| Tired of the same ol', same ol' when it come | | | | Equipment required: A stagnant water source |
| to entertaining your garden party guests? | | | | such as a neglected pool, pond or bucket. |
| Weary of boring badminton and jarts? Croquet | | | | Kids love this one! |
| not your style? Then you're in the right | | | | |
| spot! Here are games sure to make your next | | | | |
| party the hit of the gardening social | | | | |
| season!Icebreakers | | | | The winner is whoever come up with the |
| | | | largest water strider. Incentive for the |
| | | | competitively spirited: Anyone bobbing to the |
| | | | bottom retrieving the hapless mouse that |
| Game #1: The Gnat Slap | | | | slipped in about a month ago qualifies for |
| | | | the National Bobb-Off! |
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| Equipment required: A garden of any size. | | | | |
| | | | Game #7: Slug Races |
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| | | | Equipment required: A slug for each guest. |
| As your guests arrive, invite them for the | | | | |
| obligatory 'stroll through the garden'. Tell | | | | |
| them they are welcome to slap the gnats but | | | | |
| only those gnats annoying another guest; | | | | We suggest two events: The 4" sprint and the |
| never are they permitted to slap gnats | | | | 2-foot marathon. Guests may mark their slugs |
| hovering around their own eyes, nose, ears or | | | | in any way they wish. |
| mouth. The winner is the last guest standing. | | | | |
| A great icebreaker! | | | | Tip 1: Use an air-horn to signify the start |
| | | | of the races. Slugs are hard of hearing. |
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| Game #2: The 3-Legged Butterfly Chase | | | | |
| | | | Tip 2: Entrants in the "Watch the Lawn Go |
| | | | Dormant" game can play this game |
| | | | simultaneously. |
| Equipment required: Rope or wire to bind | | | | |
| legs. | | | | |
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| | | | Game #8: Hornet's Nest Pinata |
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| This is lots of fun. Tightly bind two | | | | |
| guests' legs together to make a three-legged | | | | |
| contestant. Then tell them you'll unbind them | | | | Equipment required: 1 large hornet's nest, a |
| only after they've captured a butterfly. | | | | stick long enough to reach the nest, a |
| | | | blindfold. |
| Tip: For a longer lasting game, declare the | | | | |
| quarry to be a hummingbird. | | | | |
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| | | | This game really livens things up after the |
| | | | slower pace of the slug races and helps work |
| Game #3: Competitive Weed Pulling | | | | off dinner. |
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| Equipment required: Weeds of any kind. | | | | Game #9: Blindfolded Lawn Mowing |
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| This is a great game to reward the hard | | | | Equipment required: A power mower and the |
| working guest. Entrants don't eat until the | | | | blindfold from the Hornet's Nest Pinata game |
| entire garden is cleaned of weeds. Winner: | | | | if it isn't too bloody. |
| The person with the most weeds eats first and | | | | |
| most, and so on down the line. This game | | | | |
| teaches the rewards of the Puritan work | | | | |
| ethic. | | | | Everyone loves this sport! One by one guests |
| | | | are blindfolded and told to mow the grass. |
| | | | The winner is the contestant who runs over |
| | | | the fewest trees, shrubs, flowers, pets and |
| Game #4: The Wasp Dodge | | | | other guests. Lotsa laughs! |
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| | | | Time Saving tip: Dial 911 before the game |
| | | | begins. |
| Equipment required: More wire for binding, | | | | |
| an in-ground wasp nest or two (Yellow Jackets | | | | |
| are the best!), a small amount of kerosene. | | | | |
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| | | | Games for After Dark |
| With hands tightly wired behind their backs, | | | | |
| have your players stand in a circle around a | | | | |
| wasp nest entrance. Irritate the wasps by | | | | |
| sprinkling a little kerosene over the hole | | | | Game #10: Firefly Shooting |
| and oh, boy! Stand back! Entrants are judged | | | | |
| on style, grace, self-defensive acrobatic | | | | Equipment required: A BB gun for everyone. |
| movements and number of stings. | | | | |
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| | | | After a fun day of activities and food, |
| Games to Play While the Frozen Turkey Cooks | | | | gather everyone in the center of the garden |
| on the Charcoal Grill | | | | in a large circle to try their hand at |
| | | | nailing a few fireflies. The winner, and |
| | | | don't expect one, is anyone who actually |
| | | | knocks a lightening bug out of the sky.Time |
| Game #5: Watch the Lawn Go Dormant | | | | Saving tip: Dial 911 before the game begins. |
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| Equipment required: A dry turf. | | | | Game #11: Feed the Mosquitos |
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| This is for those guests that had a poor | | | | Equipment required: Go figure. |
| showing in the other games. The winner is the | | | | |
| person still awake when the lawn is actually | | | | |
| declared dormant. | | | | |
| | | | Play this last game while lingering over |
| | | | "good-byes" in the garden.When Tom Schneider |
| | | | isn't trying to find new guests to invite to |
| Game #6: Bobbing for Aquatic Insects | | | | his garden parties, he and his wife Deb are |
| | | | busy with their on-line machine embroidery |
| | | | design business, WindstarEmbroidery. |
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