This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

The 2011 Gross Out Olympics

Do you ever tell your kids not to play with their food? At the Gross Out Olympics, they take playing with your food to a whole new level!

On a warm and breezy Friday afternoon, Pierce County Parks & Recreation held their third Gross Out Olympics this summer for kids age 3 and up.  It was the last one for this summer but the event will be back, just as gross, next summer.

My daughter saw an article on Patch that stated it was the last day to register for the event.  We only had a few hours until the deadline so we signed her up online right then, even though it made us a little late for dinner at a friends house.

We weren’t entirely sure what it was going to be like so we speculated about it during the drive to Sprinker Recreation Center.  What would happen at something titled Gross Out Olympics?

Find out what's happening in Gig Harborwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Everyone was congregating near a grassy area surrounded by the ball fields, the skate park, and the basketball courts.  A table with peeled bananas, large containers of chocolate syrup, and cheese puffs clued us in that we were in the right place.

They jump right into the first event.  Upon checking in, the kids were handed a paper plate with four lumps of brightly colored pudding (blue, yellow, green & red) and sheets of paper.  They were instructed to find a spot in the grass and finger paint.  Of course, within the first five minutes the kids had moved beyond the paper and were painting themselves and each other.

Find out what's happening in Gig Harborwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Everyone was sent to run through a strategically placed sprinkler which, as the day went on, I saw as a critical component of the competition.

The next events were as follows:

  • Snake Pit Relay:  the kids divided into 4 teams and, relay style, raced down one by one to a large tub filled with marshmallows and water.  And rubber snakes and bugs.  It was their job to reach in and pull out one snake, not a bug, then race back and add to their teams pile of snakes until all the snakes are found.  The slimy marshmallow water was the perfect medium for this game.
  • Human Cheese Puff:  Teams of two sit facing each other.  One members face is coated in whipped cream while the other is given a handful of cheese puff to throw and stick to the whipped cream.  Before long it all falls off, whipped cream and all, and that participant is sent over for a quick wash in the sprinkler then the whole process is repeated but the kids switch sides.
  • Bubblegum Bubble Blowing:  The gum was distributed and it was dead silent through this part.  Was this clever strategy on the part of the activity director to get a little mini-break during the middle of the games?  I don’t know if that was an active decision on their part but I am going to remember this the next time I have a rowdy bunch of kids and I need a few minutes of peace and quiet.
  • The Jello Toss:  The kids are divided into team of two and given a semi-frozen individual serving size cup of Jello.  They remove it from the plastic and start to toss it back in forth, in the spirit of the egg or water balloon toss.  Soon this gentle tossing broke out into a minor Jello war.  Thank goodness for that sprinkler!
  • Scrambled Eggs and Banana Splits:  Participates navigate through a simple maze of cones on the ground and walk through the sprinkler, all while holding either a raw egg or a banana that has been soaking in water for an hour under their chin.  They continue through the course until the egg breaks or the banana disintegrates.
  • Syrup and Seed:  In relay teams again, each child dips their entire hand into a container of maple syrup.  They then coat it in a plate of birdseed.  The object is to run to a bowl and shake off as much birdseed as possible.  The game continues until all the seed has been moved into the bowl.
  • The finale – The Chocolate Syrup Plate:  a paper plate with a design drawn on the bottom is coated in a thick layer of chocolate syrup and placed in front of a participant.  With their arms behind their back, they have to use only their face to scoot, drink, slurp or in any way move the chocolate to see the design at the bottom.

The kids had good clean fun by getting dirty.  Kate and I are looking forward to next year since they vary the games a little each time.  And this also gave us an idea.  This could be a great activity for summer parties with a large group of children to keep occupied.  Just make sure you have a sprinkler handy!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Gig Harbor