Countries
An active, team-building, wide, camp game
- Outdoors
- Multiple Teams
- Standard (15 - 45 mins)
- Under $20
- Some Mess
- Active
- Team Building
- Wide
- Camp
- Large Groups
Added by
Joel
on
How To Play Countries
Materials Needed
ice cream buckets or cones
This is a really great running wide game - good for burning off a lot of energy. However, it's also a good wide game for those who might not like to run as it involves a lot of strategy.
1. Set up a wide field with 2 halves. We usually divided the field using a long hose.
2. Scatter lots and lots of empty ice cream containers all around the playing field, making sure it's relatively even on both sides to begin with. (You don't need to use ice cream containers, just use something light, unbreakable, cost efficient and something that you can get a lot of - the more the better!)
3. Divide the group into 2 teams. Each team needs to start on their designated side.
4. The basic aim of the game is get as many buckets (or objects) onto your side as possible.
5. While a player is on their team's side - they are safe. As soon as they cross the line (ie. have no feet in their own half) then they can be tagged. Once they are tagged, they must stay where they are, squat down and wait to be rescued.
6. To rescue a team mate, all you have to do is tag them, then they are free to run back to their side. However, even while they are escaping they can be caught again.
7. To get a bucket, just run to the other side, pick up 1 bucket (and only 1) and bring it back to your half.
8. If you get tagged while capturing a bucket, you must drop it where you are.
9. You may NOT move the buckets that are on your side.
10. So there are 2 ways to play the game, you can run like crazy and rescue as many players as possible and get buckets.
OR
You can use stealth and sneakily cross over the other half and pretend to be on the other team (easier to do with large groups). What you do when you've falsely convinced others you're on their team is completely up to you! Be Creative! However if they ask you straight out, you can't lie, and if they touch you, you are caught.
Added by
Joel
on 7 November 2007
9 Comments
Add a commentI'd like to try this one tonight in the dark with glow sticks. When you take a 'bucket' to your side, how far can you take it? To the far end of your side? Can you get tagged holding the 'bucket' on your own side?
We tried this one today, I let the teams place the buckets in their own halves. Different arrangements of buckets led to very different games being played with different strategies.
Nice team builder!
I have submitted one comment, but found this to be alot of fun. We used large 2 foot boxes, painted blue and red to match the teams bandana color. They were large and a little bulky, but made it fun. They could grab more than one box at a time, but was almost impossible.
Our youth group played this at camp and didn't want to stop. We found a couple of helpful changes. We give one team blue bandanas and the other team red bandanas to tie on the upper arm. Then you know who is on your team. We also play when you're tagged you are frozen and when someone from your team rescues you, you link arms and can not be refrozen and are safe to get back to your side. The kids came up with the new rules and they worked well.
we played something like this but it was capture the flag with 4 teams. the field is set up like 4 square and the teams are free to get any teams flag. it was pretty fun ! everyone loved it
Great game..kids loved it.!
This is a great game, I have a group of middle schoolers who claim, that youth group meetings arent fun, but i bet this will change their minds!! Thanks!
Awesome game. Our kids play for about 25 minutes before 1 team won.
yer this is a good game but if you want to play it outside in the dark just use those glow sticks instead of icecream buckets so that they can see them and get each player to wear a glow stick of the same colour for one team and another colour for the other team so that they know what teams that they are in and can also see the other players.