Sock Hacky Sack Circle

What you need

• Rolled socks, 1 old sock
• Rice, enough to fill the sock a third full, or lentils
• Spoon, 1

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Find a clean old sock without holes and a clear patch of floor or grass. Keep the dry rice or lentils away from babies and toddlers, since they are a choking risk.

1. Spoon dry rice or lentils into the sock until it is a third full.
2. Tie a tight knot in the sock, right above the rice.
3. Fold the leftover sock back over the ball for a second layer.
4. Toss the sack to yourself, then kick it up with the inside of your foot.
5. Count how many kicks you can do in a row.
6. Now try keeping it up with your knee, then the outside of your foot.
7. Stand in a circle with friends and pass the sack without using hands.
8. Count your team's record of passes in a row.
9. Now play again with new friends! What new trick will you try next?
   Ask: What trick or rule would you add to make the game even harder or sillier?

Play it again

• Trick shot: invent a kick, then everyone copies it in turn.
• Solo streak: see how many kicks in a row you can get using only your weaker foot.
• Gentle circle: pass around the circle and add one new body part every round.