I also have the actually tie a Bowline to a toy dog to
demonstrate that the knot is used to tie up a dog or a boat.
2 dice and a rope
Numbers of girls 8 - 10
Girls are in a circle sitting on the floor with the equipment in
the center. The object of the game is to pass the dice around
and the first person to roll doubles gets the rope from the
leader, ties the required knot (Bowline) and it is checked by
the leader to make sure it is right, then she puts on the apron,
oven mitts, places the napkin under her chin, on the place mat
she must pick up the knife and using her own fork tries to get
into the present. BUT....at the same time the dice are still
going around and as soon as someone else rolls doubles they tie
the knot and if it is correct the first person must take off the
stuff and go back into the circle and so on. Great fun. Make
sure you take two chocolate bars because they will want to do it
again, but twice is enough and the chocolate should be shared.
Wendy Baker
BEAN GAME:
Give each girl a rope and a beans and divide them into pairs.
Say "Go" and they have to see who can be the fastest to tie a
reef (square) knot (or any assigned knot). The first person to
do it is the winner and receives the bean from her partner, the
winner finds a partner with two beans and begins again. The
loser gets another bean from the game leader to play another one
bean person. The game goes on with partners always having as
close as possible the same number of beans. They do this by
calling out the number of beans they have until they find a
person with the same or nearly the same number of beans.
Wendy Baker
CLOVEHITCH RELAY
Patrols go in relay formation using a long rope each girl ties a
clovehitch around her ankle and when all are roped try to beat
the others to the other end of the room.
poem: For Clove Hitch:
Around the post cross over behind
The post duck under a head, legs arms
What do you get:
A Ballet Dancer's Pirouette.
(If you tie this knot with a pipecleaner it does look like a ballet dancer!)
Wendy Baker
CATS CRADLE
Using a very large rope which is tied into a circle and using
people for your fingers try to do a cats cradle. We have made
it to the third part. (Hint) have two people actually doing it
on the fingers and a third person directing the people how to do
it. Lots of fun for an outdoor rally.
Wendy Baker
SHEEPSHANK
Each patrol is given a 15 foot rope. 2 girls per patrol stand
about 10 feet apart each holding one end of rope on signal the
rest of the girls tie sheep-shanks in the rope The winners are
the first group to get their rope absolutely taut. THE GIRLS
WHO ARE HOLDING THE ENDS MUST NOT MOVE.
Wendy Baker
FLAG SAYING
To remember what knots you tie when you hoist the flag:
Clove Hitch on toggle (It's almost there....)
Sheet Bend with stop....let it rise in the air.
Wendy Baker
SHEET BEND POEM
Use two different colored pipe cleaners:
Peek up the hole, around the trees
Chase your tail and pull
Form two wings and in the sky
You flutter like a Butterfly.
Wendy Baker
REEF KNOT POEM
Left over right and under
Right over left and under
(Form a head and squeeze a tail
and then just like a swan you'll sail).
Wendy Baker
WHIPPING
The ends of that rope are looking pretty hairy-
Whip them into shape and they won't be so scary.
Wendy Baker
RIDDLES:
Make up cards that say:
1. I am the king of knots because - if I am used correctly - I
never slip, and I am put to use in a variety of rescue operations.
2. I am sometimes known as the Weavers' knot. I am used by
sailors in rigging the ship. I join two ropes different
thicknesses.
3. I must be female, because I love tying up loose ends! I hate
to see rope ends fray so I sit very snugly and hold them firmly- and, My don't they look neat when I'm used?
4. I am constantly used. I'm used to tie the ends of bandages
in First Aid, because I lie flat, and do not hurt, I don't slip
or slide, and I can be undone easily, I'm square, but I'm very
popular!
Answers: 1. Bowline, 2 Sheetbend 3. whipping 4 Reef
Have the girls do it as a relay where the 4 cards are on a chair
at the end of the room with a rope. I have 4 different colored
cards and a set of 2 for two teams. They must one at a time
run to the chair, pick up blue, green, yellow, orange card in
order I tell them and tie the knot that is described the leaders
stay near the chairs to make sure the knot it right.
Wendy Baker
TIE THE KNOT
This is a variation on "drop the hanky" for those who remember
that popular childrens' party game. The group sits in a circle
with their hands behind their back. One person walks around the
outside with a piece of rope; they select someone, place the rope
in their hands and say a knot. They then continue around the
circle; the challenge is for the knot to be completed correctly
before they return to the same place. If the knot is not finished
or not correct, the person tying it changes place with them and
goes around the circle with the rope. The game can be adjusted
according to the knotting skills of participants; either by the
range of knots that may be specified or if they are more competent
with their knots by requiring the knot to be tied with hands
kept behind the back.
Grant O'Neil
KNOT DODGE
Two teams are numbered off. The leader of the game calls out a
number and a knot. The person with the corresponding number from
one team has to go to a designated point and tie the knot; the
person from the other team with the same number has to go to
another point and try to hit the person tying the knot by throwing
a ball (or a beanbag) at them. So the person tying the knot has
the double challenge of tying the knot correctly while also
dodging the throws. We used to play this on a basketball court; a
length of rope was tied hanging down from the stand behind the
backboard, and the knot was tied with a second length of rope
onto the first. The person tying the knot would signal they had
completed it by swinging on the joined ropes. The person throwing
the ball had to throw from behind the free throw line (with older
scouts who can throw harder and more accurately this may even
need to be inside the center circle) They can go anywhere to
retrieve the ball after a throw, but cannot throw it again until
they have returned to the free throw line.
Grant O'Neil
NEWCOMER'S KNOT GAMES
I've used two games for knots that work well. The first one is
for learning the knots: instead of using rope, use Twizzlers or
licorice whips or other "whip" candy. When the girl gets the
knot right, she can eat it. Now, you have to be careful with
this one - - don't use a "whip" that's really soft or sticky,
especially in hot weather. The Twizzlers are just right, they
don't stick to themselves and they don't melt readily - - and
more girls like the flavor than do licorice.
The other game is for drill, after you've learned the knot - - a
relay race. You have two "judges" with short lengths of rope.
The girl runs up to the judge, ties the knot, and if it's right
she runs back to the back of the line and the next girl runs up.
If it's not right, she tries again. If it's not right in three
tries, she can run back to her team and get help, and then she
can come try again.
Sandy L Keeney
BEDROLL GAME
Two teams. Each team has one set of each item.
Throw a die to receive each item as follows
- 6 = groundsheet
- 5 = air mattress
- 4 = sleeping bag
- 3 = pillow
- 1 = rope
- 2 = blanket
When all the items have been collected, the bedroll must be
rolled correctly with the proper knots.
Wendy Baker
FIRST AID CARRYING RELAY
Carrying an injured person.
According to the number of players, arrange Guides in groups of
two or three "bearers" and one "patient". Put a cup of water on
the patient to make sure she is treated gently. On the arrival
of the bearers at the goal, their speed and the amount of water
remaining in the cup are taken into account.
Variations:
a) An injured ankle must be bandaged correctly.
b) The injured person must be carried on a "four handed seat". etc.
Barb Garber
SHOPPING CONTEST
In the center of the circle are placed pebbles, leaves, pieces
of bark or wood. The players are numbered in two's or three's.
The leader of the game calls out a shopping list and a number.
For instance: 4 pebbles, 2 leaves, 1 stick - Number 2. The
Guides whose number is called run around the circle, go inside
by the "doors" which they left vacant in their own spots and do
their shopping. They go back to their places, put their shopping
down in front of them, kneel down and raise their hands. The
Guide doing her shopping correctly and the fastest wins.
Barb Garber
COMMUNICATION GAME
Equipment: An envelope per team of two children. When
you are preparing the equipment, cut two of each shape in each
size of each color. i.e., two large yellow circles, two small
green triangles, 2 medium blue squares. One of each shape goes
in each envelope, so that the two team members could make an
identical picture.
Category: Indoor, quiet
Ages: Brownies on up
Numbers: An even number of kids, because you need to
divide them up in two's.
The children sit down on the floor, back to each other, with
their envelopes in front of them. One girl is the designer,
and she opens her envelope and makes a design or picture with
her shapes. Then she describes her picture to the person who is
back to her, so that she can make an identical picture. No one
is allowed to look at their partner's pictures!! After the two
are done, using only their voices to pass the information back
and forth they may compare their pictures. Allow about 10
minutes for this game.
Don't make too many shapes, or too many small pieces as you will
want to use this game again (it is too much work to set up to
only use once!) Ask the children to be careful when they put it
back in the envelopes because you don't want to find one green
triangle on the floor after you have all the envelopes put back
in their box!
This is quite fun. You may want to allow them to switch
designer and copier and try it again.
Jane Maddin
DRAWING BOARD
Equipment: A picture on a large piece of paper stuck up
on a wall somewhere outside the meeting room. The picture that
we had was a picture of a face with long curls and a crown with
points and jewels on the crown. It was drawn with a marker on
white paper. A piece of paper and a marker for each team.
Number of Players: In teams of at least 4. One person is the drawer.
Category: Quiet, indoor.
Age: 9 and up.
In the first variation, one person is chosen as the drawer for
each team, and that person is not allowed to talk at all. One
of the members of the team goes out to the hallway to look at
the picture, but she is not allowed to say anything except yes
or no, to the rest of the team, who must ask her questions about
the picture. The person with the piece of paper must draw the
picture, as they hear it described to them, without asking any
questions herself.
In the second variation, each member of the team can go look at
the picture except the drawer, one at a time. Then the drawer
can ask each team member one question, and they can only answer
the question yes, or no. This continues until the picture is
drawn. (I'm not sure I have explained this well, so I will
provide an example. Kathy is the drawer and she has Natasha and
Heather on her team. Heather goes to look at the picture.
Kathy asks her if it is a picture of an animal, Heather says Yes.
Natasha goes out to look and Kathy asks her if it is a dog,
Natasha says No. Kathy asks Heather if it is a person, and
Heather (who can remember this) says Yes. Kathy asks Natasha if
it is a boy, and Natasha can't remember, so she goes to look and
then comes back and says No. And so forth until Kathy feels she
has enough information to start drawing - she might then ask if
it is a whole body, just a face, in profile or straight on, long
hair, curly hair, smiling, etc.)
This game in either version tends to take awhile. And you can
change versions part way through if you'd like. Hope the
instructions are clear! This makes for some interesting
pictures.
Jane Maddin
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