Requirements
No extra materials needed. The ages I typically play with are school age, but Junior High/Middle School and even High School-aged will work well. Group size is best with 15 to 20, but can go lower or higher if needed.
Objective
For the Sheriff to capture all of the criminals and/or make them his deputies.
Description
Fire in the forest, with a twist!
1. Designate a large square/rectangular space to play in. 2. Have the kids line up on one end of the playing space. They are the Criminals.
3. Have an adult (or one of the kids) stand in the middle of the playing area, facing the rest of the kids. This person is the Sheriff.
4. The Sheriff will call out “I’m looking for all of the criminals who…” and then finish that with something like “…are wearing blue.”
5. All the kids who are wearing blue will then try to make it to the other side without being tagged. If they are tagged, they go to a previously-designated spot known as the “jail.”
6. Play continues in the same manner with the Sheriff calling different things the kids have in common.
7. Each time the Sheriff captures 5 new criminals (so at 5, 10, 15, etc) he gets to make one of them his deputy to help tag.
8. If the kids make it across without anyone being tagged, they get to select one criminal to free from jail.
9. At any point in time, the Sheriff can yell out “Jailbreak” and everyone who is in jail has try to get to either side without being tagged.
10. Play continues in this manner until everyone is captured.
