Field Notes
Kim’s Game
Kim's Game is probably the oldest game in Scouting. The name is comes from Rudyard Kipling's 1901 novel Kim, in which the young protagonist plays the game during his training as a spy.
Kipling and Lord Robert Baden-Powell were friends, and B-P published the game in his book Scouting for Boys, describing it as follows:
The Scoutmaster should collect on a tray a number of articles – knives, spoons, pencil, pen, stones, book and so on – not more than about fifteen for the first few games, and cover the whole over with a cloth. He then makes the others sit round, where they can see the tray, and uncovers it for one minute. After a minute the tray is recovered. Each of them must make a list on a piece of paper of all the articles he can remember. The one who remembers most wins the game.
It’s a simple game, which lends itself to many variations. For example, the objects can be themed (think first aid supplies or your Ten Essentials). You can introduce more objects but instructs Scouts only to memorize the ones related to your theme. The game can go multiple rounds, each time changing all or some of the objects—or keeping them all the same until someone can remember all of them. You can have Scouts try it once on their own, then with a buddy, then as a patrol, and note the difference in strategy, teamwork, and planning. The possibilities are numerous.
You can even play the game online:
1. Start the timer
2. Memorize the objects in the illustration
3. When the timer’s done, look away. Write down as many as you remember.
Kim’s game isn’t just for Scouts. The United States Marine Corps' Scout Sniper Instructor School in Quantico, Virginia, teaches the game as part of its curriculum as do the sniper training schools at Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton. In the UK, the Royal Marines also use it to train their commando units.
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