Type/Purpose: Obstacle Course/Race/Relay, Outdoor, Seasonal–Summer, Water

Materials:

  • 3 disposable plastic cups, 16 oz. each
  • 6 disposable plastic cups, 2 or 3 oz. each
  • 6 cones, spots, etc. to mark start and end points
  • 3 tubs/buckets of water

Set-Up:

  • A few hours to a day ahead of time, fill the cups with water and freeze them solid. After they are frozen, cut off the cups, and leave the ice mountains in the freezer until ready.
  • Set up 3 relay lines, with a cone at either end.
    • At one end, place the bucket of water and two 3 oz. cups.
    • At the other end, set the ice block

Play:

  • On go, the first player will scoop out a cup of water, run to the ‘mountain’, and pour the water over it.
  • They will run back, tagging the next person.
  • The first team to melt their mountain wins.

Extra ideas:

  • Fill each of the cups with a different food coloring color.
  • Place a penny, heads up, in the bottom of the cup. The team that fully thaws their penny out, and can give you the date on it, wins.
  • Use smaller cups, or have participants use their hands to melt the ice block.
  • Instead of water buckets, fill tubs with water balloons, and have participants bomb their mountains.
  • For a problem solving twist, fill 3 milk jugs half full, freeze, add a quarter to the middle, fill and freeze. The group is to obtain the quarter in as quick a time as possible without breaking the block (throwing, cutting, sawing, etc.). They get three chances to obtain the fastest time.