The Best Picnic Game

One of the things that I love the most about summer is all of the picnics and barbeques that happen.  I love all of the food, sitting around and talking with friends, and playing games.  My husband's family loves to play blongo.  My family's favorite is something we call "The Stretchy Thing."

 

This piece of fabric doesn't look or sound like much, but it sure is fun.  It is just a long piece of swimsuit fabric serged together so it is in a tube.  To play "The Stretchy Thing Game," you need four people.  The participants stand making a square with the fabric around their waists and pulled tight.  

My mom and sisters are good sports and good models.



When ready, two people standing across from each other run, switching positions.  You should always pass to the right.  Once the first runners hit the fabric, the second pair runs, switching positions and passing on the right.  As you continue to run back and forth the fabric stretches and bounces you back so you are flying back and forth. 

This thing is so much fun.  It is a game for older kids and adults, because the little ones don't get it, and just bump into each other.  Little kids like to play with the fabric though.  We had two adults, on either end holding the fabric tight, and let the kids run around inside the tube.

To make your own stretchy thing, you'll need 4 1/2 yards of swimsuit fabric.  Choose the cheapest (and probably the ugliest) kind.  Ours is the width of the fabric, which is 60 inches.  Take the fabric, fold it in half right sides together, and serge it up.  Ta da!  This is the easiest and most fun ever!

Has anyone ever seen this before?  Does it have a name?  Do you have any good name suggestions, or does "The Stretchy Thing" suffice?