At parties have your guests make their own paper cup with this technique. They'll be able to drink at least once from this paper cup. If you use thicker paper, it's possible to drink from it a few times. Baking paper is even better. Have your guests write their name on it, and see whose cup lasts the longest.
The Button Yo-Yo:
This is something you're going to have to prepare in advance. The kids can make the button yo-yo interesting and with a permanent marker or colorful glittered nail polish, and decorate the button with swirls or any design they come up with.
The whole thing costs less than a bar of chocolate, and the sweetness will last a few thousand kilometers.
You'll need: A big button with two holes, 70-cm. of strong string to thread through the holes of the button. Both of the ends of the string are threaded through the holes and tied securely.
To start the spin of the yo-yo you hold the ends of the string with both hands, positioning the button in the middle. With a jump-rope movement swing the button in one direction until the string is twisted up tightly, and then start to pull your hands outwards so the button spins around and the string unwinds. You let it unwind, and wind up again. Before it stops, pull out again so that the perpetual motion continues.
I've played with this yo-yo as an indoor small area game, where the yo-yo is passed from one to another without losing the perpetual motion. This is a doable challenge, and you can have tournaments with a medal awarded to the champion yo-yo button player or team at the end of the ride. It is also good exercise for the arms.
Blind Man's Golf
Picture this: You are at a restaurant. The service is a bit on the slow side. You have paper place mats on the table. You have the standard colored markers, the ones I've that tend to dry up when the caps are left off. They are actually the best because they won't make permanent stains on clothing.
How to begin:
Draw the blind man's golf course on the paper place mat. It can have one sand pit, and one forest, and anything else that the players suggest as booby traps. Decide how many penalty points a player will receive if he or she stops in those areas. Five holes will probably be enough for the first time. For every dot and number on one side of the course, draw a hole with a corresponding number on the flag. That's where you have to end up “hitting the ball.”
The Game:
As in seeing man's golf, the idea is to get the lowest score. Each player when his or her turn is up prepares to tee off. You can open and close your eyes as many times as you want before you move your colored marker towards the hole. Once you've started to move towards it, you have to keep your eyes closed. After you've made your move, you open you eyes. How close are you to the hole? Will it take another turn, or maybe two? If you stop in the sand pit or in the forest, you tally the additional penalty points to the number of times you moved with your eyes closed until the mark stops in the hole.
Star Wars
Here is something else you can do with the paper place mats. Fold one in half. Each of the two players decides on their alien design. They should be the size of a big button. Again, decide how long you think you'll be waiting, and draw that many aliens on either side.
The Game:
Each player has to knock out the enemy alien ship. Make sure that each player uses a different colored marker.
- Make your guess mark with your colored marker, on your side of the space field.
- Fold over the paper and go over that same mark again this time on the outside of the page, making sure that the ink seeps through the page in order to mark your opponents field.
- If you “hit” the alien ship, in other words if the ink is in anyway touching your opponents ship, you cross it out. If not, better luck and skill next time. Now it's your opponent's turn.
Shoot, Go for Cover, Reload
This is for two players:
Both players have to have ammunition. They can get it by slapping on their knees twice at the same time, and at the same pace, and reaching over their heads and behind them. Now they both have ammo, but each time they use it, they'll need more. So, now they can protect themselves by crossing their arms across their chest. If they do that at the same time, the next time they slap their laps twice they can try to “kill” their opponent get more ammo, or protect themselves again. The rhythm is: Two slaps on the lap, and one of the three options. See you at High Noon, stranger.
Happy Trails to All of you Brave Travelers.
Now for the tongue twister:
One small boy, he felt smart
Two small boys, they both felt smart
Three small boys, they all felt smart.
Note: Don't forget to say the words “both” and “all,” it makes a difference.
Once you've learned it without a slip, you can pass it on.
Please be safe, don't drink and drive. Stay alive for the long and interesting road ahead.
