Calvinball

OBJECT - Make up your own game.

GAME TYPE - Creative game.

WHO'S IT FOR - All groups can play. You can have as many or as few as you want playing.

WHAT YOU NEED - It depends on the rules you decide. You may want to have some options ready when making the rules, then you can figure it out from there. You will need a chart for the rules and masks for everyone.

HOW TO PLAY:
Calvinball is a game played in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. As Calvin says in one strip, the only permanent rule in Calvinball is that you can't play the same way twice. Therefore, you'll have to make up this game as you go. You may want to take two sessions with this game, at least at first. In the first session, set the rules. In the second session, play the game.

• SESSION ONE: Set the rules. Each group will be different in the way the rules get set. For Group One, for example, you may want to have more limited choices (what type of ball should we use...a basketball, a soccer ball, or a football?), while Group Three can have a broader choice (what type of ball should we use?) In the comic, Calvinball seems to be a cross between croquet and Capture The Flag, but you can play it however you want. Encourage creativity in the choices (seventeen bases, shoot a football into a basketball hoop, can only carry the ball between your knees, etc). You'll need to establish how to score, roles of the players, number of players per team, number of teams, penalties for breaking rules, and any other things you can think of. This will take a while, which is why I recommend taking an entire session.
• SESSION TWO: Play the game. When playing the game, make sure everyone is following the rules they came up with. However, in the spirit of true Calvinball, players can make up more rules as they go, as long as they don't conflict with the original rules (if an original rule was to hop on one foot when scoring a point, a new rule cannot be to run in a circle when scoring a point). New rules must be stated alound and added to the rule chart. Also, the official uniform of Calvinball is a bandit mask over the eyes.

This game is more about inventing the rules than winning. Encourage lots of creativity.

THIS WORKS ON - Creativity (making up the rules), following directions (following the rules), competition (playing the game).

Costume Relay

OBJECT - Win the race.

GAME TYPE - Racing game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Two. You need at least four people for this race, but the more the merrier.

WHAT YOU NEED - Lots of old clothes, including hats, scarves, shirts, pants, skirts, gloves, shoes, sunglasses, masks, etc. Be creative.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Divide the players into at least two teams, more if you have enough.
2. Have the players stand at one end of the race track, with a box of clothes at the opposite end.
3. Before starting the race, let each team know what they must have in order to win. For example, they should have a hat, pants, a shirt, a scarf, a belt, shoes, and one other item they can decide on. The players may decide which article of clothing to grab when they reach the box of clothes, or you can designate each player to get something.
4. On the word "GO", the first two players race to the box and grab one of the clothing items from their list (or the article of clothing they have been assigned). They must put it on and race back to the start.
5. When the players reach the start, they take off the clothing piece they grabbed (such as a hat) and put it on the next player. The next player then runs to the box, grabs another article of clothing, puts it on, and runs back.
6. Whenever a player reaches the start, they must take off everything they've gotten from the box and put it on the next player.
7. When a runner puts on the last article of clothing they needed from the box, they run back to start and put the entire costume on the next player. That player must run back to the box, put everything back, and run back. The first team to finish the race wins.

You don't have to have the last player put everything back. If you want, you can end the race when they've completed the costume, then take votes on who has the best outfit.

THIS WORKS ON - Athletic ability (running the race), teamwork (dressing your teammates), creativity (deciding what the best outfit would look like), functional skills (dressing, identifying articles of clothing)

Magazine Scavenger Hunt

OBJECT - Find the most items on your list.

GAME TYPE - Scavenger hunt.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Two. Have as many people as you want. If there are less than four, everyone will work individually. If there are four or more players, teams will be made of two or three, depending on whether there's an odd or even number.

WHAT YOU NEED - Lots of magazines, scissors, glue, and a list of the items you want the players to search for. You can either have a list with a box for each item, or just a list with a separate piece of paper for a collage.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Divide the players into teams of two or three.
2. Give everyone a list that you've made previously. As mentioned before, the list can be simply a list of items, or it can have a box for each item.
3. Have each team search through the magazines, looking for each item mentioned and cutting them out.
4. At the end of a set time limit, the searching is done. The players can now glue the pictures either to their list or make a collage by gluing them onto a separate piece of paper.
5. The team that found the most items, or that were the most creative, wins.

If you want to try a variation, have the players come up with the list they need to search for.

Some suggestions for items to search for:

• A car
• A boat
• A hat
• A shoe
• Something red
• Something tiny
• Letters that spell the names of everyone in your team
• Something to eat
• Something shiny
• A celebrity

THIS WORKS ON - Creativity (coming up with items for what is listed), artistic ability (cutting and pasting), finding items (finding what's listed)