Night games at campouts

[Buffalo Skipper 13]

What are some examples of (night) games your scouts play at campouts? When they are not being too lazy (the SPL would rather go to bed at 9pm than play a game), our troop is big into Manhunt.

 

As a youth, we used to have "Flashlight War," a capture the flag in which you "tag" by spotting someone with a flashlight and calling their name. Flashlight wars was the big thing with our troop, and was the highlight of each and every campout we went on, even while backpacking. Several scouts would actually survey the area in daylight to begin formulating a strategy. On the rare occasion in which we would find ourself camping with another troop, we would always challenge them to a flashlight war.

 

I have seen the Night Games section of Kudu's website, and I have passed this on to our SPL (who would rather sleep), but I really wanted to hear what your troops do.

[Eagledad 2777]

You said it all for our troop. They love night capture the flag. They also do flashlight wars and so on. And it wears off that little extra energy that some of the scouts still have. This is usually after campfire of course. Have your SPL assign someone else to lead it and let him go to bed. He won't sleep though.

 

Barry

[Eagle92 110]

Capture the flag was big with my troop as a youth. So was Civil War, with the Confederates and Yankees, I mean Union sides.

[Eagle1982 10]

We also used to play "Kick the can"

 

We had snowball fights (winter)

hide and seek (with patrols)

 

 

[scottmphoto 10]

Our troop always does some version of flashlight wars or capture the flag after the campfire and evening meals.

 

 

[Missouri_COR 10]

Baden Powell's Mafeking is one we usually do, especially after a few camping trips with the new scouts. They get to put into practice what they have learned.

 

The adults set it up during the day and then either run stations at night OR just make sure they are on track and not getting lost in the woods at night.

[Buffalo Skipper 13]

Revisiting this old thread, we are again trying to re-introduce night games with our young troop at our weekend campout. Somehow the excitement of this really dwindled this past year. This is how I really came into my own as a scout. Before these games I was sort of an outcast, but once I started, everyone wanted me to be the captain and be on my team. I still startle people on campouts when even during the day I walk up completely silently.

 

In today's scouting, how do you handle the Buddy System with a group of scouts at night? With 18 scouts, we will be in a fairly "confined" area of a few acres around the old campsites of our primitive campsite. We will probably explore the area during the day, but is it really expected that scouts keep up with buddies during capture the flag? Seems to really defeat the purpose of this type of game.

[eagle90 125]

Let's not go nuts with the Buddy System. When the whole troop is present playing a game, a scout does not have to be tied to the hip of a buddy. I'm sure he does not have a buddy when he hits the latrine, walks from his tent to the dining area, or plays an organized game of softball or soccer.

[Stosh 3452]

When doing night activities, I would differ in that the Buddy System is imperative! A few years back we did a camporee that had stations all over the place in the dark. About 3:00 in the morning we did a head count and one boy was missing. It took about a half hour to find him. He was at a station lying off in the bushes sound asleep. Now that may be an interesting hide and seek option, but it was rather unnerving for the adults for that half hour.

 

Stosh

[Nike 94]

There are going to be some natural lulls in night games and activities. Train the SPL and PLs to do a quick buddy check then.

[Eagledad 2777]

>>In today's scouting, how do you handle the Buddy System with a group of scouts at night? With 18 scouts, we will be in a fairly "confined" area of a few acres around the old campsites of our primitive campsite.

[Mike F 10]

Night is a great time for some skill action, too!

 

A couple of our favorites:

 

1. Night orienteering competition. We do this at least once a year as a troop. Last year we ran it as an official event at District Camporee.

 

2. Night compass course in canoes. Guys do 3-4 legs of a compass course on the lake and place a survey marker at their final location. We do this about every 5-6 years, so it's a totally unexpected skill competition when it happens. (We don't use distance - just follow bearing until hit shore, then head out on next bearing, so they are effectively bouncing around a medium-sized lake. This is a blast to watch from dark, silent canoe out there in the area.

[JerseyScout 10]

For the nighttime, we were big into Capture the Flag and Manhunt, with an occasional game of Kick the Can. Once in a while we played a game called Ships in the Night, which is more or less Flashlight Tag combined with Run the Bases.

 

Ten years after I left the troop as a Scouts, nothing much has changed at night on trips.

 

During the day, the games of choice for us were football, steal the bacon, buck buck (if you don't know it,

), spin the doughnut, soccer, and baseball.

 

Nowdays, the parents get really upset when the kids try to play Buck Buck (they heard me an another former Scout reminising), they are afraid that the small kids will get hurt. In the olden days, I was the ASPL for the new scout patrol, and we won nearly every game of Buck Buck despite going against patrols with varsity football players. Go team! Steal the bacon is also "too violent".

[T2Eagle 902]

Wow Jersey Scout, Buck Buck, I have not heard or even thought of that in a lot of years, my troop used to play that all the time. I am originally from the other side of the river near you, the Delaware not the Hudson. I do not know if that will fly out here in the midwest but maybe if I use the Bill Cosby intro they will at least try it.

 

After that I'll have to teach them to play stick ball with half a pinky.