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Description

The game "Marco Polo" is a form of tag normally played in a swimming pool.

This version can be played as blindfold touch-tag in the following ways:
- on a hot day using water pistols instead of a pool
- indoors or outdoors in an enclosed space

Resources

Blindfold(s) - for larger groups you can have multiple seekers, so may need extras. Sleeping masks work well or painted the inside of cheap swimming goggles with black /very dark nail polish to ensure that the kids can't cheat.

Water-pistols - if playing the wet version.

[Optional - GoPak tables or similar to reduce the playing area size if needed]

Instructions

The game "Marco Polo" is a form of tag normally played in a swimming pool.
One player is chosen as "It", closes their eyes and tries to find and tag the other players without looking.
The player who is "It" shouts out "Marco" and the other players must respond every time by shouting "Polo".
The person who is "It" then tries to locate where a voice is coming from and tag another player.
If a player is tagged then that player becomes "It".
When "It" changes over, there is a brief moment where the other players can move to a new starting position.


This version can be played on a hot day using water pistols instead of a pool.
"It" is blindfolded and armed with a water gun. "It" counts to 10, while the other players silently move to new locations in the garden/park.
If "It" successfully gets another played wet with the water gun, then they swap.

Optional Modifications:
You may wish to limit the size of the playing areas, e.g. in a large hall with few players, limit the scope to half a room, perhaps using GoPak tables as dividers.
You may wish to allow the non-seeking players to take a single step after each time the "It" player shouts "Marco". This will limit the seeker's incentive to cheat by shouting Marco too many times.
You may wish to have only a Leader shouting "Marco", to prevent abuse of this by the players.
Instead of the tagged player becoming IT, they are simply out, while the seeker "It" tries to catch as many players as they can in a fixed 5 minutes game period.

Risk assessment items:
If using a physical boundary to the space, be ready to shout STOP if the seeker is in danger of hitting the boundary hard, or otherwise tripping/getting hurt.
Don't let IT run. They can trip over other kids who are 'hiding' and that can be painful.

Tags

• 1st Knaphill
• 7th Woking
• Challenger ESU
• woking

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