Blizzard Blast

Blizzard Blast is lots of fun if you live in a warm-weather area where there is not much snow. The aim is to play a series of snow games. Players divide into two teams.

Age: All ages

No. of players: Large groups

Equipment: Sheets of newspaper; ice; "snow skis" (see below); rolls of toilet paper; Christmas decorations (tinsel, balls, etc.)

Time: 10 minutes+

Aim: To be on the team that wins the most snow games in a warm-weather climate.

1. Teams line up on opposite sides of the room. A line is drawn down the centre of the room, using chalk or a length of rope. At a given signal the teams have a snow ball fight, using wads of rolled up newspaper, with the aim of throwing the snowballs into the other team's territory. The team with the most snowballs in their area after three minutes loses.

2. Each team is given a block of ice - a two litre (four pint) bottle of water frozen in a freezer. Players have five minutes to melt the ice by rubbing it with their hands. The team with the smallest block wins.

3. The third of our Blizzard Blast games requires nerves of steel and feet of stone. Ten marbles are hidden in a large pan of crushed ice. One player from each team must find and remove the marbles using only their toes. The team who does this quickest wins.

4. Two players from each team must work together. One player holds a sheet of paper while the other player uses a pair of scissors and tries to cut out a snowflake from the sheet of paper without touching the paper with their other hand. The best snowflake wins.

5. One player on each team is chosen to be the "snowman". The other players wrap the snowman in a roll of toilet paper. A judge chooses the best snowman.

6. This is similar to the previous game except four players on each team stand back to back with their arms extended to form a "Christmas tree". (If you don't have enough players, you could use two players to form the tree.) The remaining players decorate the tree using a box of decorations. A judge determines the winning team.

7. Our final Blizzard Blast game can be played indoors or outdoors. Two sets of skis are needed for this game. You can make some skis by nailing old shoes to two long planks of wood or you could use real skis. Make sure any nails will not cause damage or an injury. Teams line up and must complete a slalom course from one end of the room to the other and back. The first team to complete the relay wins.