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Summer Games: Field Day Inspiration

by Kerri Aldrich on June 12th, 2007

I have a summer birthday and so had many outdoor parties as a kid. I loved the games that my mom would think up to play in the yard, and never laughed so hard as when I was watching my friends rolling eggs with their noses and such!

My daughter recently had her first Field Day with teachers and other students who belong to the same homeschooling program as we do. Some of the games brought back fun memories for me. I loved playing mushroom with the giant parachute! And others made me think that they’d work well as outdoor birthday party games. Here are a few from the Field Day, and a few that my mom used to have us play:

Egg relay (played like a regular relay with teams, or as individual races): 3 variations

1. Roll the egg with your nose

2. Carry the egg on a spoon with your hand

3. Carry the egg on a spoon with your teeth

Water balloon toss:

Played in pairs where each team tosses the water balloon back and forth, moving a little farther apart each time. The team that makes it the farthest apart without busting the balloon wins the game.

Parachute games:

You can actually get your hand on a parachute through Oriental Trading Company. I don’t think these are as big as the one the kids used at Field Day, but some of the games could still be played with them, I’d think.

Mushroom: My favorite! I loved doing this in gym class. Everyone lifts the parachute as high as they can, then pulls it around them while they run under the parachute and sits on the part they just ran under. When done right, the parachute has air underneath and looks like a mushroom.

Boys/Girls: Everyone lifts the parachute as high as they can and then either the boys or the girls run under it and switch places to a new spot on the outside of the parachute.

Marble toes:

I’d never seen this one until Field Day, but I knew my kids would be great at it because we all have a freakish ability and desire to pick things up with our toes. Basically, a circle is made with a string or rope in the grass. A bag’s worth of marbles is spread around in the circle. Then, with 3-4 kids playing in each round, the kids are given one minute to pick up as many marbles as they can with their toes! I really wanted to try that one, too. :)

What are you favorite outdoor games for kids’ parties?

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