Penguin Races - Winter Carnival Game Idea!

We now have updated penguins and narwhals to race! (See below)

We used 2 (4 ft tables) - Gutters hang off 1 ft on each side.

PENGUIN RACES - SETUP & DIRECTIONS

A short Carnival Savers video/gif shows someone blowing through a straw to move foam penguins on an iceberg racing down a rain gutter.

Supplies for Penguin Races:

2 Plastic 10-foot gutters with End Caps and Waterproof Glue
8 Foot Table (adjustable height tables are great) to support Gutters
Level area for the game (very important!)
Floating Iceberg Craft with Penguins (sold below - updated look)
Empty Milk Jug or Pitchers to fill each gutter with about 3 gallons of water
Blue Food Coloring - optional but fun
Tablecloth and other decorations (game sign and ticket box)
1 Plastic Straw for Each Player
2 Stop Watches or Smartphones to time players, Leader Board (write on, wipe off), and pen/paper (optional)
Prizes - Consolation and Middle Prizes OR Consolation & Top Prizes

How to Make This Game:

Days or weeks before the carnival, purchase your gutters and end caps, glue and seal each gutter, and allow plenty of time for drying.

Next, you must trim your Penguin Iceberg Craft to fit in your gutters and put your craft together using waterproof glue.

Game Setup:

The most important tip to remember when setting up this game is that the tables must be level. If you are in a grassy park or a parking lot, try to find a level spot to start. You can adjust the table leg's height with blocks of 1 x 4 wood if necessary.

Also, if you have adjustable height tables, choose a very low level to allow your four and 5-year-olds a chance at playing this fun game! We used two 4-foot tables, and the gutters hung off about 1 foot on each side.

Place tablecloth and then gutters on the table with each gutter towards the right or left edge of the table to make playing the game accessible for the kids to play.

Next, add some blue food coloring in each gutter - optional.

Finally, set out your prizes and a container of straws for each player.

How to Play the Penguin Races:

Children are given a straw, and two children will play simultaneously.

Of course, there will be a "Ready, Set, Go," and each player blows on the straw to get their penguins to the end of the gutter the quickest way possible!

There are two ways to pass out prizes -

Option #1 Prize Method:

Children race each other - you have one winner and one consolation prize. Generally, if you have this setup, your winning prize is just a little bit better than the consolation prize (maybe the consolation prize is a snowflake tattoo, and the winning prize is a winter prize worth about 15 - 25 cents.

Option #2 Prize Method:

Players are timed using stopwatches. Each player receives a small prize when they make it to the finish line, but you keep a "Leader Board" with a write-on wipe-off board showing the top 5- 10- kids or so.

Volunteers will keep up with the board after you have 20 or so kids play the game to have a starting point for faster scores.

Kids will enjoy trying to beat their own time, and towards the end of your carnival, you can award larger prizes to your top winners. Stuffed animals seem always to be popular with children!)

Additional Hints & Tips:

Note: Kids love to play this game for the novelty of trying to get the floating iceberg with penguins to the end of the gutter! We found the icebergs spin as the player blows, but that just seems to make the game more challenging!