Steal the Bacon

Steal the Bacon is a tag-based children's game, in which teams try to steal a ball or other item ("the bacon") from the field without being tagged.

Rules

The players are divided into teams, typically two, although more are possible. Players are assigned a call-sign, often a number, which is shared by a member of the opposing team. The teams line up on opposite edges of the playing area, which has the "bacon" in the center. A referee calls out the call-sign, and the team members who have that call-sign must run to the center, grab the bacon, and return to their teammates without being tagged by the other player(s) with that call-sign. No tagging may occur before the "bacon" is grabbed. The referee may call out more than one call-sign resulting in many pairs of players attempting to steal the "bacon".

Occasionally, this game will be used as a fun educational or reinforcement tool. Instead of directly giving the call sign, a teacher acting as referee can give indirect clues which the players have to deduce in order to know who was called. For instance each student gets the name of an ex-president and the teacher calls "Our first president!" This way of applying the rules is also effective in reinforcing simple math skills.

References

* [http://www.gameskidsplay.net/games/chasing_games/bacon.htm GamesKidsPlay.net - Steal the Bacon]