Dolphin Communication

Dolphins can use sight or touch to communicate in certain situations, but in others they need to use sound to keep in touch with other dolphins.  While dolphins make it look easy, the skill of listening and moving underwater is harder for humans.

For this game, one person will take a turn being blind and his/her team mates (1-3 people) will help the blind person to navigate to an object and retrieve it.  Before the activity starts, the team should develop a language for navigation, such as two claps means left, one clap means right, three claps means go under, and so on.  Alternatively, if you have bells or other noise makers, let the people use them as part of their language.

After they have had a chance to work on communication, have the blind dolphin close its eyes and then throw a golf ball into the pool.  Emphasize that the other dolphins cannot touch the blind dolphin to communicate.  They can only use sound to communicate.  Supervise carefully as each group does its work, and then switch leading and following partners. 

A backyard fishing expedition can be fun for people of all ages. Make fish out of plywood, painting them with waterproof enamel to look like different varieties. Attach a magnet to them and throw them in the pool. Rig rods with magnets instead of hooks and begin fishing. Ask kids to identify the fish they catch by looking in a nature book. Turn the fishing trip into a contest. Paint numbers on the side of the fish and have prizes for those who catch fish with a specific number. After the fishing match is over, hold an outdoor fish fry to give kids a "taste" of what it's really like!

This game allows for several variations. You can use all varieties of coins or several of just one type. You can even tape secret numbers or emblems under each coin. Toss the coins in the pool, let them settle, then let the swimmers, one-by-one, gather as many as possible in one breath. The object of the game is determined by your coins: either find the most coins, the most of one kind or the one with the special something underneath.

Include anything from a hearty relay race down the length of the pool to a children's balloon race across the width of the pool. Use rubber rafts to paddle from, plastic cups or ping-pong balls to blow across or numerous other pool-safe objects. Have a small reward ready for the winning competitor.

Cover one very big, very round watermelon with vegetable shortening. Place it in the pool and let teams of three or four push it back and forth across the pool. Points are scored when the melon crosses into the opposing team's goal area, marked beforehand. The real fun comes in trying to lift the watermelon from the pool to carve up for all players.

Marco Polo

One person is chosen to be Marco.  He or she goes or swims to one end of the pool, closes his or her eyes, counts to 10, and yells "Marco".  They should still be in the pool, not outside.  All the other players in the pool respond "Polo."  Marco has to try and catch one of the players who yells "Polo" by using the sound of his or her voice instead of eye sight.  Players can yell as often as they like buy should only respond once for each time Marco yells.  If Marco calls "Fish out of water!" then anyone out of the water is the next Marco.  If two or more people are out of the completely, the last person in the pool is the next Marco.  Once Marco catches a person, then that person is now the next Marco.

Cannonball Contest

Have two groups: one for the cannonballs and one for a team of judges.  The cannonball group lines up behind the diving board; each person attempts to make the biggest splash to get the highest vote.  The judges are the voters and give each person a vote out of 10.  Then the groups swap. Offer prizes to the winners.

Cold Feet

Divide into two teams -- more if you have a lot of players.  Choose one team to go first.  Have someone watch the clock for sixty seconds.  Have team one get into the pool.  They can stand or sit.  Say go and throw twenty ice cubes in the pool and see who can take the most ice cubes out using only their feet during the sixty second time frame.  Then have the other teams try.  The team who got the most out is the winner.

Fishy Under Water

This game should be played with 2 or 3 kids and an adult acting as the judge.  The players must swim or lay down on the pool bottom while holding their breath.  The last one up is the winner. 

Shark

This game is usually played in the deep end of the pool.  The shark is in the middle and all the other players line up on one end of the pool.  Each player has to cross the pool without getting tagged by the shark.  Anyone who does becomes the shark's helper.  The remainin players keep crossing the pool back and forth until the last player is left.  He or she is the winner.

Ping Pong

This game is usually played in the shallow end of the pool.  All players line up on one side of shallow end of pool.  Each player pushes a ping pong ball across the pool using ONLY their nose.  The first person to reach the other side with their ping pong ball wins.

Relay Race

Divide the players into two teams.  Each player will swim the length of the pool and back.  That player will then tag the next player on their team.  The first team to have their last player to finish the lap wins.  You can change this game to include inflatable rafts or any other type of floating toys.