Capture the Flag

Imagine you are on a super-secret mission. Your friends are on your team, and you have a secret base. Inside your base, you are guarding a special, colorful treasure. Way over on the other side of the yard is another team. They have a secret base and a treasure, too. Your job is to be a super-sneaky spy. You have to run as fast as you can. You have to hide behind big, tall trees and tiptoe very quietly. Do you like to run and hide. It is so exciting to protect your team's special treasure.

Guess what. That super fun game is me. Hello. I'm Capture the Flag. I am a very, very old game that kids have loved for a long, long time. Even grown-up soldiers used to play games just like me to help them practice being quick and smart. A long time ago, around the year 1909, groups like the Boy Scouts started playing me. They thought I was so much fun that they wrote all about me in their special books. They wanted lots and lots of kids everywhere to learn how to play with me. I was so happy to be shared with everyone.

Today, you can play with me almost anywhere. Friends play me in big, green parks with soft grass. You can play me in your own backyard or at a happy summer camp. When you play me, you learn how to be a great team. You get to cheer for your friends, yelling, "Go, go, go.". You help each other and work together. The best part of playing me isn't just winning. The very best part is laughing with your friends and having fun running and playing together outside in the sunshine.