The Magic Stick

You can play just about anything with a stick, so think just what you could do with a a magic stick....

Sticks are natural 'toys'.  They can be anything you want them to be, from a magic wand to a bow and arrow.

You can make things from them and play games with them.

Here's a very simple game you can play with a stick that can be played anywhere.

The Magic Stick Game

All you need is a long stick about 1.5m in length.

This is probably best played with a group of 5-8 people, though we made it work with four people!

Arrange the group in two lines facing each other and get them to hold their index finger out. This is what they are going to hold the stick with. Explain to the group that they must not lose contact with the stick and keep their fingers straight and not hooked over or below it.

This is not as easy as it sounds. We kept hooking our fingers under the stick ( see picture ). I think we need some more practice!!

Set the group the challenge of lowering the stick to the ground.

This game can easily be adapted for the group. You could make it more difficult for older children by playing it blindfolded. Set a stopwatch and see how long it takes to complete the challenge. Experiment with different-length sticks. Is it easier or more difficult to do?

This game was great fun. We enjoyed playing it lots of laughter along the way.

More Activities

This activity was inspired by the Learning With Nature book.