SCIENCE - GAMES

Electric Freeze Tag

Play a game of freeze tag.  When a partner is tagged by the player who is "It," he must freeze in place.  The player who is "It" tries to tag all of the players and get them frozen, but if a frozen player is tagged by another player, he is free to run again.  However, players are allowed to form an "electric circuit" from base out to anyone they are trying to unfreeze.  As long as the circuit can be traced back to base, any player in that circuit is considered to be on base.

Electric Squeeze

Cub Scouts hold hands while standing in a circle with "It" in the center.  One player starts the "shock" by gently squeezing the hand of a player next to him.  That player passes the "shock" on to his neighbor and so on.  The shock may be sent in either direction.  "It" watches the faces and hands of the players and tries to guess where the shock is at any given moment.  When he guesses correctly, he trades places with the person who got caught with the shock.

Contortionist Relay

Divide the group into two teams.  All members on a team must hold hands in a straight line.  The object is to roll a hula-hoop parallel along the line and back without letting go of hands.  If they get really good, try this with two hula-hoops going at once.

 Flying Machine

Get an airplane model propeller from a hobby shop.  Cut a wooden dowel rod 1/2" longer than the propeller.  If the propeller hole is smaller than the diameter of the dowel, rebore the propeller halfway through.  Glue the dowel into the propeller and let it dry.  Hold the dowel between the palms of the hands, move the hands opposite each other and twirl!  Let the flying machine go!

Amps and Volts

Play this like Storks and Cranes.  Divide the group in half.  Half are "amps" and the other half are "volts."  Line them up at half-court (center of the room).  The caller calls out "amps" or "volts" and that group of players must run to their own wall before a player from the other team touches them. If they are touched before making it to their own wall, they join the other team.

 Come a Little Closer

"It" and stands with one part of his body always touching the base.  "It" shuts his eyes and counts to 20 while the others hide.  When "It" is done counting he opens his eyes and says, for example "Jim behind the shed" or "Kyle at the side of the white fence" or wherever he thinks the other kids might be.  If he can't find anybody "It" says "Come a little closer, 1,2,3,4,5," with his eyes closed.  While he does that, the hiding people come to a closer hideout, or make a dash to touch base before "It" finishes counting to 5.  Keep doing this over and over until everybody is caught.  This is best played at night or where there are a lot of hiding places.

Lemon Derby

Besides the built-in excitement of this timed event, this quirky race comes with a twist.  Each scout must use a stick to roll a lemon to the finish line.  Unlike a ball, which rolls true, this fruit has a tendency to wobble and weave.  So the key to winning may be simply staying the course.