Games for Beavers - Vol.1 - Part One



Squirrel and Fox

Pick one fox and one squirrel. The rest of the Beavers pair off and become trees by facing each other, holding hands and putting their arms in the air. The fox chases the squirrel, who is holding a 'nut' in his hands, in and out of the trees. The squirrel is safe when he stands inside a tree. The squirrel passes the 'nut' to half of the tree, who becomes the squirrel, and the squirrel becomes half of the tree. The fox continues to chase the squirrel. If touched by the fox, the fox and the squirrel may change places or they may choose two new Beavers.

Tail

Each Beaver receives a 'tail', and puts it UNTIED in the back of his pants. Spread the Beavers out and say go. Beavers run around trying to grab and keep the other tails, but at the same time try to keep their own tail. If the Beaver loses his tail, he may continue to collect other tails. "Winner" is either the Beaver who is the only one with his tail, or the Beaver who has collected the most tails.

Mousetrap

Two Beavers make a mousetrap by joining hands. Beavers go through the trap. When the Leader calls out 'Mousetrap', anyone inside the trap becomes part of the trap. Eventually, you will have a large circle mousetrap, and only a couple of Beavers running through.

Balloon Game

Everyone blows up a balloon, ties a string around the balloon and his ankle leaving about a foot or so of string between his ankle and the balloon. When everyone is ready, Beavers try to break each other's balloons, but also try to keep from losing their balloon - if their balloon breaks, they may try to break other Beavers - but the "winner" is the one who has his balloon unbroken.

Sew the Seams

Beavers form a circle. One Beaver is the tailor, and another Beaver is 'It'. 'It' tries to catch the tailor before he can sew all the seams. To sew the seams, the tailor runs between the Beavers, who then join hands - the seam is then sewn. 'It' can only run around the outside of the circle while the tailor can run in and out.

Weasel

All Beavers face inward in a circle, hands behind back, eyes closed. The Beaver with the 'weasel' walks around circle and places it in another Beaver's hands quietly. The Beaver receiving the weasel bops the Beaver on his right with the 'weasel'. The Beaver being bopped runs around the outside of the circle while being bopped with the 'weasel' till he gets back to where he started. The Beaver that was bopped now gets a turn to place the weasel into another Beavers hands.

Super Beaver

You need lots of inflated balloons plus several sets of men's long underwear (one per lodge). Have one Beaver put on the long underwear. The other Beavers stuff balloons into the long underwear, trying to see how big they can make their beaver. They can change "wearers" and see if they can beat their own record. Why not add a tail, also ? (The Leader, May 1986)

Beaver, Beaver, Come Out and Be Fed

Beavers form a dam and face inwards. The leader breaks the circle and starts walking inside the circle, slowly while chanting the verse below. The leader, with the Beavers following keeps walking in circles towards the center. Once they reach the middle, they change direction and begin to weave back out. When finished, everyone is in a large circle facing outwards. How did that happen ?

Chant:

Beaver, Beaver, come out and be fed,
First your tail and then your head.
Bring your Mama and your Papa,
We'll feed you fried bacon.

Beaver Colony

A leader calls out the words and the Beavers do the appropriate action or activity.

Riverbanks - form river banks
Build the Dam - dam formation
Tail slap - sit on the floor and slap floor with hand.
Lodges - form a group with your lodge
Tails - form a group with your tail level
Salute your Friends - make Beaver sign
Chop, Chop - take chopping position
Mend the front/back/side of the lodge - run to the appropriate wall.
Danger ! - lie down flat in a tight bunch in the center of the room

* NOTE: To prepare for this you might want to have symbols/pictures for the tail groups and lodges. Hand signals can reinforce other directions i.e., front/right, etc.

Pieces of Santa (or anything else for that matter)

Draw two identical outlines. Tape one to the floor. Fill the other in and cut up into pieces (one per Beaver). Each Beaver places his piece in the appropriate spot.

Balloon Badminton

Seat Beavers in two lines facing each other. Put lots of balloons into play. The Beavers must stay seated as they try to get the balloon over the heads of the opposite line. Multiple balloons eliminate any hope of keeping score. Change positions within the lines to equalize participation.

Scramble

Mark four areas on the floor and give each a name. Play music as Beavers move around. When music stops, call a name of one of the areas and have all of the Beavers try to get within it. If possible, make it smaller next go around. Carpet scraps or samples are possible markers. The game ends when the Beavers no longer fit into any area.

Snake tag

The Beavers form two teams in two lines, with the Beavers holding onto the waist of the Beaver in front. The Beaver at the front of each team tries to tag the last Beaver on the other team. When caught, the Beaver joins the other 'snake'. The game ends when there is only one snake, or....

Musical Groups

Play music while the Beavers skip or hop around. When the music stops, the leader calls a number. The Beavers form groups of that size. Make sure other leaders are available to help complete groups if needed.

Leap frog

The Beavers form a (several) line(s) and squat down to make themselves as small as possible. The last Beaver in each line jumps over his squatting friends until he reaches the front. Then he squats and yells "Go". This helps the Beavers get from Point A to Point B, i.e., circle to lodge.

Back to Back Run

The Beavers find partners, stand back to back and link elbows. Their challenge is to run to a spot and back, one frontwards, the other backwards. To return to the start point after reaching the given spot, they don't turn around but merely switch roles.

Ground Walk

Sit down, grab right ankle with left hand and left ankle with the the right hand. Then, without letting go of ankles, the Beaver tries to move from one point to another.

Falling snowflakes

The Beavers sit in small tight circles with elbows touching. Hold a balloon over the center of the circle, and let it go. The Beavers try to keep the 'snowflake' up in the air as long as possible without touching it. They could blow or flap their arms to keep the air moving.

Centipedes

Play in lodges. Beavers get down on hands and knees and grab the ankles of the Beaver ahead. Try to move to a given spot without breaking hold.

Clap-a-name

The Beavers stand in a circle and one by one clap the syllables of their first names. Once Beavers are secure with the rhythm of their own names, they can clap their names all at the same time. They then locate others who are clapping a similar pattern and form groups.

Clap-and slap-along

This game allows the Beavers to become familiar with each other, and builds a ritualistic group rhythm. Beavers should sit in a circle or in a random formation. The leader establishes a rhythm. For example, the Beavers can slap their thighs twice, clap twice, and snap their fingers on one hand and then the other. Once the rhythm has been established, one Beaver is chosen to begin. This Beaver calls his own first name on the first snap of the fingers and another Beaver's name on the second snap. That Beaver continues the pattern. Each Beaver joins in as his name is called.

Shake Hands With a Friend

This game is a quick way to introduce Beavers to each other in a safe and unthreatening manner. The leader counts off the Beavers by ones, twos, or threes. Everyone then walks around the room shaking hands with each other. A Beaver whose number is one, shakes the other Beaver's hand once. If the number is two, the Beaver shakes a hand twice. If the number is three, the Beaver shakes three times. One Beaver will have to stop shaking while the other Beaver continues because each Beaver shakes a different number of times. Beavers with identical numbers form a group looking for other Beavers with the same number.

Fruit Basket

The Beavers sit in a circle with one less chair (or space) than there are Beavers. The leader goes around the circle and whispers the name of a different fruit to each Beaver. One of the Beavers is chosen to stand in the centre, and calls the names of two fruits. The two Beavers immediately change places. The Beaver standing in the center tries to get one of their places, and the one left without a chair goes to the center. At any time the Beaver in the center may say, "The fruit basket is upset." Then all Beavers change places. This gives the Beaver in the center a better chance to find one of the places.

What comes next ?

A leader starts this counting game by having the first Beaver say one. The next Beaver says two, and then, three, and so on. When a Beaver comes to five or a number with five in it, he says, buzz. When a Beaver comes to seven or a number with seven in it, he says, fizz. For example, 57 would be buzz-fizz. When a Beaver who misses drops out and the next one starts over with one.

Red Handed

The Beavers form a circle, and one Beaver, chosen as 'It', stands in the center. While 'It' closes his eyes, the other Beavers pass a small object (like a marble or a stone) from Beaver to Beaver. 'It' gives a signal and opens his eyes and decides who has the object. 'It' walks up and taps one fist of the Beaver 'It' feels has the object. Meanwhile everyone has been passing the object around. Fake passes by Beavers who don't have the object are allowed as decoys.

Pipe cleaner zoo

Each Beaver is given two pipe cleaners and five minutes in which animals, or any living creature, can be made from these.

Have You Seen My Sheep ?

The Beavers stand in a circle. One Beaver runs around the outside and stands behind any Beaver saying, "Have you seen my sheep ?" That Beaver asks, "What does it look like ?" The first Beaver describes any one of the Beavers who, as soon as he recognizes himself as the Beaver described, tries to tag the describer before he can run around the outside of the circle and get back to his own place in the circle. If 'It' is tagged he is 'It' again; if not, the tagger becomes 'It'.

Alligator

Two teams line up on opposite sides of a large open space called the river. The Beaver playing the alligator points or calls to a Beaver on one side to cross the river. This Beaver calls or points to a Beaver on the opposite side. They try to cross the river and change places without being tagged by the alligator. If a Beaver is caught he becomes the new alligator.

Squirrel in the Tree

The leader divides the group into threes. In each group of three, two Beavers join hands and form a tree for the third Beaver (the squirrel), who will stand between them. The leader calls, "Squirrels change trees." Then all the trees raise their arms while the squirrels run to find a new tree. If there are extra squirrels the challenge is to get to a free tree.

Partner Tag

All of the Beavers, except two, hook arms as partners. Of the two who are separate, one is 'It'; the other Beaver is the runner. The runner may save himself by locking arms with either member of any team he chooses. When the runner has chosen a partner the third member becomes the new runner and the game carries on. For large groups have more than one runner and chaser.

Hug Tag

The only way to be safe in this game of tag is to be hugging someone else. Beavers can try hugging two, three, or more Beavers. It this gets too much for the Beaver who is 'It', a few other Beavers can be 'It' too.

Wink

An uneven number of Beavers is required for the game. For example, there may be 21 Beavers. Eleven chairs are placed in a circle with 11 Beavers standing behind as guards. Ten Beavers are seated in the chairs. The object of the game is to avoid being the guard of an empty chair. All the seated Beavers look toward the Beaver who is guarding the empty chair. He winks at someone who is seated. At once, that Beaver jumps up and runs across to fill the empty chair. He may not escape if his guard lays his hands upon the Beaver's shoulders. Each guard must keep his hands at his sides and must not touch the shoulders of the Beaver he is guarding until the Beaver is winked at.

Oranges under the chin

Two teams line up with their hands behind their backs. An orange is placed between the chin and shoulder of the first person in each team. At the word 'Go' the oranges are passed without using hands to the next person in the line. If the orange drops, it has to go back to the beginning of the line.

Rainstorm

Everyone sits quietly in a circle, with their eyes closed, waiting for the leader's first movement. The rain slowly starts as the leader rubs his palms together. When the Beaver on the leader's left hears this sound, he makes it, too, and each Beaver starts upon hearing the Beaver to the right. Once everyone is rubbing palms, the leader increases the sound of the rain by snapping fingers, and that sound in turn is passed around the circle. Then the leader claps both hands together, and that sound is passed around the circle. The leader then switches to thigh slapping, and the storm comes with feet stomping as the rain becomes a hurricane. To indicate the storm will start to subside, the leader reverses the order, beginning with thigh slapping, then hand clapping, finger snapping, palm rubbing, and finally passes around silence as the storm dies away. During the game, Beavers have their eyes closed.

Touch One, Touch All

Like touch tag, when 'It' touches someone, that one joins 'It', then two try to touch others, until all are caught and there is nobody left to chase. The first one touched becomes 'It' for the next game.

Ball Tag

'It' must throw the ball to hit one of the runners. If no one is hit, 'It' must run after the ball while the others get as far away as possible.

Dragon tag

Four Beavers link their arms together, forming a chain. They are the Dragon and must remain linked at all times, even when running. The aim of the game is for the Dragon to run and catch as many Beavers as possible by forming a circle around them. A Beaver who is captured must link arms with the others forming the Dragon and help to capture the remaining Beavers. The game goes until everyone has been tagged and is part of one long Dragon.

Hit the Penny

This is a game for two Beavers. They stand facing each other about five feet apart. In the middle a penny is placed on the ground. The Beavers take turns throwing a ball at the penny. A hit counts one point; if the penny is turned over (heads becomes tails or vice versa), score two points. The penny stays wherever the ball moves it throughout the game. Eleven points wins.

Follow chase

The Beavers stand in a circle with arms extended sideways, resting on each other's shoulders. The runner starts in one of the spaces between Beavers; the chaser does likewise, but on the opposite side of the circle. At a given signal they both start, the runner weaving in, out, and across, and the chaser trying to catch him. The chaser must follow the route set by the runner. If a runner is caught, he joins the circle, the chaser takes his place, and a new chaser is chosen. If the chase becomes too long, you can set a time limit, after which a new runner and chaser are chosen.

Knee-bend race

Each Beaver crouches in a knee-bend position, with hands on hips, and jumps or walks along.

Hot Potato

The Beavers stand in a circle and pass around a ball or some other suitable object. One Beaver stands outside and faces away from the circle. Suddenly he cries 'Stop !', and whoever has the ball may not pass it. The idea, of course, is not to be caught with the hot potato when the passing stops. Each time the passing stops, whoever is caught is out and must step out of the circle. Last one in becomes the caller for the next game.

Cat and Mouse

The Beavers join hands to form a circle. One Beaver inside the circle is the mouse; one Beaver outside is the cat. At a given signal the cat tries to catch the mouse by getting into the circle, but the Beavers should help the mouse by raising their hands to let him under, and by trying to prevent the cat from getting through. When the mouse is caught, he becomes part of the circle, the cat becomes the mouse, and a new cat is chosen.

Nut race

This is a relay race in which the Beavers must transfer nuts (in shells) from one bowl to another by carrying them on the back of the hand. Only one hand may be used. Each Beaver, in turn, scoops up - on the back of his hand - as many nuts as he thinks he can safely carry, runs to the far bowl and deposits the nuts. Any nuts dropped or thrown outside the bowl my not be retrieved; they are lost. Each returning Beaver taps the next Beaver in line to start him off. As soon as the first team is finished, the game ends, and the team with the most nuts deposited in the bowl wins.

Horse's Tail

Beavers line up in threes, the two rear Beavers in each line holding on to the Beaver in front. One Beaver is chosen to be the chaser. The object of the game is for the chaser to try to attach himself to the rear of any line - thereby becoming a new 'tail' for the various lines - or 'horses' - to prevent the chase from doing this by dodging and turning so as to keep him in front of them. If the chaser succeeds in becoming a new tail, the head of the line he has attached himself to becomes the new chaser.

Spot tag

The Beaver who is 'It' tries to tag one of the others, the Beaver tagged then becoming 'It'. This new chaser, however, must place either hand on the spot where he was tagged and must do all his running and chasing in that position until he has tagged someone else with his free hand. This game is a lot of fun, especially when 'It' aims for a spot that will be particularly awkward for the new chaser (the foot, for example).

Bell Catch

All the Beavers are blindfolded except one, who carries a bell so that it will ring on every step. The others try to catch him, and the first one to do so changes places with him, giving up the blindfold and taking the bell.

Blast Off

Have Beavers in a squatting position. Begin by counting with ten down to one, then 'Blast Off'.

Four-way pull

Four ropes are tied together at one end. Each Beaver takes one end. About two feet behind each Beaver is an Indian club or similar object. The idea is to pull the other three Beavers in your direction, enabling you to pick up your club. First one to pick up his club, of course, wins. This game may be played with any number, provided each Beaver has a rope.

Tug of war

Each team takes hold of one end of a sturdy rope. A line is drawn in between them and at a given signal each team tries to pull the other over the line. You can rule that a team must pull the entire opposing team over the line to win, or you can mark the middle of the rope (with paint or a rag tied around it), set a time limit on the pulling (one minute, for example), and the rule that the team with the middle of the rope on its side of the line when the pulling stops is the winner.

Animal Blindfold

One Beaver is blindfolded and given a stick. The others move around, staying fairly close to him, until he taps the stick three times on the ground. Everyone then stops moving, and the blindfolded Beaver points his stick. The Beaver pointed at must take the other end of the stick and imitate, with sounds, an animal specified by the blindfolded Beaver. The latter then tries to guess who is making the noise. If he is right they change place; if wrong, the game starts again with the same Beaver wearing the blindfold.

Follow the Leader

One Beaver is the leader. The others must follow him wherever he goes and do everything he does. If he hops on his left foot, all must hop on the left foot. If he hits a tree with his hand, every other Beaver must do likewise when passing the tree. Any one failing to follow exactly is out.

Hand Slap

Two Beavers stand facing each other. One Beaver puts their open hands under the hands of the opposite Beaver. The Beaver with their hands on the bottom then tries to slap the hands of the other Beaver. If the other Beaver is able to move their hands before they can be slapped, then they will take up the position on the bottom. If the bottom Beaver manages to slap the other Beaver's hand before he can remove them, then the slapper will continue in the bottom position.

Triangle Tag

To start the game, have three of the Beavers join hands forming a triangle. One Beaver on the triangle is then chosen to be the chasee and faces into the middle of the triangle. The other two Beavers will face outwards and use their bodies as a shield to protect the chasee from the fourth Beaver, the chaser. When the chaser tags the chasee, then the chaser will join the triangle and the chasee will become the chaser. Another Beaver on the triangle is chosen to be the chasee and the game continues until the four Beavers decide to end it.

Bum push

To start, the Beavers get into partner groups and stand back to back. The partners should be approximately the same height and weight for the best results. On the count of three both Beavers try to push each other off balance by only using their bum. The first Beaver to move his feet loses. The loser can challenge the winner again, or find another partner if he wishes to continue with this game.

Broken Telephone

Played in a circle. It starts by having one Beaver whisper a message to the Beaver next to him. The message must be whispered and only said once. The message is passed from Beaver to Beaver until it comes to the last Beaver. The last Beaver then says out loud what he has heard. The first Beaver says what he started with. It is always fun to see how mixed up the message can get by the time it is received by the last Beaver.

Hot Potato Gift (Variation of Hot Potato)

The game starts with everyone sitting or standing in a circle. The wrapped present is then given to one individual in the group.

The leader starts a rhythm by either clapping hands or by singing a simple short song. The present is then passed around the circle as one might pass a hot potato. When the rhythm or song stops (whenever the leader chooses) the Beaver who ends up with the parcel at that moment must take off one layer of wrapping. That individual then leaves the game to join the leader in keeping up the rhythm and the game starts up again. This goes on until there is only one Beaver left to unwrap the present.

Tic Tic BOOM

This game is started with everyone standing in a circle. One Beaver is then chosen to go around the circle tapping Beavers as they go, saying tic, tic, tic, etc. When the chosen Beaver decides he/she yells Boom ! He/she runs off in one direction around the circle and the Beaver who was tapped runs in the other direction. The two race each other back to the original starting point on the circle. The first one back joins the circle. The last one back becomes the Beaver to go around the circle saying tic, tic, tic, etc. Also known under a number of other names, such as Duck Duck Goose.

Circle of Good Cheer

The game starts with everyone sitting in a circle. One Beaver is then chosen to go into the middle and do some-thing silly. Everyone sitting around the circle gives that Beaver a huge round of applause after they have finished doing their silly act. The act itself should only take two or three seconds. Once that Beaver has sat down the Beaver to his left gets up and does his/her sill act, and the game continues until everyone has had a turn.

Gluepots

A game for as many Beavers as possible. One Beaver is chosen to be 'it' and has to chase the other Beavers. Before the games starts, 'it' picks a number of special places to put the people he catches. These are the Beavers gluepots and any Beaver who is put there cannot move. They can be released, however, only if a free player touches their hand - but if the free player makes a mistake and puts a foot into the gluepot, then he is stuck there also.

Elbow Tag

All of the participants, except for one chaser and chasee, are arranged in groups with their elbows locked together and their free arms on their hips. The chasee can join any of these pairs at any time by linking their arm, at the elbow, with he free arm of a partner group. On having joined a pair of Beavers, the Beaver on the opposite side of the partner pair must leave and become the new chasee. If the chaser tags the chasee, then the two change roles and the old chaser can link on to a partner group. This game ends when you, as the play leader, decide to end it.

The Secret Handshake

The Beavers are divided into groups of three or four and asked to make up their own version of a secret handshake. Once each group has chosen their signal for handshake and can recognize it with their eyes closed, they will be ready to begin. The groups are intermingled and everyone closes their eyes. Without talking, each group will now intermingle in an attempt to find their group members. The first group to find all its members, by using the secret handshake, will have won the game. The winners must be together and sitting on the ground.

Skin the Snake

Beavers are divided into two lines, with about ten Beavers to a line. Everyone spreads their legs and passes one hand through their legs to the Beaver behind them. Each Beaver then grabs hold of the hand in front of them and the hand behind them. When everyone has joined their hands in their fashion only the front and last Beavers will have a free hand. The two snakes are now ready to be skinned. To skin the snake, the back Beaver starts the process by sitting down. The whole line of Beavers then shuffles backwards. The back Beaver lies right down as the group continues to move over top of him. As the line moves backwards, each Beaver in turn will sit down and then lie down, spreading their legs to either side of the Beaver lying in front of them. The line keeps moving backwards until everyone is lying down. The snake is now ready to grow a new skin. To grow the skin back, the last Beaver to lie down will stand back up. Once standing. this Beaver then shuffles forward over the other Beavers pulling up others as he moves. Everyone will now rise in turn, as the line moves forward overhead. When everyone has risen and is back in their original places, the activity ends. The first group to complete this task without letting go of any hands, wins the game.

Shoe Mixup

The Beavers are divided into two equal teams. The team members will take off one of their shoes and put them into a pile; with one pile per team. The Beavers will stand about eight feet from their pile waiting for the leader to give the signal to start. On the word 'go', team Beavers will put on a shoe that belongs to another team member. Once the shoes are on, the Beavers must then match up their left and right feet with the other team members wearing similar shoes. The feet of each Beaver must be pressed against the same shoe to be matched. The first team to match all of their feet wins the game.

Animal Walks

Beavers imitate animal walks around the Meeting Place. A Beaver can be leader and pick the animals (giraffe, elephant, caterpillar, etc.)

Go To Beaver Games Vol.1 Part 2