Equipment


Props and equipment, A true scout gamer is always on the lookout for fun items that can be used for games. Although you may need to improvise with pinecones, socks, fingers or whatever is available at the moment.

I keep the following in my garage because they are used over and over.

• Noodles: foam pool toys, I cut mine in half to 30 inch length, some longer ones are also handy
• Frisbees: I buy bunches at thrift stores
• Water bottles: empty water bottles used as bowling pins etc.
• Inner tubes: bicycle, car, and truck
• Blue tarps assorted sizes
• Tent poles, assorted lengths and diameters
• Plastic mesh pot scrubbers
• Rope: about ¼ inch, 7 or 8 foot long, but get any size or length.
• Carpet scrap about 6 foot by 9, marked with 1 foot grids.
• Balance board: 2x8 board at least 6 foot long with a 1x4 cleat on each end
• Staves: sticks, PVC pipe, or other poles about 1” diameter about 5 foot long
• Sponges: Foam rubber chunks about the size of your fist. I keep about 100 in a large onion bag for water fights
• Parachute, grab one wherever you have the chance, millions of uses.
• 35 MM film cans: harder to find now
• Coffee cans: or other large #10 cans, empty cat food cans
• Five gallon buckets: Get from painters, drywallers or other construction types
• Rope: at least 40 foot long, at least 5/8 inch diameter, as many as you can find
• Balls: Assorted sizes, shapes, colors. I NEVER use them for their intended purpose. Golf balls, ping pong balls, kick balls, bowling balls, croquet balls, wiffle balls etc.
• Bells: jingle bells, cow bells, dinner bells, school bells.
• Barbell weights: Someone’s old weights have multitude of uses
• Bags, sacks, duffels and packs
• Scrap: wood, pipe, tubing, stainless steel, sticks, bamboo, tyvek, parachute, plastic sheeting, farm disks, broken shovels, strapping, wire, pipe fittings,


Thrift stores, dollar stores, army-navy stores, yard sales, auctions, and landfills can all be a source of interesting material.

Of course a true scouter would never actually purchase any of these (not for full price anyway)

And as mentioned, I don’t think I EVER use them for their original purpose! :]

Crowd Control Games


Keep Talking CSVOA
This wears down even the most active scout. Break into pairs. Each person must talk as fast and long as possible. The person who lasts the longest moves up and competes with other winners until a champion is crowned.
Some ground rules: brief breaths are allowed, but no pauses. No lists or counting. No repeats. This one is exhausting just thinking about it. Used to tame a rambunctious group.


Minute Timer SVO
A quiet game. Have all the scouts close their eyes. Start a timer. Have people raise their hand (and open their eyes) when they think one minute is up. Used to take control of the group. You will have total attention!! Even works for very large groups of adults. Magic
South SVO
Have all the group close their eyes and point which direction they think is north. When they open their eyes there will be confusion and laughter. Have a compass ready to settle disputes.


Group Numbers CSVOA
Method: Scouts are scattered throughout the room. The leader says, "Form fives" (or fours, or threes, or twos). Scouts have to get into groups of whatever size is announced. Repeat with a different number. Could even be used for large groups at a Camporee. Can also be used to form impromptu teams for an activity (much more humane than team chosing)


Number Sit CSVOA
Whenever the leader in telling a story mentions a number, the Scouts all sit down. The last Scout to sit down drops out of the game. The game ends when only one Scout remains - the winner.

Travel Games

Travel Games (used for that long drive to scout camp) The trick is to keep their focus outside the car.


Navigator SV
While driving to scout camp, give each scout a copy of the roadmap that shows where camp is. Tell them you won’t turn until they say to.

X Marks the Spot SV
Each scout has a map of your journey (hiking or in a vehicle) at random times they must come to a consensus as to your exact location. Of course this means they must be paying attention. :]

I Spy CSV
Classic game. “It” says “I spy with my little eye something that begins with a (pick a letter. Players get 5 or 10 guesses. Guesser gets to pick next item. (Hint nobody ever guesses insulators on power poles).

Alphabet letters CSV
Be the first to find all the letters in the alphabet on signs etc. I once followed a Jeep for miles knowing I would need a J.

Alphabet items CSVOA
Find items that start with all the letters of the alphabet in order. Hint: a gravel pit is a quarry. A rock made up of other rocks (concrete) is a xenolith.

Travel Bingo CSVOA
Create a bingo game with items like a graveyard, round bale of hay, Volkswagen, cop car etc. Feel the pain SVo Every time you pass under a power line spread your hand on the window and announce that you can “feel the pane”. Get the scouts to see if they can also “feel the pain”

Find the 7 CSV
You need a bag of skittles. Every time someone sees the digit 7 they get a skittle.