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Scouts love Dark Night as the activities are carried out mainly in darkness.

It’s useful if they bring a torch for some activities.

Our hall is large and situated in parkland so we can do activities outside, near the building.

However, outside activities could be done in a local park or campsite etc. as there are several of them that would make an evening – see * for these.

Dark night games for whole troop

1. Shoes in centre - everyone takes off their shoes (undo laces) - they are placed in the middle of the hall and lights go off – scouts crawl on floor to find their own shoes by touch – after twenty seconds put lights on for 5 seconds, then off again – repeat a couple of times – then put lights on fully. It’s first patrol standing in a row with the correct shoes on. With large numbers play by age group.

2. Peas scattered - scouts sit down with hands over head – lights go out and a packet of dried peas is scattered around the room. Scouts crawl to pick up peas - after twenty seconds put lights on for five seconds, then off – repeat a couple of times – then put lights on fully. Count up peas collected – patrol with most wins.

3. Candle lighting relay – relay formation - put candle on saucer at end of hall (unlit) – each patrol has a box of matches – patrol members take it in turns to walk to the candle, strike a match, light the candle, then blow it out. Can be played with first player lighting, second blowing out and so on.

4. Hand using ball with bell in it – play a game of conventional hand ball (same as ordinary football but use a hand to hit ball) but ball has a bell in it (used for children with disability). Can also be played with glow stick gaffer taped to ball.

5. Quarters game – divide hall in four quarters – each patrol stands in a section - sponge ball or ball with bell thrown in the dark – after thirty seconds put on lights – patrol holding the ball gets a point – smallest number of points wins.

6. Dark circle - place plastic hoopla hoops on floor, lights out - Scouts have to find a hoop and stand in it, after ten seconds – lights on. Can be played with specific numbers in hoop – 2, 3, Scouts not in a hoop drop out – remove some hoops as number of players gets smaller.

Dark Night bases

• Done as a patrol in separate rooms if possible.

• Some activities need to be done outside the building in a field/park.

• Some can be set up very quickly but others need to be set up in advance – see ** for these.

1. Tallest tower out of Lego bricks in 5 minutes.

2. Fitting shapes into a baby ball – fastest time – do more than once.

3. Tying a rope around the patrol and finish with a reef knot – as fast as possible.

4. **Shadow Kim’s game – sheet back illuminated - items held up so their shadow only is visible – teams to identify them – can also do profiles of the patrol with the Patrol Leader to spot them.

5. **Spiders web – get through sisal/string web without setting off alarms! (Hang small bells on the string). Can use LED torches with tape over lens to create a narrow beam instead of sisal.

6. Coins in plastic bottles – find bottles and collect coins – state sum of money in bottles.

7. **Searchlight game – put out tables on their sides for cover (put table legs away from direction of play) – patrol at one end of hall – leader at other with good torch. Leader sweeps the hall in a regular fashion with torch. Scouts try and get to other end of the hall without being spotted in beam. If caught they start again. Keep a note of how many get through or are caught.

8. Lengths of lashing rope scattered about in a room. Patrols have to find ropes - tie them together - longest rope that holds together wins.

9. Timer finder – set timer alarm for five minutes teams have to find it.

10. * **Cats eye trail – outside hall - 2 narrow pieces of fluorescent tape on black card, pinned on trees just at the limit of a good torch beam. Patrols follow trail to find the treasure!

11. Touch game – scouts identify items by touch.

12. Darkness drawing - Piece of paper/pencil given to each scout with an item e.g. large key, screwdriver, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 coins, nut and bolt, pair of spectacles, small toy. Items removed – lights out – scouts draw item

13. Long range Kim – patrols at one end of hall items/cards at the other Scouts use a torch to spot items and cards with letters on that spell a word.

14. Bounce tennis balls into buckets in the dark – give buckets different points values or throw hula hoops over cones.

15. Patrol given shadow hand shapes sheet – they each practice them, and then put on a display.

16. Morse code – half patrol use torch to flash one word in Morse code e.g. name of a place such as Gilwell or Edinburgh etc. to other half of patrol. Then repeat with other half of patrol. Need to give scouts a Morse code sheet (Scouts find this activity difficult.)

17. Paperclips – make longest chain (need lots of paper clips as it's difficult to undo quickly).

18. Play skittles using glow sticks on neck of skittles.

19. * **Glow stick trail – outside building – attach glow sticks to trees – use torch to follow trail.

20. Scavenger hunt in the dark – scatter items in room – patrol collect specific items from a list.

21. *Spotlight – Leader has a torch – patrol hides outside – time how long it takes to find them.

Risk Assessment

We have run these activities for many years without any problems.

However, the issues above are for dark night activities only.

Troops should already have in situ a risk assessment for troop games to cover slips & trips, first aid, poor behaviour etc.