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.

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FOUR CORNERS

  • Four people are chosen from the group. The group requires at least 16 people. Each of these 4 leaders is given a characteristic that will allow someone to join her group. (This is done in private) Something quite obvious i.e. glasses, jeans, tennis shoes, colour of hair, etc. Each leader goes to a corner. The remaining participants IN SILENCE, walk and pass each of the leaders extending their hands, as if to shake, each of the leaders shakes her head yes or no, as to whether or not they get to join her group. When you join the group you stand behind the leader so that she may see the person that is coming next in line. Hopefully, a few of the people will not be chosen. You let these people pass all 4 leaders at least once, so they are rejected by one or two of the leaders twice. You then call an end to the game. You then ask the leaders how they felt about having to reject people, how people felt about being accepted, and how those not chosen felt about not being chosen. Then ask each group if they can figure out why they were accepted to the group. (You have not told the group that it is a physical characteristic) Sometimes they can figure it out and sometimes not.
  • This is a game that can be used at the girl level also. And sometimes this is the first time some of these girls are rejected and have never had that feeling before. It is a game that can get people talking and does get them up and moving around the room.

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A WITCH, A WATCH!

  • Equipment: Two things to hand around. NOT related to witches or watches!! (I use two small pieces of sanded wood - they can't break and if I lose them they are easy to replace!)
  • Age: 9 and up
  • Number of participants: 10 and up.
  • Rules: Everyone sits in a circle. One person leads the game. That person has the two articles, and she starts one side at a time. First, she hands out one article to her left and says to the person who takes it, "This is a witch." That person takes the article and says, "A what?" The leader repeats, "A witch." That person nods, and then hands the article to her left and says, "This is a Witch." The person taking it says, "A what?" and she turns back to the person who gave it to her and repeats, "A what?" and the leader says "A witch!", she turns to the person who has it now, and says, "A witch."
  • So as the article goes around the words "A what?" goes back to the leader, one person at a time, and the answer, "A witch!" goes back person by person.
  • But that wouldn't be complicated enough, now would it? As the second or third person to the left is getting the witch, the leader turns to the person on her RIGHT and says, "This is a watch!" and that person says, "A what?" and she says, "A watch!"
  • Multi-tracking personalities are a help!!! The game usually goes to pieces at the place where the watch and witch cross. I usually stop it by then, everyone is confused and laughing, so they had fun, which is the point of most of the games they like. Oh, and I usually pass the Watch on the side that I where my watch on - that way, at least I don't completely mix myself up.

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DIVERSITY BRINGS US TOGETHER

  • Have all participants stand in a large circle -- at least arms' length apart. In turn around the circle, each person must tell one thing about themselves or their experiences that they think is unique. If no one else in the group shares the experience/ characteristic, the speaker takes one step forward; if someone else HAS had the same experience, the speaker remains where he/she is. Go around the circle several times until most people are close to the middle of the circle.
  • The pluralism value in the exercise is in the processing at the end. Many people come up with what they think -- and most of us would think -- were unique experiences, only to find that someone else has that in common with them. It shows not only how different we all are, and how our differences can enrich the group, but also that we have many things in common that we might not expect.

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DEER

  • Category: Large space required! (Outdoors or a gym)
  • Equipment: One sheet of paper and a pen
  • Number of Participants: 24 and up!
  • Age: 7-16 years
  • You divide the girls into two equal teams, and line them up facing each other about 25 feet apart. (I'm making an estimate in the distance, if this is too close together you'll know.)
  • One team is the deer, and the other team is the food, water, or shelter.
  • Each round the deer must decide whether they are hungry, thirsty or cold. If the deer are hungry they hold their stomachs, if they are thirsty they cup their hands and if they need shelter they hold their hands together over their heads (tented).
  • The other team of girls decides whether they are food, water or shelter and they make the same symbols. The deer turn back to the other girls, and on the count of three they turn around with their symbol showing and the food, water or shelter is making their symbol too (they decide as well what they'd like to be.)
  • The deer then run across the space and catch their food, water or shelter. Only one deer per person. If there are more deer that need water than there are ponds, then the deer die and stay on the side of the necessities. The deer that get what they need, reproduce and take their new deer with them back to the deer's team. After each round the number of deer is counted, and recorded.
  • Play the game about 10 times, so that the girls can see how the subsequent generations of deer are dependent on the numbers of the previous generation.
  • The Guides that I played this with were quite impressed with how the numbers went way up and then way down!

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WHO IS IT?

  • Equipment: None
  • Number of Children: lots
  • Ages: 5 & up
  • All the children sit in a circle. One is picked to do the guessing and she is sent out of the room where she can not see what is going on inside. One person is chosen as IT while she is outside, this is done QUIETLY by pointing! Everyone in the circle needs to be sure that they know who is IT.
  • The girl in the hall is called back in. The person who is IT starts an action and everyone in the circle copies it. Everyone must be cautioned not to be too obvious about watching the person who is IT. Every few seconds IT changes his actions and everyone follows. The person who has been out of the room has three guesses to catch IT! If she does, then IT goes out of the room. If she doesn't catch IT in her three guesses then, IT is revealed and someone else is chosen to leave the room.
  • I always let an adult pick the person who was IT in a younger group, because everyone gets excited and it doesn't do to make enough noise to let the guessed know who is it before they get back in the room!

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COMPASS GAME

Each girl brings a chair or sit-upon into the circle. Divide the circle into the 8 points of the compass. Leave a clearly defined space between each point. When each section is called, for instance, NORTH, they stand up, turn around and then sit down. Each section does the same thing when their compass point is mentioned. When the story teller says WORLD, each player moves (clockwise) over one chair. Each player should note which section they are now occupying.

THE STORY -- The Wedding

A big important wedding is being held this year. The daughter of King NORTH is being married to the son of King SOUTH. It is going to be a very grand affair with guests from all parts of the WORLD.

From the land of the rising sun, the Emperor of the EAST and his wife, the Empress, and from the other side of the WORLD, King and Queen WEST with the little Prince NORTHEAST and the Princess SOUTHWEST.

The bridegroom, son of King SOUTH, has invited his cousin SOUTHEAST to be the best man. The bride, daughter of King NORTH, has asked her best friend, NORTHEAST, who is also a cousin of SOUTHEAST, to be Maid of Honour.

The Queen of the NORTH was very busy trying to find places for the visitors from all over the WORLD to stay. The Emperor EAST and his wife the Empress EAST had brought so many servants to wait on them, that the little town was beginning to be very overcrowded. To add to the confusion, King and Queen WEST had brought so much luggage that it took 3 wagons to haul it to the NORTH palace. Queen NORTH looked quite worried; where in the WORLD was she to put it all?

In the last wagon, Prince NORTHWEST and Princess SOUTHWEST had put all their pets which they couldn't bear to leave behind. Four SOUTHWEST cats, four big dogs (which came from the other side of the WORLD), and a cow and a goat from the EAST. The cousins SOUTHEAST and NORTHEAST thought they were very odd things to bring halfway across the WORLD to a wedding.

At last the great day dawned, beautiful and sunny. The procession started to go to the NORTH Cathedral from NORTH Palace, and people from all over the WORLD cheered. After the ceremony in NORTH Cathedral, the procession returned to the NORTH Palace for the wedding breakfast.

First came King NORTH, with Queen SOUTH on his arm. Next came King SOUTH with Queen NORTH. Following then came King and Queen WEST, with Prince NORTHWEST and Princess SOUTHWEST. Looking very grand in their silk robes were the Emperor of the EAST and the Empress of the EAST. The guests from this part of the WORLD came next. Cousins SOUTHEAST and NORTHEAST then appeared. Then came the moment the whole WORLD had been waiting for. The beautiful bride, daughter of king NORTH, and the handsome bridegroom, son of King SOUTH, were standing in the doorway. Guests from all over the WORLD threw confetti and rice as they ran down the steps to the famous NORTH glass coach.

After the wedding breakfast at NORTH Palace, the bride and groom left on their honeymoon around the WORLD. Prince NORTHWEST had tied an old boot on the back of the car, and Princess SOUTHWEST had printed "Just Married" on the front.

The whole WORLD laughed and cheered and waved good-bye and good luck, along with Prince NORTHWEST, Princess SOUTHWEST, Cousins NORTHEAST and SOUTHEAST, Emperor and Empress EAST, King and Queen SOUTH, and finally King and Queen NORTH.

So ends a happy and exhausting day!

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