Scouting America

Scouting America logo

Home > Programs > Cub Scouts > Fun & Games > 

Cups and Downs
Back to: Cub Scout Fun & Games

Cups and Downs

Scouts, divided into two teams, will attempt to flip plastic cups either up or down, depending on their team.

Ranks

LION
TIGER
WOLF
BEAR
WEBELOS
ARROW OF LIGHT

Specifications

Arrow of Light, Bear, Lion, Tiger, Webelos, Wolf

4+

Indoor

4

2

2

Get details on the Fun & Games specifications.

Supply List

  • 12 oz. plastic cups, 10 for each player

Objective

Be the team with the most cups facing the direction that their team is working toward, up or down.

Set-Up

A large open indoor playing area 50 ft. by 50 ft. (half a basketball court) that is flat and free of hazards.  You may adjust the size of the play area based on the number of players.

Randomly place the cups on the floor making sure that half of the cups are facing up and half the cups are facing down.

Directions

Divide the players into two teams; one team is UP and the other team is DOWN.  The up team is to try and place all the cups so they are UP.  Meanwhile the down team is trying to place all the cups so they are DOWN.  The cups may not move from their original spot.  They can only be picked up to make them face UP or DOWN.

Position the teams on opposite ends of the playing area.  On the game leader’s signal they start the game with both teams simultaneously turning cups.  After 5 minutes the game ends and the team that has the most cups facing their direction (UP or DOWN) wins.

 

Level-Up – Players can only use one hand, and it must be their non-dominant hand.

Players can only use their feet.

Allow players to move cups.

Additional Resources

Cups and Downs Set-Up (PDF)

Chat Icon
Scoutly Toggle Size Close Chat

Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.