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Description

Practise your knot-tying skills and prepare for water activities with this fast-paced team game.

Courtesy of the Scout Association: https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/tie-the-tarp/

Resources

Rope
Tarpaulins or groundsheets with eyelets

Instructions

Before you begin
-Place sheets of tarpaulin or groundsheets with eyelets at the end of the space. You should have one sheet per team.
-Set out a selection of lengths of rope and cord at the other end of the space. They should be at least one metre long.
-You may want to ask some extra helpers to assist with this activity.

Get knotting
-Everyone should get into teams of four to six people.
-The person leading the activity should demonstrate how to tie a figure of eight knot with a tarp and a cord; this is a stopper knot used for stopping a rope from slipping. It can also act as the base for other more complex knots.
-All of the groups should practise the knots.
-The person leading the activity should show everyone how to tie a reef knot; it’s useful for tying a line in a loop around something, such as attaching a mainsail to a boom.
-The groups should practise reef knots.
-Anyone who is experienced in tying these knots can help others in their group.

Secure your boat
-Now, everyone should rescue their teammate by tying their pieces of rope together and pulling their boats (the groundsheets) to safety.
-In teams, everyone should stand at the opposite end of the space to the sheets. Everyone should have a piece of rope or cord.
-A helper should stand by the sheets and check the knots.
-The first person in each group should run to the sheet and tie their rope in a figure of eight knot to the eyelet.
-The helper should check the knot and raise their arm. Then, the first person should then return to their team and tag the second person.
-If there aren’t enough eyelets on the tarp, the helper could undo the knots once they’ve been tied.
-When everyone in the team has tied a knot, one of the team members should sit on the tarp while their teammates drag them back to the starting point and tie up their tarp to a pole (or a table or chair leg) with a reef knot.
-Boats also need to be tied to the port with a figure of eight in order to land safely. Reef knots are used to tie the sails.
-Everyone should change teams and play again or add in other knots they’ve learned.

Reflection
-This activity tested everyone’s knot-tying skills under pressure. Everyone should talk about what it was like trying to tie the knots at speed. Did anyone forget what to do or fumble their knot? They should know that this is normal and doing games and activities like this in the meeting place helps them feel more prepared on the water.
-This activity was also about working in a team. It’s really important to work together on the water to ensure everyone is safe. Talk about the next time the group will be on the water and how they can use their knot-tying skills.

Tags

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Badge Links

• Nautical Skills - Knot
• Outdoors - Shelter
• Pioneer - Game
• Pioneer - Lashing