Troll Guarding the Bridge

Skill: Dodge, Run
Time Required: 15
Activity Type: Physical
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group
Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs, 13+ yrs
Play area: Gymnasium (large indoor space), Outdoor - Field
Safety Considerations: Remove any safety hazards and obstacles from the play area.
Remind participants to be aware of their surroundings and to keep their heads up as participants will be running in both directions across the bridge.
Remind the participants that a tag is light tap.
Equipment: A lot of one item or multiple items to be used as grass seed (beanbags, tennis balls, badminton birdies, ping pong balls etc).
1 Hula hoop per team.
Pylons or rope for boundaries (if necessary).
Objective:
For the goats to bring grass seed over the bridge, that the troll is guarding, and to their hoop on the other side.
Other Skills:
Speed
Agility
Set up:
The boundaries will be the outside lines of the gym, or use pylons/rope to set up the boundaries.
Using the lines or pylons, set up the bridge in the middle of the play area that is about 8-10 feet wide and goes across the width of the play area.
On one end of the play area place the grass seed items.
On the other side, place 1 hoop per team.
Divide participants into teams of 4-5 participants.
Select 1 participant to be the troll.
Step by Step:
1. The troll will be standing on the bridge (the area in the middle).
2. The rest of the participants are the goats and are standing on the end with the grass seed items (beanbags, tennis ball, birdies, ping pong balls etc...)
3. Designate one hoop per team and place them on the other end of the play area.
4. The goal for the goats is to bring one grass seed item over the bridge at a time and place it in their team's hoop on the other side. Then they have to run back over the bridge in order to collect another grass seed.
5. The goal for the troll is to tag the goats when they are in the boundaries of their bridge.
6. When a troll tags a goat, they join the troll in tagging other goats, but they don't want to tag their own team's goats.
7. If a goat had a grass seed item in hand when they got tagged, they have to throw or place it out of bounds.
8. Goats have to figure out the best time and way to get across the bridge in order to not get tagged.
9. When all goats are tagged, the team with the most grass seed items wins.
10. Make sure all goats are running across the bridge. Could have a rule that each goat has to cross the bridge at least once every minute (or so).
11. Choose a new troll to start, and switch teams around.
Variations:
When a troll tags a goat, they have to sit down where they were tagged, but can still tag other goats.
It's every goat for themselves, and they each have their own area on the other side where they put their grass seed items.
Don't have grass seed items or hoops, participants just have to run through the bridge as many times as possible without getting tagged.
Make the bridge bigger or smaller.
Have 2 trolls to start.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.
Attachments: Download