Pool Games for the Summer!

Hallo!! (Dutch!!!) This is Lexa and Annamarie here! We are having a sleepover! We saw each other at the pool today, and thought, hey, we should do a post! We haven't in a while! It's currently the last day of June and its 11:04 pm right now. Here are some simple pool games for the summer, ranging from simple ones everyone knows, to some we made up! We even added some twists to some common pool games! ALL CAPS ARE ONES WE MADE UP.

1. Playing catch with a pool ball.
2. FLIP CATCH! It's pretty easy to do a flip underwater, so for those who can, here is a fun change to the common pool game of catch. The new game is pretty simple. You catch the ball, then do a quick flip underwater, and as soon as you come up, throw the ball to the other person. Just like in catch, count how many times in a row the ball is caught. If you wait more than 3 seconds to throw it, the streak is lost.
3. Colors/categories! You need at least 4 people for this game. One person stands outside the pool their back facing the pool, and gives everyone  a category. Examples: colors, animals, food. Then, the people in the water are in the water by the gutter, and they think of an item in that category. When everyone has thought of their item, the person outside the pool starts guessing an item. When your item is called, you swim to the other end of the pool (or designated area). If the guesser looks back and no one is gone, they take a LARGE step forward. After someone leaves, the guesser jumps in and tries to tag them before they get to designated area. If they tag them, it is that persons turn to be the guesser. The goal is to not get tagged, if they don't tag them in time, they have to guess again.
4. GUTTERBALL! This is easiest with less people in the pool, so you don't hit people. All you need is a ball and the side of the pool, known as the gutter. You play simply by taking turns throwing the ball into the gutter, and which ever person makes it most often wins. You can do this by using multiple balls and going from one side of the pool, or having someone on each side of the pool, and using one ball to toss back and forth into the gutters.
5. Races! There are lot's of different swimming strokes, so it's easy to have a lot of different races!
6. SHALLOW END RACES! For people who aren't swimmers, this is a great way to still have races. Take turns making up ways to race across the pool WITHOUT swimming! Some examples: Hopping on one foot, trying to run in the pool, and leaping.
7. BACKGUPPY CATCH! This is a game where two people play catch, and after each catch, the people take a step back, it gets harder the farther you are. Also, it is especially hard when the pool is crowded! Try not to hit someone ;)
8. Colors! This game is pretty simple. One person is in the water, cradling the other person like a baby. The person holding the other thinks of a color, and the person who is being carried tries to guess the color. If they guess incorrectly, then they get dunked!! If they guess correctly, then they will get back flipped into the water!
9. Retrieving items! Drop some items, such as diving rings, t the bottom of the pool, and see who can retrieve the most!
10. Marco Polo! One person with their eyes closed yells "marco!" The other players yell, "Polo!" While the other players try to stay away from the tagger. The tagger has to use his/her ears! It you get tagged by the tagger, then you are the next tagger. In addition to Marco Polo, the tagger can yell, "fish out of water!" Any player who is out of the water is the next tagger, but, if there is no one out of the water, the players yell, "incorrect!"
11. Pom pom! This is best played with 5 or more people, and it works better in the deep end of the pool, so players can dive. This is where one or two players in the deep end are sharks. The other players get out of the pool and when the sharks call, "pom pom!" Then the "minos" or players out of the pool have to jump or dive in and try not to get tagged by the sharks by the time they get to the other side of the pool. If they don't get tagged, then the minos get out of the water at the other end and they are in the next round! If they do get tapped, then they become a shark! This game is played until there is one player left, who wins!! (guess who wrote this bahahah this is Annamarie sorry for grammar bad and or punctuation?)