Rich's for the Home

Games for Outdoor Entertaining #4: Balloon Games

There is nothing more fun than...balloons for adults and kids. Why not spice up your backyard gathering with a classic balloon game or two?

BALLOON STOMP

Blow up the balloons and tie one with string to each person's ankle. When you say "go", everyone tries to pop the other people's balloons. So you must both pop other balloons and protect your own. Last man standing with a balloon still in one piece wins.

WATER BALLOON TOSS

Fill a couple buckets with filled water balloons. Have each person grab a partner, space them evenly apart and toss the balloon back and forth. After each toss, the person who tossed must move back a step. They are out with the balloon breaks.

WATER BALLOON FIGHT

Make teams, give each team the same number of filled balloons and say "go". Watch the fun begin!

BALLOON VOLLEY

Blow up a balloon, make teams and play balloon volleyball over a net. Add multiple balloons if you want. The goal is to keep the balloons from hitting the ground on your side or the other team gets a point.

CONTEST

Pass out balloons and say "go". The first person to blow the balloon up all the way and then pop it, wins.

BALLOON ANIMALS

Add some creativity to the mix. Buy the long balloons and have a contest to see who can make the best looking animal or other object.

Hiding Games
Freeze Tag
Treasure Hunt

Games for Outdoor Entertaining 3: Hiding Games

You can't beat good old fashioned fun in the backyard when guests come over. Many classic group games include hiding and there is a reason for that of course-it's fun, can be challenging and works for all age groups. It's also easy to team up and therefore help the younger participants. Here are a couple of classic hiding games for a ton of fun.

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HIDE AND SEEK

Use two people or small groups of two. One hides. The other counts to 20 (or whatever) and then looks for the one(s) hiding.

Mix it Up:

1. After the person is found, have the searcher tag the hider. Then both run to Home Base. First there wins.
2. Play as a group. Start with one person hiding. Each time someone finds the person hiding, they join them.
3. Make boundaries so that they can only hide in certain places.

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SARDINES

The entire group of people (minus a few) hides all together (this creates the need for team-work, by the way). The few searchers join as they find them until all are packed into the area.


Mix it Up:

1. Each time a new person joins the group, the entire group has to sing a short song or say a short poem out-loud.
2. Play inside versus outside.
3. Give a time limit. It should be a goal to have everyone into the hiding place by a certain time.

Freeze Tag
Treasure Hunt

Games for Outdoor Entertaining 2: Freeze Tag

FREEZE TAG

Freeze Tag is an oldie but goodie and is fun even for adults. The person who is "it" runs around and tags people. Once tagged, the person is frozen and can't move around again until someone who is free crawls between their legs.


PRE-PLAN

1. Find a space. The backyard will work.
2. Decide who is "it".

MIX IT UP

• Divide the group into two teams. Use a ribbon or bandanna around the wrists to differentiate teams. Have two people be "it", one from each team. Free people can only unfreeze people on their own team. When you want to end the game, the team with the most unfrozen people wins.
• Start with a wide playing area and narrow it throughout the game.
• Make a safe zone where people can run to but they can only be in there twice during the game and for 15 seconds at a time.

STEPS

1. Go!

Treasure Hunt

Games for Outdoor Entertaining 1: Treasure Hunt

It's party time! Are you ready for outdoor entertaining this year? I sure am. I am going to start a series on outside games that you can use to spice up your outdoor party. And most of them are for the adults as well as the kids! So get your planning notebook or print this page and add it to your ideas. It's FUN.

TREASURE HUNT

The best treasure hunts are when the prize is valuable to that particular crowd. For kids, of course, it can be as simple as a box of candy. For adults, you might have to get more clever (although candy is sometimes appreciated in that age group too). Try movie passes, bowling passes, game or play tickets or food and drink.

PRE-PLAN

1. Cut slips of paper or use index cards for each clue.
2. Each clue needs to lead to a location with the next clue.
3. Make the clue rhyme, if you can.
4. When done with a clue, fold it over and write on the outside of the clue where you will be placing it.
5. Make the last stop the TREASURE.
6. Don't hide the FIRST clue. But do hide the rest.

MIX IT UP

• Divide into teams and see who can find the treasure the most quickly. If you have teams, you will have to make more than one copy of each clue and explain that each team should only take one.
• Ask your neighbors if they can house a "stop" in their yards. Or, use other stops such as the stop-sign down the street.
• The more clues, the longer it will take.

STEPS

1. Either divide people into teams or make it a group effort.
2. Pass out the first clue.
3. GO!

Mixed Up Games for Memorial Day 2008

Here are some fun "mixed-up games" for your Memorial Day event. They can be played in slight drizzle if need be and by playing in teams, every age group can be incorporated. Warning: these games can get a little crazy.

PIG Ball- Play baseball with a twist from Hoop. Choose a pitcher (who must also be able to run), catcher and outfielder who are not any team. Divide everyone else up into two teams. Alternate batter-up between the two teams (Team A bats with one person, then Team B). Note: the only people "in the field" and therefore running to get people out are the pitcher and the outfielder) The first team to three runs, spelling P-I-G, wins the game, as long as each team has had an equal number of chances to bat. Want a longer game? Spell H-O-R-S-E or M-E-M-O-R-I-A-L or…you get the picture.

Volley Levitate- Using a volleyball net, choose an even number of people for each side. Get several light balls and get them going all at once. Goal: Keep the balls off the ground on your side of the net. With everyone playing at once, fun ensues and when a ball hits the ground, the team on that side gets a point. The team with the most ground hits/points loses.

Twisted Scavenger Hunt- Have a scavenger hunt to find things that are…already out there. Make sure you take a walk first to find things that are not readily available within fifteen feet of the gathering spot! Divide into teams, give a time limit, or just see who makes it back first.

Some ideas to gather:

• Pop can
• Water bottle
• Rock as big as a team member’s hand
• Sap from a tree
• Blossom
• Cup of Mud Puddle Water
• Berry from a Tree (not with small kids)
• 5 Pebbles
• Bark

Related articles:

• Planning for Memorial Day
• Memorial Day Recipes