Anteater

Objective: For the "ants" to reach their "hill" without being tagged by the "anteaters," or to rescue tagged ants.

Players: 6+ (works best with larger groups)

Equipment:

A clear, open playing area.

Setup:

Choose a location for the "hill" that the ants are trying to reach.

Choose Anteaters: Select players to be the "anteaters." (Adjust number based on group size; 2 for every 10 players is a good ratio).

Position Players:

All players designated as "ants" start at one end of the playing area, away from the hill.

The "anteaters" position themselves between the "ants" and the "hill."

How to Play:

Ants' Goal: The "ants" try to run from their starting area to the "hill" without being tagged by the "anteaters."

Anteaters' Goal: The "anteaters" try to tag as many "ants" as possible.

Tagged Ants: If an "anteater" tags an "ant," the tagged "ant" must lie down on the ground with their arms and legs in the air. They cannot move.

Rescuing Tagged Ants: Other "ants" can rescue a tagged "ant." To do this, every limb of the tagged ant must be tagged by a different ant. This means it takes 4 ants to rescue an ant. If an ant is touching a limb of a tagged ant they are protected from the anteaters.

Once all four limbs of a tagged "ant" are being touched by rescue ants, they all stand up, link arms, and are prtoected from the anteaters while they go back to the "hill".

The "ants" win if they successfully get all remaining ants to the "hill."

The "anteaters" win if they tag all the "ants", all the ants aren't rescued by the time the timer runs out, or if the number of remaining ants drops to less than four, making it impossible to perform a rescue.

Challenge Option: While the group of 5 is running back to the "hill" after a rescue, the "rescue ants" and the "rescued ant" can be tagged by the anteaters if they don't get back to the hill fast enough.