Are you experiencing an influx of idle young hands around the house recently? It is a story as old as time itself, and one that the American Indians who have called these lands home for centuries knew just how to deal with.

American Indians played a large variety of games in their day-to-day lives. The purpose of these games varied, but some benefits included increased dexterity, hunting practice, cognitive training and, of course, entertainment. Try out this fun family game and watch the time fly by!

Tune in to Parks@Home each Saturday, where we’ll be sharing different games that were played by American Indian tribes each week. Try all of these fun games with your family!

Stick Catching

• Played by: Pimas (Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico), Papagos (Southern Arizona), Eskimos (Alaska) and Haidas (Pacific Northwest)
• What You Need: Sticks! (Can be replaced by pencils, pens, spoons, etc.)
• How to Play: Player one will place a single stick on the back of their hands. They will then throw the stick into the air and attempt to catch it with the same hand. The player will continue adding sticks until they can no longer catch the same number of sticks that were tossed into the air. Player two will repeat the process and so on. Points are tallied based upon the final number of sticks that were caught.

What was your record for most sticks caught? Leave a comment below!

Information about this game cited from the University of Iowa.

—
Will Buelsing
Nature Interpreter, Miami Whitewater Forest