The object is to hold to the rope and make
it blindfolded over obstacles (rope tied to chairs etc)
The person who has the flag (with a Primary
or Sacrament meeting song sheet taped on one side) reads a verse to someone
and if they can't identify it, they must take the flag and carry it around
until they find someone else who can't identify one of the songs and so
on.
The participant draws a name from a hat
and then must tape it on the fame or shame side of a black board. (Have
a couple BoM's around to look up those obscure names.)
Tie contrasting color balloons on the ankles
of the youth. Everyone tries to stomp the contrasting balloon and
pop it.
You can have clues set out throughout the church building, with each room being a place and time from the Book of Mormon. You could have a dark room with a small light to represent the Jaredites crossing the oceans - have people acting the parts, and relate the story of the Brother of Jared and his faith. The clues they get are the qualities the people from the Book of Mormon displayed - For instance, the first letter of Faith is part of the clue. When they find all of the places and clues in order, the children have spelled out where Moroni's Helmet is hidden.
If they follow the wrong clue, they go to rooms that tell about the bad people in the Book of Mormon. These can be Korihor, Coriantimur and Shizz, The Gadianton Robbers, etc. The people in these rooms will lead the children the wrong way, and give them the wrong clues.
At the end of the search (you can do it in shifts), ask the children about their experiences. Explain that we have also received clues and instructions that will help us receive the greatest treasure ever -- eternal life with our Heavenly Father. These clues are the scriptures, and just like the evil people from the Book of Mormon, there are things that try to keep us from finding our way - just like in the vision of the Iron Rod.
As a treat, the children can have chocolate
coins. The craft can be a paper "crown" with paper or plastic "jewels"
they receive when they figure out the clues in each room.
How many "coins" can a person drop into
a bucket without using his/her hands? They can drop them with their
mouths, knees, elbows, etc. Have a stack of chocolate coins in front
of each team, and watch the fun as they try to pick them up and carry them
to the bucket. The coins that made it into the bucket are the prizes
for the teams.
Mark 20 or so balloons with the numbers
1 - 10 and pin to a board. As each balloon pops, the thrower is read
the corresponding commandment (i.e.: if they pop a balloon with an '8'
on it, they are read the 8th commandment), and asked how we can keep that
commandment. Each correct answer gets a point. Answers cannot
be repeated, and if a team can't come up with an answer in 15 seconds,
they have to give the point to the other team. Prizes can be bookmarks
with the commandments printed on them for each team.
Have a stack of pebbles or small rocks
inside a large plastic container (possibly a kiddie pool). Have another
container with sand in it. Have teams build a building out of milk cartons
or wood blocks on top of the rocks or the sand. The goal is to build
the sturdiest building in a short amount of time (2 minutes). After
the buildings are done, dump water into the containers and see if the building
stands.
Tape individual packets of seeds to the bottom of inflated balloons. Place on the floor. Have the participants toss a large hoop over the balloon to win the seeds. Have a scripture or quote about a sower of seeds on the packets.
Set up a maze of chairs or hay bales with
a question and answers at each turn. The answers are in arrows pointing
in different directions. If they make all of the right choices, they
make it out of the maze. If they make wrong choices, they get lost.
This might make a nice change for a "Haunted House" at halloween.
Set up the "house" with black trach bags hanging from the ceiling as the
barriers, and have people in costume at each turn asking the question and
directing the partygoers.
The end of the fishing pole has a clothespin
attached. Behind a barrier (sheet, towel, blackboard or piano) sits
a person with pictures of people from the scriptures or Church history.
They clip the picture on, and the player has three guesses as to who it
is. If they tell the story behind the picture, they get extra points
or a larger "prize". (i.e.: gum for the name, pencil for the name
and the story.)
Guess how many Gumballs (blessings) are
in the jar. Each child got a small package of gum balls. The
person who guessed closest gets the whole jar. You can attach the
gumball
poem about reading scriptures to the small bags given out.
Place pictures (laminated or otherwise)
from the life of Christ on the floor. Make sure there are a few of
each one. Call out a situation or people in the pictures along with
left foot, right foot. The participants place their feet on the appropriate
pictures, and the last one left standing is the winner.