Archives by: John H. Treble

Select several guys with moderately long hair (but not more than 5 or 6 inches…) Select several girls to be the “stylists”. Each boy pulls a nylon stocking over his head completely covering his hair but allowing his face to still show. The stylists then begin poking toothpicks through the nylon hose and pulling out tufts of hair. The most bizarre hairstyle wins the contest! I’ve had several guys wear their new hairstyle all night long! What a hoot!

Divide a large group into several teams. Each team gets a bedsheet. Have one half of each team go to the opposite side of the room for a relay race. Hand a bedsheet to the first person in line on one side of the room. At the word “GO”, the first person must drop to the floor on the bedsheet, roll themselves up into a “caterpillar” and then “inchworm” crawl to their teammates across the room. There they must unroll (the receiving team may assist!) then the next person in line rolls up and inches back to the other side. Continue the relay until each person has crossed to the other side. Great fun!

Divide the group into several teams. Place stacks (one per team) of old newspaper, with one or two rolls of masking tape per stack, and a sealed envelope containing the costume theme in the center of the room. At the word “GO”, each team sends one kid to the center of the room to select a stack and take it back to his team. Each team then opens the envelope and constructs and wears costumes made entirely of newspaper and tape. Give them 15-20 minutes to complete the task and then hold a fashion show!
Costume themes I’ve used successfully are: Peter Pan and characters, The Wizard of Oz characters, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Star Wars characters, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, The Flintstones, Gone With the Wind, Wild West Town, Remember the Alamo, a Southern Tent Revival!
Themes I’ve tried which bombed: Dallas Cowboys, Scenes from Baywatch, and Sesame Street!
You’ll be amazed at the creativity of the kids! It’s lots of fun and kinda messy!