Play Splat!
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples can be found here. Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
- Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.
Play the game
- Everyone should stand in a circle with the person leading the game in the middle.
- The person who is leading the game should spin round and, at random, point to one person and shout ‘splat!’.
- This person should duck down. The people on either side of them should to point at each other and shout ‘splat!’.
- The last person to shout ‘splat!’ should sit down.
- If a different person also shouts ‘splat!’, they’re out and have to sit down. Keep the game moving along quickly to test reflexes.
- The game continues until there are two players left. The remaining two players should stand back to back, and when the person leading the activity signals, they should walk away from each other.
- When the person leading shouts ‘splat!’ the last two players have to turn and shout ‘splat!’ at each other. The first to shout is the winner.
Reflection
This activity was about testing reflexes. Everyone should think about the other skills they used to play well. For example, they had to stay focused and alert. Did they find it hard, or easy? Were they disappointed not to win, or elated that they did win? Everyone should understand that having fun is the most important element of the game, not winning.
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
- For the final decider between the last two players, you could make it harder by changing the key word they should say to another one. For example, you could make it a longer or more complicated.
- Alternatively, people could also shout each other’s names, which’s also a good icebreaker and getting to know you activity.
Clearly point at the person who needs to duck, instead of or as well as shouting ‘splat!’, if there’s anyone with hearing or speech difficulties.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
