Poohsticks is a favorite game we like to play on hikes. As a bonus, it is guaranteed to occupy toddlers for a long, long time. A.A. Milne fans will recognize the game from The House at Pooh Corner. From the middle of a bridge, Pooh Bear drops a fir cone into a slow moving river and is surprised to see it turn it on the other side of the bridge. And if you’ve seen the original Disney Winnie-the-Pooh movies, the Pooh gang plays Poohsticks in Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore.
So why is the game called Poohsticks instead of Poohcones? Because Pooh and friends figured out that sticks are easier to tell apart. All you need to play is a bridge over a moving creek and some sticks. Each player drops their sticks into the current from one side of the bridge. The sticks float under the bridge. The stick that comes out first is the winner!
Kids love watching for the sticks to come from under the bridge. The current may catch the stick and bring it quickly under the bridge. Or it may float off over the side, or get snagged on some brush. You never know, which is a lot of the fun. A gentle moving current is the best. Too slow and the game turns boring. Too turbulent and the sticks get lost in the rocks and white water.
There is actually a world championship Poohsticks game held on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England every year. And if you want to see the original Poohsticks Bridge, it is located in Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. It is the bridge that Milne and his son played the game from. Visitors are advised to bring their own sticks. This is such a popular place for playing Pooh sticks, that it’s hard to find any sticks.
Give this game a try. I promise your toddlers, preschoolers, and Pooh Bear fans, will love it!
Also See:
Streams, Creeks, Rivers and Lakes
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Pooh’s Grand Adventure: the Search for Christopher Robin (1997)