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Horseshoes

Follow these instructions for setting up the classic American game of horseshoes.
By: Trish Kuffner, author of The Children's Busy Book

Horseshoes


Materials

  • Shovel
  • Empty, clean tin can
  • Paint in as many colors as there are players
  • Four 2-inch metal washers per player
  • Paper and pencil

Directions

  1. Dig a hole in the ground and place the can in it so the top of the can is flush with the ground.
  2. Using spray paint (or acrylic or tempera paints finished with clear acrylic spray), paint four washers (horseshoes) with each color.
  3. Give four horseshoes to each player.
  4. One player stands about six feet away from the can and tries to throw his horseshoes into the can.
  5. Each player takes a turn.
  6. When all the horseshoes have been thrown, retrieve them from the can and record each player's score.
  7. A horseshoe that lands in the can scores two points, and each player?s horseshoe nearest the can scores one point. (This way, every player always scores at least one point.)
  8. Set a time limit.
  9. The player with the most points when time runs out is the winner.
  10. A child playing alone can try to accumulate a certain number of points within a given time period.

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