|
Articles
Mermaid Party Games GAMES
TRAIL OF TREASURE: Nothing piques
grade-schoolers' curiosity like a treasure hunt. This one relies on
pictures instead of words, so the game moves quickly. To make the
treasure chest, cover the outside and inside of a small Styrofoam
cooler with aluminum foil. Glue two strips of black construction paper
to simulate straps. Fill with a mixture of uncooked pasta shells (large
or jumbo work best), cooked spinach linguini "seaweed" (the gross-out
factor is priceless), costume jewelry, ocean creatures and chocolate
coins.
To set up the hunt, collect eight beach items--a swim mask, a
shell, a flip-flop and so on. On small pieces of paper, draw a picture
of each item and of the treasure chest. Hide the chest in a spot where
all the kids will be able to gather easily. Place the picture of the
chest inside the shell, for example, and hide that. Place the picture
of the shell inside the flip-flop, and so on, until you've hidden all
but one clue. Give the remaining picture to the kids and instruct them
to follow the clues in order. When the chest is found, each child gets
a turn reaching into it and fishing for one or two treasures.
SKIN THE EEL: Kids have to work together
to complete this flexibility challenge. First, line up everyone single
file. Each child bends forward and places his right hand back through
his legs. With his left hand, he grasps the right hand of the player in
front of him. The player at the back of the line lies down on his back
while everyone else walks backward over him. The next player lies down,
then the next, until everyone is supine. The last player to lie down
gets up and walks forward, pulling the rest of the line with him, until
all are standing and still holding hands.
MER-RACE: This game made a big splash
with our kid-testers, who stayed all wrapped up for the rest of the
party. First, outfit each child with a mermaid tail by having him or
her step into a heavy-duty, drawstring garbage bag. Tie the bag loosely
around the child's waist, then secure it in place with a belt of duct
tape. Wrap a second strip of duct tape around the knees to create a fin
effect, then lay the children down on their bellies, across the room
from your mermaid rock. Scatter the crowns around on the rock. At the
"Ready, set, dive" signal, kids squirm and flap their way to the rock,
don their crowns and race back. Afterward, photograph each child, then
serve lunch. (Cut a few small airholes in the bags so the kids don't
end up with slimy fish feet.)
Back to Articles
|
