Watermelon Keepaway is easy and fun. All you need is a hot afternoon, a place to swim and an innocent looking baby watermelon.
We laughed so hard our sides ached and played so long that everyone had pruny skin and I was exhausted when we finally got out of the water. The perfect game for a summer water party.
The rules for Watermelon Keepaway are really quite simple:
-You need a baby watermelon or two covered with a bit of Vaseline (optional). (You can play with two melons and two ‘Its’ if the group is large.)
-Once everyone is in the water, one person is designated ‘it’ and they get in the middle and try to capture the watermelon to get out of the middle.
-The melon is pushed under and through the water to the players in the circle, with the object of keeping it away from the ‘It’ person who is chasing the watermelon. And yes, the watermelon will float.
-Players may not lob the melon over the water…could be painful! (Immediately becomes ‘It’)
-Occasionally the ‘It’ can call out ‘watermelon!’ and everyone must put their hands in the air, repeating the word and trying to catch someone with the melon. (Tip: People would sometimes try to sit on it or push it down in order to show their hands or just shove it away.)
-The ‘It’ can grab the watermelon away from someone, but no rough-housing, elbowing, or dunking please.
-When the ‘It’ finally catches the watermelon, the last person to touch it becomes ‘It’.
– Continue until exhausted (Optional). We played Watermelon Keep-away so long that the melon became spongy. We wisely decided not to eat it when we were finished. 🙂