The weather is finally warming up in the Colorado Rockies (yay!), and while the sun was shining over Memorial Day Weekend, my kids and I pulled out a couple of fun outdoor games Sportscraft recently sent to my house. These are affordable, portable items that can be played in the front yard, on the beach or at a campground, grassy park or even a concert tailgate. Pack one (or more) of these easy-to-carry games to your next summer barbecue, and you’ll be the hit of the party (in fact, they make great family gifts, too).
Soft Tip Sky Darts are a kid-friendly, safe variation of lawn darts that can be played indoors or out. The four included darts are weighted and oversized, with a large squishy round tip. The object of game is toss the darts into a ring (also included) from about 15 to 20 feet away; you can play with 2 or 4 people. All pieces are stored in a lightweight bag for easy portability, and the game retails for about $25.
With young kids in the mix, we found it easier to stand away from the ring about 12 feet. We also had to experiment a bit to toss the darts just right, so they wouldn’t hit the ground in the ring and then bounce out. Hint: Toss high toward the sky, rather than low across the ground. Of course, this advice might change if you’re playing on the beach or concrete. Another hint: If you’re playing with really little kids, you might want a circle with a bigger diameter as your target, such as a hula hoop.
Bean Bag Horseshoes are similar to the traditional game, but the shoes aren’t nearly as heavy and hard to throw — ideal for little hands (and, okay, this mom). The shoes aren’t super soft and floppy (like squishy beanbags) because the beans are tightly packed around what feels like a plastic shell, and then covered in durable material (so they’re just soft-ish). You can play the game inside or out, as you’re tossing the horseshoes around wooden stakes held in place with grippy rubber mats.
The kids had fun pitching these shoes, but again, we had to move the stakes pretty close to one another — maybe 15 feet, versus the 40 feet recommended in regulation shoes. And again, we had to practice a bit to figure out the bounce and deflection (different from metal shoes). We found we were earning more points with leaners and shoes that landed the closest to the stake, than with actual ringers, but perhaps with some practice this summer, we’ll be come ringers of the game ourselves!
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Want to sample these games — and one more — this summer? Here’s your opportunity to win THREE Sportcraft games of your choice. In our random giveaway, if your lucky comment number is pulled, you can chose three games from this list:
- Soft Tip Sky Darts
- Bean Bag Horseshoes
- Foldable Ladderball
- Anywhere Table Tennis
- Portable Washer Toss
- 5 Game Combo
This is how you can win your choice of three games:
1. Leave a comment below telling me which three games you’d choose if you win and why. You may enter once a day.
2. Tweet the following on Twitter: I entered to win outdoor games from @sportcraftltd on @thevacationgals: http://bit.ly/sportcraft You must tell us in a separate comment below for the tweet to count as a giveaway entry, and you may enter this way once a day.
3. Like The Vacation Gals on Facebook, then tell us you did in the comments below. Same, if you are already a “fan” of ours on Facebook. Just tell us in the comments below. You may enter this way just once.
The giveaway starts today and ends June 14 at 6:00 pm PDT. Winner will be determined by a random number generator and announced June 15. Immediate family members of The Vacation Gals cannot enter this giveaway. You must have a U.S. or Canada mailing address to win. Thank you for entering and good luck!
I am a fan on FB and have been a fan for a long time! Love you gals!
I would choose the
Soft Tip Sky Darts
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Anywhere Table Tennis
inman@Mobap.edu
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inman@mobap.edu
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inman@Mobap.edu
Love these games! Perfect to bring to the beach or a park!
I would pick the darts, table tennis (what a great idea!) and the ladderball.
Our family would LOVE the washer toss, anywhere table tennis and bean bag horseshoes. The hand eye coordination of these games are so good for everyone in the family!!!
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inman@Mobap.edu
Lawn darts are the best! I would pack those for picnics and camping trips.
# Soft Tip Sky Darts
# Bean Bag Horseshoes
# Anywhere Table Tennis
for fun at picnics
tweet http://twitter.com/#!/phxbne/status/76728246133194752
The kids would get a kick out of the table tennis, bean bag horseshoes and the washer toss! Everyone could participate in those games!
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inman@mobap.edu
All of them look like so much fun but the three games that our family would enjoy are the washer toss game, bean bag horseshoe game and table tennis!!! Everyone could participate in all these games!
I would choose the
Soft Tip Sky Darts
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Portable Washer Toss
Our entire family would enjoy the bean bag horseshoes, the table tennis and the washer toss game! These would really bring out our competitive spirits!
Darts, horseshoes, and combo.
I would choose the BEAN BAG HORSESHOES, ANYWHERE TABLE TENNIS 2 PLAYER SET, and SOFT TIP SKY DARTS
5 game, horseshoes and ladder for fun for alll
I would choose the
Anywhere Table Tennis
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Portable Washer Toss
These games just scream summer! Our family would love the bean bag horseshoes, the washer toss and the sky darts!!!!
I would get the Soft Tip Sky Darts, Portable Washer Toss and 5 Game Combo. I chose these because they are games I used to play as a kid and I think my children would really enjoy them.
If I won, I wojuld pick Soft Tip Sky Darts, Bean Bag Horsehoes and the Foldable Ladderball because they would be great games to play on the beach or backyard.
abfantom at yahoo dot com
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inman@mobap.edu
I would choose the Soft Tip Sky Darts, Foldable Ladder Ball, and the 5 Game Combo.
I would choose the
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Portable Washer Toss
Anywhere Table Tennis
They will get a lot of use at Dale Hollow Lake in July!
BTW you vacation gals should check out Dale Hollow Lake!
It is the prettiest, friendliest lake in the Southeast with clear water and beautiful views!
I would choose the foldable Ladderball because my children have played this at a friend’s house and enjoyed it.
tweet http://twitter.com/#!/5memb/status/78404383410364418
These games are right up our alley for summer! Everyone would be able to enjoy the bean bag horseshoes, washer toss and sky darts!!
I would choose the
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Portable Washer Toss
5 Game Combo
They will get a lot of use at Dale Hollow Lake in July!
We could all participate in the washer toss, the bean bag horseshoes and soft tip sky darts! They scream SUMMER!
Our family would love to get outside and play Soft Tip Sky Darts, Bean Bag Horseshoes and Foldable Ladderball. Thanks for the chance!
Tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/AsTheNight/status/78878840432230400.
I already like The Vacation Gals on Facebook.
I would choose the
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Anywhere Table Tennis
5 Game Combo
They will get a lot of use at Dale Hollow Lake in July!
Our whole family could enjoy all these games but the top three picks would be bean bag horseshoes, washer toss and yard darts!
For my trip to Dale Hollow Lake
I would choose the
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Portable Washer Toss
Anywhere Table Tennis
Anywhere Table Tennis, Portable Washer Toss and Foldable Ladderball
thank you
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net
http://twitter.com/#!/tatertot374/status/79397762738819072
thank you
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net
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thank you
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net
These all scream SUMMER! Our entire family could enjoy the washer toss, bean bag horseshoes and the yard darts!
I would choose the
Portable Washer Toss
Bean Bag Horseshoes
5 Game Combo
They will get a lot of use at Dale Hollow Lake this July!
These games are just perfect for summer! Our family could all participate in the washer toss game, the bean bag horseshoes and the soft tip sky darts!
We would LOVE the washer toss game, the soft tip sky darts and the anywhere table tennis – they all look like such fun
I would choose the 5 Game Combo because it has badmitton-my favorite, Beanbag Horseshoes, and Portable Washer toss, because they would be fun for my grandkids.
smchester at gmail dot com
I like you on Facebook-Susan Chester
smchester at gmail dot com
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I would chose the Portable Washer Toss, the Foldable ladderball and the bean bag horse shoes.
juleemm2003 at yahoo dot com
My choices would be the Soft Tip Sky dart s, Bean Bag Horseshoes and the Portable Washjer Toss.
I would take Soft Tip Sky Darts, Bean Bag Horseshoes and Portable Washer Toss
on camping trips.
I would pick the soft tip Sky darts because it makes me think of when I was a kid
heidisweeps at charter dot net
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heidisweeps at charter dot net
I like you on facebook (heidibyrd maplesden)
heidisweeps at charter dot net
5 game combo cuz we love playing badminton, anywhere table tennis cuz that’s fun too, and bean bag horseshoes cuz it gives the kids safe horseshoes to play with.
I think my family would love:
Anywhere Table Tennis
Foldable Ladder Ball
Soft Tip Sky Darts
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Anywhere Table Tennis
Soft Tip Sky Darts
These are all games I think my family would really love!!!
I want Foldable Ladderball, Soft Tip Sky Darts and Anywhere Table Tennis as they are games we can all play as a family.
Ladderball we love that game.
I would pick Soft Tip Darts, the Ladder Ball and the 5 game combo, my girls would play the lawn darts and ladder ball like little crazy ladies at my moms house and the 5 game combo we could keep to take to the park with us, it seems like the best choice for our family. We would get a lot of use out of it for sure!
I would choose the soft tip sky darts bc I have little boys who are rough and these look like they would be safe for my rough little ones.
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These games just scream SUMMER! Our family would enjoy the bean bag horseshoes, washer toss and the soft tip sky darts!
I would choose the 5 game combo and the horse shoe game me and my family would love those for the summer
(4robert2win at gmail dot com)
I’d choose the Bean Bag Horseshoes.
I’d get the foldable ladderball, the 5 game combo and the horsehoes!
I would want Foldable Ladderball, Bean Bag Horseshoes, and the 5 Game Combo.
I would pick:
Foldable Ladderball- I’ve always wanted to play it. It looks like fun
Portable Washer Toss- Looks similar to cornhole which we love playing.
5 Game Combo- We would really love the badminton game. The others look fun, too.
I Tweeted- http://twitter.com/ksh123/status/80460885524611073
Soft Tip Sky Darts
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Portable Washer Toss
Would be great to take camping….
I would choose the-
5 Game Combo
foldable ladderball
Portable Washer Toss
These would all be great to play in the backyard or take with us camping. Thanks!
I would pick these to use at bar b que and this summer with the cub scouts. they would really love these.
ladder ball
portable washer toss
5 in 1 combo
tweeted- http://twitter.com/#!/amied027/status/80497162781343744
Like you on FB under Rene Denning.
I would take the 5 game combo, the portable washer toss and the foldable ladder ball. Thanks for the great giveaway!
msjem2001 at yahoo dot com
All look like fun but I choose the bean bag horse shoes
already like u on fb Julie Scott Laws
I want to win:
5 Game Combo – I love badminton! I want to teach the kinder about it!
Foldable Ladderball – I have seen this game over and over again. It has to be fun so I must try it!
Soft Tip Sky Darts – I think I was around 5 when the original Lawn Darts were banned. I never got to ‘try’ them out, so I’m all for trying the safer version.
Tweet – http://twitter.com/choochoo428/status/80640088815579136
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Foldable Ladderball
Anywhere Table Tennis
please
if I won, i would choose the:
* Soft Tip Sky Darts – because we have had these before and really loved them!
* Anywhere Table Tennis – because we love to play table tennis
* 5 Game Combo – because it offers a great variety of games to play!
Anywhere Table Tennis – I heart tennis
Portable Washer Toss- good coordination skills
5 Game Combo – more variety – the better!
http://twitter.com/#!/lilshuga2001/status/80680449680220161
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bean bag horseshoes -my dad loves horseshoes and can teach my son
table tennis, bean bag horseshoe, five game
5 Game Combo because it has an assortment of fun.
These are GREAT summertime games! We could all participate in the washer toss, beanbag horseshoes and the sky darts!
I would choose Soft Tip Sky Darts, Bean Bag Horseshoes, and Anywhere Table Tennis. I have fond memories of these games because I played them growing up. Of course, now they are lighter and safer.
I would choose the
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Portable Washer Toss
Anywhere Table Tennis
How fun! would kick up our summer get togethers!
Bean Bag Horseshoes
Foldable Ladderball
Anywhere Table Tennis
I would select Soft Tip Sky Darts, Anywhere Table Tennis 2 Player Set, 5 Game Combo because the darts are just a lot of fun. The table tennis is a game enjoyed anywhere and the combo will give the kids plenty of variety
ardy22 at earthlink dot net
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ardy22 at earthlink dot net
a already liked you fb
rich hicks
ardy22 at earthlink dot net
I’d choose Anywhere Table Tennis
Portable Washer Toss
5 Game Combo
because they sound like fun
I would choose the Soft Tip Sky Darts, the Bean Bag Horseshoes and the Anywhere Table Tennis because I think my family would enjoy them.
I’d love the bean bag horseshoes. My kids could actually play it! vmvazquez83 at yahoo dot com