A couple of weeks ago we celebrated my father’s 80th birthday.  We played lots of games that represented Dad’s favorite things, games using Oreo cookies, games with tennis balls and games with M & M’s, but one of the most  fun games was about Dad’s interest in tools and I thought you might want to add this game to your list of games for your Father’s Day party.

Begin by dividing your group into two teams or more, if you have a large group.  Have each group choose a contestant for the round.  Contestants come to the front of the group, standing equal distance around a tennis ball on a folded towel.

The Master of Ceremonies for the game, begins reading a description of a tool and the contestant that knows the answer first, grabs the tennis ball from the towel.  The contestant with the ball gets the first chance to give the name of the tool.  If they answer correctly, that team receives a point, if not, the question is read again and another team is given the opportunity to give the correct answer.

If neither contestant is able to give the correct answer, contestants may huddle with their team members to try and come up with the answer.  First contestant to grab the tennis ball can give the answer.

Game continues until the winning team, the one with the most points, is determined.

A list of tools and descriptions are listed below:

Stillson Wrench- a large pipe wrench with L-shaped adjustable jaws that tighten as pressure on the handle is increased.

Coping Saw- a handsaw with a taut thin blade; used for cutting small curves in wood

Back Saw- any hand saw which has stiffening rib on the edge opposite the cutting edge, allowing for better control and more precise cutting than other types of saws.

Mallot- a tool resembling a hammer but with a large head (usually wooden); used to drive wedges or ram down paving stones or for crushing or beating or flattening or smoothing.

Pliers- a gripping hand tool with two hinged arms and (usually) serrated jaws.

Lathe- a machine tool which spins a block of material to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling or deformation with tools that are applied tot he work piece to create an object which has symmetry about an axis of rotation.

Router- a plane for cutting interior angles, as at the bottom of a groove.

Plomb Bob- a weight, usually with a pointed tip on the bottom, that is suspended from a string and used as a vertical reference line.

Allen Wrench- A tool consisting of an L-shaped bar with a hexagonal head, used to turn screws with hexagonal sockets.

Box Wrench- a wrench with a closed loop that fits over a nut or bolt head.

Ratchet- a type of wrench, or tightening tool, that uses separate, removable sockets, removable sockets to fit many different sizes of fittings and fasteners, most commonly nuts and bolts.

Clamp- a fastening device to hold or secure objects tightly together to prevent movement or separation through the application of inward pressure.

Nail- a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener.

Tin Snips- hand tools used to cut sheet metal and other tough webs.

Hack Saw- a saw used with one hand for cutting metal.

Radial Arm Saw- a cutting machine consisting of a circular saw mounted on a sliding horizontal arm.

Anvil- a heavy block of iron or steel on which hot metals are shaped by hammering.

Vise Grip- pliers that can be locked into position, using an overcenter action.

Screw- a simple machine of the inclined-plane type consisting of a spirally threaded cylindrical rod that engages with a similarly threaded hole.

Of course, there are hundreds of tools that can be added to this game, a dictionary is a great resource.

For other great Father’s Day games see the free download at Family Reunion Helper.