Construction Party Game: Wrecking Ball

Another great game that the kids played over and over again while waiting for their parents to pick them up!

Wrecking Ball Game

Before the party, use a variety of empty boxes to make a "cityscape" of buildings. For instance, a paper milk carton became an apartment building. A cereal box was a skyscraper. An empty paper towel tube was a smokestack, etc. etc. This was a great project to involve my kids in party prep. We covered the boxes in butcher or construction paper and drew on the building details with markers.

Also before the party, fill a black 9"-round balloon with dry beans. (Put a funnel in the mouth of the balloon and slowly pour the beans in.) The balloon is your wrecking ball; fill it until it's got some good weight (enough to knock over your largest box). You probably want to use about a cup of beans, but see what looks right to you. Knot the balloon so it closely holds the beans inside. Tie a long ribbon or string around the knotted balloon and suspend it from the ceiling. (We used a ceiling hook that you'd use for a hanging plant -- it was small and easily removed later.) The length of the string should let the wrecking ball hang about 2-3" above the surface of the table you'll use.

Set up your box cityscape on a table and place the table a few feet away from the wrecking ball.

To play, each child stands in a pre-determined spot next to the hanging wrecking ball. The player can raise the ball from where he/she is standing (let the ball go from their raised arm -- definitely NO throwing) and lets the ball swing! The wrecking ball will swing forward and knock down the boxes. Give each player the same number of swings (3-5 is good, unless the kids are pretty young) and see how many buildings they can tip over.