Exploring the Great Outdoors - Meridian International Center

Summer
Wet Sponge Relay
Octopus
Games
Materials: buckets of water, sponges, pitchers - each pitcher must have a line drawn at the same
level to ensure that all teams have equal amounts of water
Players: at least two small to large groups
How to Play:
Split into even-sized groups. Each team should then stand in a single-file line. Place a
bucket of water at the head of each line, and a pitcher with a line drawn on it at the end of
each line.
Give a sponge to each person at the head of his/her line. This person will dip the sponge
into the bucket of water, soaking up as much water as they can.
The “head” person then passes the wet sponge over his/her head to the person behind,
who then must pass it down the line through the legs. The sponge makes its way back in
this fashion: over the first person’s head, then through the next person’s legs, then over
the next person’s head, etc., until it reaches the person at the end of the line.
Once the person at the end of the line receives the sponge, he/she must squeeze whatever
water is left into the pitcher, and then run the sponge up to the front of the line.
Then everyone in the line moves back one position; the person who was in the back is
now the “head” of the line. Continue in this way until the pitcher is filled to the line.
Whichever team reaches the line first wins!
Materials: none
Players: as many as possible!
How to Play:
Set up a rectangular “ocean”. To determine the right width, have all of the players hold
hands and spread out across the field, and then mark your sidelines. Pick one King or
Queen Octopus to stand in the middle of the “ocean”. All of the other players will be the
Fish and line up across the edge of the “ocean.”
The Octopus will yell out, “I am the Octopus, King (or Queen) of all motion! Let’s
see if you can cross my ocean!” The Fish must then run or sneak across the ocean
without getting tagged by the Octopus.
If a Fish is tagged, he/she will become Seaweed. Keeping one foot planted, Seaweed try
to reach out and tag the Fish running by, turning those players into Seaweed too.
Once all of the Fish have reached the other side, the Octopus and the Seaweed will all say
the chant, and the crossing contest will start again. The last Fish to be tagged will
become the next Octopus.
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Seasonal Activities