NATIVE AMERICAN - GAMES

 

Indian Toss Ball

Make ball by fastening a strong 10-inch cord to an old tennis ball or softball.  Each boy lies flat on his back with his shoulders resting on a starting line.  Holding the cord of the ball in his hand and arm at his side, he swings the arm up and over his head and throws the ball behind him as far as he can.  Boys mark their point where the ball lands.

 Trails

Two groups each mark a trail through a designated area without harming or defacing the environment (for example, by using small rocks in a certain formation, broken sticks found on the ground, small dots of flour, etc.).  The two groups meet back at a starting point at an agreed-upon time and try to follow each other's trail.

 

Indian Dirt Ball

Divide Cub Scouts into two teams and give each boy a yardstick or rolled up newspaper.  Place a tennis ball in the middle of the playing area.  On the sound of the whistle each team will try to maneuver the ball to their goal, with their yard sticks, to earn points (usually 1 point per goal) while the other team tries to steal the ball and make a goal of their own.  The ball cannot be batted across the playing area.  It must be rolled across the floor to the goal.  Strict rules are needed for this on the handling of the yard sticks or newspapers.

 

Barefoot Marble Race

Boys remove shoes and socks.  Place two marbles on the starting line in front of each boy.  On signal, he grasps the marbles between his toes and walks to the finish line.  If he drops a marble, he must stop and pick it up with his toes before continuing.

 

Indian Signs Game

Divide the den into two teams.  Give each boy on both teams five minutes to develop and write a sentence in Indian sign language.  Refer to the Wolf or Bear handbook.  Each member of one team then slowly signs his sentence to a member of the other team.  Allow the receiving team time to consult their books.  Score one point for each message correctly received.  Then the other team does the same.

 

Log-Rolling Relay

Divide into two teams.  On signal, first boy on each team uses dowel or broomstick to roll log  to turning line 20 feet away and back.  Others repeat the action.  Logs may be two-foot sections of six-inch logs, or make logs by taping two round oatmeal boxes together.

 

Sentry Post

The prize goes to the quietest team in this game.  Set up two chairs about seven feet apart.  These are the sentry posts and two blindfolded players are seated in them, facing each other.  The other players divide into two teams.  At signal from the leader, the first player in each line sneaks forward on tiptoe and tries to pass between the two sentries without a sound.  If either sentry hears anything, he calls out and points in the direction from which the sound came.  If he's right, the player is "captured" and out of the game.  If he points in the wrong direction, the player sneaks ahead.  Each team goes through just once.  The winner is the team that gets the most players past the sentries.