Outdoor Games
Some of these games require planning ahead, so make sure that you read the directions and see if there's anything that you should do before you leave home. Also, remember that anything you take into the woods, needs to come out. If everyone does their part, then no matter when or where you go, you'll always have a clean, neat place to go!
Before you start packing things up that are on these lists, be sure to ask an adult if it's okay to take them. Some things are only meant for at home, while others are the "grungies", and those are meant to take outside and have a good time with and nobody wants to get in trouble when they're going away for fun!
Have fun .. be safe .. and be a good friend to the animals!
The games that we have come up with are for more than one person. If you're alone, be sure to bring along a jigsaw puzzle, a deck of cards, some drawing paper and crayons. These will also come in handy, no matter how many kids are along, in case it rains!
Scavenger Hunts
Snipe Hunting
Guess What?
Only two people are required to play this game. Both people find their own object of nature, don't pick the objects up (it might be home to something). Now, sit back and each person gets to ask questions of the other. The winner is the first one to guess what the other found.
Cloud Watching
This game requires some place where you can get out from under the trees. The trick is to lay back, look up at the sky and make up stories about what you see in the clouds.
Monster Bubbles
Combine 6 cups of water, 2 cups dishwashing liquid (Joy, Ivory, etc.) and 3/4 cup corn syrup in a bowl. Mix up the solution and let sit for about 4 hours. Pour into a shallow pan. Bend a wire coat hanger into a big circle (this will require an adult for supervision) and then wrap the handle with tape or put it into a paper towel roll so you don't get scratched. A 6" circle wand will make a bubble as big as a watermelon. Keep the solution away from lawn chairs or anything else that might get ruined if it gets wet.
Pebble Memory Games
(2 or more players)
You can use stones, beans, buttons or coins for this. One person creates a pattern or picture using the pieces, and the rest of the players study the pattern for a pre-determined amount of time. The pattern is then covered up with a piece of paper or shirt. A player then has to re-create the pattern as closely as possible, and when done, the original is revealed to see how close you get. Points can be given for the number of pieces remembered.
Fire Gatherer
(3 or more players)
Gather kindling in a pile. One person is the “chief” and puts on a blindfold, and then sits cross-legged with hands on lap in front of the wood pile. The rest are members of the “tribe” and have to sneak up to the wood pile and take one piece at a time without the “chief” catching them. If the chief hears them and reaches out and touches them, they are out. The rules are that no one may race up to the chief, as the point is to be as quiet and sneaky as possible, and the chief can only lift his or her hands to tag the thief. Thieves get one point for each piece of wood, and the winner is the person with the most points.