Another great game is called bocce ball. It's an Italian game played on a court, but you can play it in your backyard. The goal is to throw the jack, and then everybody takes turns throwing their balls toward the jack. The closest ball to the jack gets a point. If you get two balls closest, you get two points. The next round begins from the location of the previous jack. The team that received the most points in the previous round throws the jack and begins the next round. A referee may be used to determine which ball is closest to the jack at any time during the game. And don't think you have to spend money for lawn games--you can make up your own or you can try Rebecca Kolls' rendition of Garden Relay; it's a great way to clean out the garage. Racing wheelbarrows filled with bags of fertilizer is a great way to begin your relay. Rolling up a garden hose is great practice for those future gardeners. Of course, you can't get to the garden hose until you pass the trivia test. Adding garden trivia gives it an intellectual flair. The challenge is to get the answer right before you move on. (Sample questions: "The three numbers on a container of fertilizer are ___?", "Holland is famous for what flower?") Add garden grooming to your relay as a way to have fun while checking off chores. Either way, a relay is a fabulous way to have fun right in your own yard.
As you can see, the sky is the limit with games, and try to remember with any lawn game that the key to a good game is good sportsmanship, so play fair!
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2005/03/04/reb647_Croquet2_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2005/03/04/reb647_Bocce_e.jpg",350,450))
