Knights and Intruders

Skill: Dodge, Run
Time Required: 20
Activity Type: Physical
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group
Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs
Play area: Gymnasium (large indoor space), Outdoor - Field
Safety Considerations: Remind the knights to hit participants gently with the pool noodles, and below the shoulders.
Remove any safety hazards.
Remind participants to always keep their heads up and be aware of their surroundings and where other participants are.
Equipment: 1 pool noodle for each knight (have one knight for every 5 or so participants).
Hoops or pylons
Objective:
For participants that are knights to tag the intruders, and for the intruders to avoid getting tagged.
Other Skills:
Agility
Set up:
Have 4 sets of pylons set up in squares or rectangles around the play area for the forest areas, and have them so that they are the same distance away from each other.
Have pylons set up in the centre of the play area in a large square, this is the castle's prison.
Designate a few participants to be the knights, and give them pool noodles.
Step by Step:
1. All participants who are not knights are the intruders, and they are intruding on the castle's land.
2. The knights protect the land and try to tag any intruder on the land. They tag them with a pool noodle, hitting them gently anywhere below the shoulders.
3. All intruders start in one of the squares on the outside (the forests).
4. The knights are not allowed inside the forests or prison.
5. When the game starts, they all have to leave their forest and run around the play area.
6. The knights tag participants with their pool noodle (gently).
7. When an intruder is tagged, they have to go to the castle's prison (square in the centre of the play area).
8. They can be freed if an intruder that is not tagged, runs into the prison and links arms with one of the prisoners, and they run back to any of the forests without being tagged.
9. However, when running back to the forest, if either one of them is tagged, they both go into the jail.
10. Intruders can stand in any one of the forests for safety, however, they can only stay in there for 5 seconds at a time.
11. After 5 seconds is up, they have to leave the forest and run to another one, or to save a prisoner, or just avoiding being tagged.
12. To make it more difficult, as the game goes on, remove one or more of the forests.
13. Play for a designated amount of time, then select new participants to be the knights.
Variations:
Participants are allowed to link as many arms as they like from the prison, however if one of them is tagged, they all have to go to the prison.
Increase or decrease the number of knights.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.