The Levitan Website
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Cat and Mouse 1
Minimum number = 10Everyone except two children forms a circle leaving an arm’s length between each child. The two are the cat and the mouse and they start outside the circle and at opposite ends. At the leader’s signal the cat starts to run after the mouse, who must run away. The mouse can run inside the circle and the cat cannot. The mouse must leave the circle within 3 seconds. Each time the mouse enters the circle the two she/he has run between join hands – this part of the circle is now locked to the mouse. If there are an even number of people in the circle, the game is won by the mouse when all but one of the links has been closed; if there is an odd number, then all links must be closed (i.e. the mouse ends up inside the circle with either all links closed or only one left open). The cat wins if she/he catches the mouse (by touching them) before the links are closed. After each round the winner is substituted by someone in the circle. Continue until everyone has been both a cat and a mouse or they are too tired to continue!
Chinese Squeeze
Minimum number = 10
This game ideally needs two leaders - one to squeeze and one to score.
Two teams of equal size.
Each team sits in a line all facing the same way side to side, holding hands.
The two teams must be back to back so they can't see the other team. The Leader sits at one end holding the free hand of the last child in each team.
When ready the leader squeezes the two hands he/she is holding at the same time. The children must now transfer the squeeze down the line without making any noise.
When the child at the end feels a squeeze they hold up their free hand. If they are first and get it right their team wins a point. However if they hold up their hand when there
hasn’t been a squeeze from the leader their team loses a point. At the end of each round the child next to the leader goes to the other end, until all children have been in first
and last locations. The team with the most points is thre winner.
Coin Slap
Minimum number = 6
Divide the children into two teams if there are 8 or more, otherwise just one group is fine. Line them up so that they are all facing front to back. Now get the front person in
each team to turn so they are facing front to front with the next player. Give the first child a coin which they must hold in the palm of their outstretched hand. The second player
holds their hand out, palm upwards. At the word go, they must now try and pass the coin down the line by “slapping” the coin onto the palm of the next child without dropping it.
If the coin is dropped it can be picked up but must continue from where it was dropped. The first team to transfer all coins is the winner. Watch for “cheating”, e.g. players
holding the coin so it can’t fall off their hand when “slapping” it to the next player.
