This game can be played just about anywhere, but it’s a really great camping game. You’ll need lots of nuts, which can be a fun mission to accomplish on a hike or roaming around the campsite. If you’re not camping, you can just get shelled peanuts or other nuts at the store.
Number of players: 4+
Ages: 4+
Space: outdoors
Materials needed: lots of nuts
To begin, divide the players into teams of two or more each, who stand in relay formation at one end of the room or playing space. If you have enough people, two can act as judges to watch over the game from behind the goal line, which can be a string or line drawn on the ground.
You’ll need two bowls for each team; one containing the nuts at the starting line in front of the team, the other is empty and is placed at the goal line in front of each team.
At the starting signal, each player scoops up as many nuts as possible using the BACK of their hand, then carrying them as quickly as possible, and dropping them into the bowl at the goal line. The player then returns to the starting line and tags off to the next player. The next player scoops as many as he can hold in the same way, and repeats the performance until each player has had his turn.
The winning team deposits the greatest number of peanuts in the bowl at the goal line. Any nuts falling off the hand while moving, or landing outside of the bowl at the end may not be recovered and are not counted.
Peanuts are best used for the game, but the game can be made more challenging by using hazelnuts, walnuts or chestnuts. I like to use styrofoam packing peanuts since my daughter has a severe nut allergy. They fly off the back of little hands easily, and makes for a really challenging game.