Outdoor mini Olympics 2nd edition

Fair weather has finally arrived and we hope you will enjoy it!

Here are some ideas for outdoor games that will make you laugh and keep the family entertained for several hours all the while requiring almost no preparation.

With the weekend approaching, why not count the points and make it a family tournament on a beautiful sunny day?

Don’t forget to check out our first mini Olympics Blog, for other games and challenges to include!

Due to COVID-19, you are advised to play with family members only to limit the risk of spread.

Here are the games :

Colin-maillard 

Preparation : 

Material :  

• A blindfold

Choose a safe and delimited play area.

The game : 

A randomly drawn player positions himself in the middle of the playing area, he will be the designated ”Colin-maillard” for this round. Blindfold him and rotate him several times to slightly disorientated him.

The ”Colin-maillard” tries to catch the other players. When he catches someone, he must name them. He can gently grope the person’s face to guess. If he guesses correctly, this person takes his place in the center with the blindfold. Otherwise, the Colin-maillard has to start a new round all over again.

A variant is to ask a question instead of groping, to guess the identity of the person. The caught player must respond, distorting his voice so as not to be discovered. If the ”Colin-maillard” does not guess the identity of the player, he starts another round.

Plate

Preparation : 

Material :  

• An old plate (preferably plastic)
• One chair per participant

The game : 

The players sit in a circle on their chairs. Each is assigned a number from 1 to the total number of participants.

You must randomly decide which player will be the chief first. The chief then takes the plate, goes to the center and spins it on its edge (like a coin) and shouts out a number. Whoever is named must catch the plate before it stops spinning and falls.

If he succeeds, he gets a point and replaces the chief. Otherwise, the chief gets a point and stays in place for another round. The object of the game is to get the most points by the end.

Telephone

Preparation :  

Material : 

• Two recycled cans or plastic cups;
• A piece of string or wool;
• One chair per participant.

Drill a hole in the bottom of your two cans. Pass the cord through the hole and tie a knot inside to have a tin can at each end of the cord.

The game: 

The participants are seated in a circle on their chairs. One player who has been randomly drawn will be placed in the center of the circle. He will be the Chief. Blindfold him and turn him around to disorient him. All players can switch chairs at this time to increase the difficulty.

The Chief can then ask 3 questions to one of the players over the phone. For the phone to work well, both people have to talk directly into the can and make sure you always have the wire pulled tight. The player being interrogated responds all the while changing his voice. If the Chief guesses the name of the player, he gets a point and can stay in the center. If he does not guess correctly, the player who was not discovered gets a point and becomes the Chief for the next round.

The object of the game is to get the most points at the end of the game.

Relay story

Preparation :  

Material : 

• A blanket;
• A ball.  

Le jeu : 

This quiet game could even serve as a well-deserved rest as the last step of the tournament!

The whole family sits comfortably on a blanket set out on the lawn in your backyard or at the park. A random family member begins a story. When this person chooses, they suddenly stop and throw the ball to one of the other players. The player must continue the story immediately and without hesitation. Then they stop suddenly just like the first player and pass the ball to another … and so on.

This game puts your imagination to work, and makes you laugh as well! Needless to say, you will manage to have quite original stories, with each family member contributing to the story with their own twist! Creativity is key here.

Diary

In today’s diary, the children can document the day’s activity. For example, by drawing the whole family participating together, or if you can print funny photos of the family playing together and glue them in the log book, that’s great!

• How could we make the games more difficult?
• Can you think of other games that we could include in the next tournament?  
• What were the best moments in the story we made up as a family ?   

Did you know… 

• …  the singer Bob Dylan evokes the game ”Colin Maillard” in one of his major compositions “Visions Of Johanna“? He refers to when he says: “In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman’s bluff with the key chain“)
• … when Wellington, the notorious general who was victorious against Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, visited the playground of Harrow College, one of the most famous schools in England at the end of his life, he remembered his youth during which he had enjoyed the games so much, exclaimed “It is here, on this field that I defeated Napoleon”. By this he meant that it was while playing that he had acquired self-control, active strength and solid will that made him capable of such a victory.
• … play is the cornerstone of children’s healthy cognitive, emotional, physical, social and spiritual development? To learn more about this, check ou this website by a local expert on learning through play, Pierre Harrison, who has often facilitated le Carrefour’s summer camps and many workshops for our educators!  

Activity by M.Coco.