Build a structure for your toys and knock it down while enjoying some outdoors time.
What You Need
- Boxes such as shoe boxes or balsa wood boxes
- Chalk, to draw the throwing line (optional)
- Socks, rolled up – heavy wool socks work best
- Stuffed toys, ideally those that are dense and heavy
What You Do
- Build a multi-level structure
Using boxes laid on their sides, build a structure with different levels.
We started with balsa wood boxes, like the kind you get when you purchase clementines. They stood up well, but they were hard to knock down. However, they might be a good choice for older children or mixed in with shoe boxes.
For structures built entirely with shoeboxes, you might need to put some shoe boxes behind the main structure to hold it upright until the game starts. You also might avoid playing the game on a windy day. - Populate the box structures with toys
Stuffed toys with some weight to them help the structure stay upright. - Throw rolled up socks to knock down the structure
You might also have a throwing spot for smaller and taller people that adjusts the difficulty level. It helps to put a rope on the ground or draw the line with chalk to help smaller participants remember where they are supposed to stand. - Set up the boxes for another turn
To play this game at a birthday party or with a larger group, it helps to have volunteers to toss back the socks after they are thrown, and to put the boxes upright again. It requires a lot of bending over, so it’s a great volunteer role for an enthusiastic child.