Jump 'till you can jump no more!

Tradition: The Baer Family Jumping Competition!

Ahhhh, swimming pool fun at Grandma's Pool! It's become a tradition when my siblings come to visit with their family. Part of this tradition includes the Annual Baer Family Jumping Competition.

Rules of the Game:

Have all participants line up along the side of the pool. Participants are usually divided by age and gender. No, we're not trying to discriminate - just trying to make the most competitive, yet fair structure we can. This year we had two groups. Boys (9-13) and Girls (7-10). The older kids were too cool and the younger kids, too scared.

Determine an announcer and a judge. It's best that the judge is not the father or mother of one of the participants. It helps with the bias factor.

This year's judge - the guy on bottom!

I had fun being the announcer. No picture since I'm the one taking the pictures! 

Object of the Game:

Receive the most points for your jumps into the pool...similar to diving competitions. Here are some of the categories we have used...

Most graceful jump

Jump with the least amount of splash

Most athletic jump

Most original jump

Jump that produces the most splash

The best belly flop (double points)

The farthest jump

The jump that makes the best use of arms and legs

The best cannon ball

The funniest jump

The best hurdle jump

Most patriotic jump

Each category is a round. Every participant takes a turn to do their jump for the specified category. At the end of the round, the judge gives points. 5 for the best, 4 for the next, 3 for the next, etc. Sometimes more than one person gets the same amount of points. The jump-ee keeps track of his own score. The person with the most points wins! Get your creative gear in mind to come up with some really fun categories!

This is a very fun, improv game that takes no advance planning. The kids love coming up with new ideas for jumps that fall into the designated categories. The judge and the announcer laugh and enjoy the faux pas and originality. 

If you really want to have fun with it, plan in advance: Have three or four judges. After each person's jump, the judges put up a number from 1-5. The judges keep score and declare a winner. We haven't taken it that seriously yet but there's always next year! Prizes could be awarded as well. This would be a fun birthday party activity!

Most Original Jump

Best use of arms and legs jump

Most athletic jump

Jump that produces the least amount of splash

Ready for the next category!

Dunk the Judge!

I love FREE, no planning fun, especially activities that are active, social, and away from media! 

Today's Stick-to-it Tip: Plan a family jumping competition and let the fun begin. My kids are already begging for another day at Grandma's Pool to jump until they can jump no more.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!