Disclaimer

There are significant dangers associated with both Open Water and Moving Water canoe outings.  Units undertaking a Scouting Adventure on either a large body of water or moving water need more than just the basic skills and knowledge required by the BSA to conduct such a trip.

Our Troop has several adults with extensive experience and professional training in watercraft use, sailing and whitewater.  If you are planning a Canoe trip and do not have an experienced adult leader able to assess flow rates, wind and "read water", you should reconsider a water outing until you have the proproper resources and people to make your trip safe. 

Canoe Games

Games are a great way to teach canoe skills.  They are also great for breaking up long stretches of river banks and shorelines. 

Canoe Football

• Materials:  Nerf Football or Frisbee 

• Method:  Goals are 100-150 feet apart.  Team throws ball to other boats in team.  A catch is when a player or boat catches the ball or Frisbee.  If you miss, the ball goes to the opposing team 

• Scoring:  1 point for each ball or Frisbee crossing the goal. 

Canoe Basketball

• Materials:  Tennis Balls and canoes

• Method:  One canoe on each team is the "Basket".  Teams try to score as many points by getting balls into "Basket" powered by opposing team.   

• Scoring:  1 point per ball in "Basket"

• Variations: Balls can start in water or in boats

• Note: Boundaries must be set to avoid "Baskets" from traveling to other end of lake. 

Water Tag

• Materials:  Canoes 

• Method:  Play a game of tag on the water.  Hand or paddle touches count (NO swinging paddles at other players).  Great game on moving water. 

Relay Race

• Materials:  Canoes 

• Method:  Set up loop course.  Legs of race can be forward, backward, sideways, solo, etc. 

• Scoring:  First team to cross the finish line wins

Steady Goes It

• Materials:  Canoes, Cups of water

• Method:  Balance cup of water on bow of boat.  Boats race to cross finish line without tipping the cup. 

• Scoring:  First team to cross the finish line with full cup still upright wins

I Spy

• Materials:  Eyes

• Method:  Game Master selects an item commonly found on a a river bank.  Each Canoe team keep track of how many they see.  Select "Reset Object".  First team to yell "Reset!" when that item is found keeps their tally, while all other teams reset their score to zero.  

• Scoring:  1 point for each time identified. 

Race to a Dozen

• Materials:  Tandem canoes, whistle, ball that floats

• Method:  Game Master assigns challenges.  First boat to complete challenge wins a point.  First boat team to get to 12 points wins. 

• Scoring:  1 point for each completed task

  • Retrieve a ball in the water

  • Spin boat 360 degree

  • Race around a point

  • Switch positions in boat

  • Get out of boat and back in

  • Flip boat, right it and get back in

Sticky Balls

• Materials: Duct Tape

• Method:  roll up balls of duct tape and stick to bow and stern of each boat.  Teams race to collect balls from other boats.  Winner is the boat that collects the most balls. 

• Scoring:  1 point for each ball collected

Red Light / Green Light

• Materials: Canoes

• Method:  "Red Light" means stop.  "Green Light" means go.  If canoes are still in motion after "Red Light", that canoe is out. 

• Scoring:  Winner able to cross finish line without being "outed"

• Variations: If a boat is outed, it gets swamped. 

Leap Frog

• Materials: Canoes

• Method:  Canoes line up in water.  Canoe at back races to get to the front.  After canoes are lined up again, the trailing canoe races to the front again. 

• Scoring:  First team to get all canoes from back to front, one at a time, wins

Monkey in the Middle

• Materials: Canoes and ball or Frisbee

• Method:  Canoes circle up around one canoe (the "Monkey").  Canoes toss ball or Frisbee through the middle to another boat.  If "Monkey" in middle catches ball/Frisbee, they are out of the middle and the canoe that tossed the ball/frisbee is the the new "Monkey".