks and other campground items such as chairs and picnic tables (stay away from hard sharp objects). Have everyone climb into their sleeping bags and wiggle through it. You can try going under chairs, over stacks of pillow, anything you want. (Try to set up on a clean patch of grass to avoid mess!)

Requirements:

Sleeping Bag

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Frisbee Football

Teams should be of equal number; each team has a goalie, as well as offensive and defensive players.

Goal markers are set up at each end of the playing area. The object of the game is to pass the frisbee past the goal line to another teammate.

No player may hold his frisbee for more than four seconds, without losing possession.

Three steps may be taken before the frisbee is passed. If offensive and defensive players catch a pass at the same time, defensive players take possession.

Offensive players are allowed only 5 seconds at a time in the defensive red zone (15 yards from the red zone)

Requirements:

Frisbee

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Across the Circle

Have players must sit in a circle side by side using a place marker behind each person for each seat, one seat should remain empty. The object of the game is name off something you have done or can do. Example: Cross if you have played Frisbee Football or if you have climbed a ladder?

All players who can provide a positive answer ie: yes, will cross the circle and find an open seat of another player who also answered the question positively. Since you have one less chair then there are players in the group, and you found an opening quickly, there should be one person left in the center. This person then gets to pick the topic.

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Postman at Camp

Everyone stands or sits in a circle. The one person without a chair or a place marker is "it".

The "it" will say something about themselves. For example, "Have you ever gone swimming in the Atlantic Ocean?"

Anyone in the circle that has that in common must move to a new spot in the circle. Each move has to be at least two place markers or chairs from where they started.

Whoever is left without a place marker will be it and will tell something about themselves.

Requirements

A chair or place marker for every person in the group except one.

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Bronco Tag

Have the group get into pairs and lock elbows. There is one person that is it and another to be chased. The chasee will then run from it. If tagged they become it, but they can reach safety if they can lock elbows with a person. The person on the other end then has to let go and become the chasee.

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Who Am I?

                          The group forms a circle. One person is chosen to be the Guesser and they go into the middle of the circle. The Guesser is blindfolded or asked to keep their eyes closed.

First things first be sure to ask that the Guesser is comfortable playing the game blindfolded. If they are not, let them know its alright and choose another person to be the Guesser.

The game begins with an adult spinning the Guesser around in a circle. The group is asked to spin around in a circle as well, but in the other direction. When the spinning stops, the Guesser points in the direction of one of the people in the circle and says the name of an animal. That person must make the noise that that animal makes. The guesser will then try to guess who the person is by the sounds they make. Have fun!

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Sack Race

-burlap bag per a participant

-markers for start and finish line, colored sticks work!

-whistle/flag

How to play: Each player must pull the sack up over their feet to their waist or higher, when everyone is in their sacks. The person who is designated as the referee will blow their whistle signaling the start of the race. Each player must hop to the finish line, the first player across the finish line wins!

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Hula Hoop Pass

Description

Have the group form a circle holding hands. Ask two people to let go of their grip long enough for them to place their hands through a hula hoop before rejoining them.

The team task is to pass the hula hoop around the circle in a specified direction until it returns to the starting point.

Another way to play is two use two hoops and have them go around the circle in opposite directions.

You can also use loops of rope (about hula hoop size).

Requirements

Hula hoop

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Windows & Doors

A bunch of kids form a circle holding hands. Then they spread out enough that everyone's arms were straight out, to form large spaces between kids. These are the windows and doors. Then one child starts running, and weaving in and out between children. As they do this the kids in the circle randomly drop their arms down trying to touch or trap the person weaving their way in and out. Once the person is caught or touched by the arms of someone, they are out. They then choose which person would be next to weave in and out of the windows and doors.

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