Children love to play games. Many will become real favourites and cause great excitement. The secret is to be ready. Ready with your equipment, ready with your facility, ready with your instructions and ready with your teams.

Games
allow children to let of steam and burn up energy
are an integral part of the weekly Ranger meeting
build confidence
develop teamwork and acceptance of adverse situations

Hints for running games
Games session have to start with a bang!
Games have to end with the kids wanting more.
Children need to be organised into teams very quickly, otherwise they will become bored and restless resulting in behaviour problems [see suggestions below]
Have the game area clearly defined. Inside use tape on the floor. Outside use flags or chairs
Have your equipment ready!
Explain the games to the children briefly while they are sitting down. Show where they are to line up or congregate
Then, take each patrol with their leader to the designated place
Don't shout over noise
Make sure players know the starting commands [eg: ready, set, go]

Dividing children into teams
Here are some suggestions for dividing a seathing mass of kids into any number of teams - effortlessly!
Use your patrols as the basis of teams
Number off - have each child call out their number. For example to dive into groups of three, line up kids and have them number 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 etc. Then get all the 1's together, all the 2's and so on. To even out the teams in ability, have them line up tallest atthe front, shortest at the back.
Have a bucket with coloured tokens. Have as many colours as you want teams. Kids file past and randomly select a colour. Careful you don't have more tokens than you have kids!
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  I see a Ranger program in every town in this country. An outpost in every
  suburb. I see a program so pervasive that every child in this nation will
  either be a Ranger or know someone who is a Ranger.
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Ps. Victor Zalakos
State Commander,  NSW Australia
http://www.rangers.asn.au

Contact information:
Post:  PO Box 498  Casino  NSW  2470  Australia
         Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
         Phone: +61 2 6662-7518

        Create the "Perfect" outpost - find out how at
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This posting is copyright (c) 1997-2003 Victor Zalakos. You may not distribute, republish, post, or otherwise disseminate without prior written (emailed) permission. You may however, use it in your own outpost.

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