Hobbies And Interests
The Riddler's Treasure Hunt
A traditional treasure hunt lays a string of clues across the house, forming a chain that leads to a final treasure. Each clue in the chain points to the next clue down the line, leading the children all through the house until they reach the prize. In this case, you can simply phrase each clue as a riddle posited by the nefarious Riddler in order to confound the Batman. Write the riddle on a piece of paper (for example, "What gets cold when it runs?" could lead them to the refrigerator), then fold it in half and draw a big question mark on it. Place the clues in their appropriate locations in the house, then let the little Dark Knights figure them out, one by one.
Put The Batmobile In The Cave
This game works like the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey, only with a Caped Crusader twist. Create a big colored map of the Batcave _ or use an image such as the kind Dick Sprang created in the 1950s _ then draw and cut out a bunch of little "Batmobiles" to act as the "tails." Blindfold each child one by one and spin him around, then see if he can't pin the Batmobile in its spot in the center of the cave. The winner is the child who gets the closest.
Knock Out the Bad Guys
This game works best if you can find some foam Batarangs to throw, but can also be done using tossable bean bags or tennis balls. (If you use tennis balls, consider drawing a Batman symbol on them with a felt marker.) Cut out images of Batman's various villains _the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face and so on _ and tape each of them to an empty 2-liter bottle of soda. Set up the soda bottles on a bench or fence outdoors, then let the children take turns flinging "Batarangs" at them. The winner is the one who knocks out the most bad guys. You can vary the game by staggering the distances between the bottles and awarding more points for bottles struck at greater distances.