Planning original and enjoyable dates week after week can become a daunting task.
To assist our readers, here are a few ideas.
Date Idea # 1 - Campus Clue (large group required, and a cell phone or access to a lab phone)
Play the clue board game on campus, using campus buildings as the rooms instead of the game board.
The idea of the game is to figure out where the murder took place, who did it, and with what.
Each couple is given a paper listing the various options of the possible murders, possible buildings and the possible tools the murder used.
One couple has to act as game facilitators using either a cell phone or a campus lab phone.
Couples making accusations use a courtesy phone in the building, calling the phone number where the facilitating couple can be reached.
The facilitating couple will spend their whole time answering the phone and answering the accusations of the couples.
The facilitating couple has to tell the couple making the accusation one clue that is wrong.
The building that the couple is calling from has to be the building in the couple's accusation.
Each couple has to move to a different building for each accusation.
The first couple to make a correct accusation wins the game.
Date Idea # 2 - Science Olympia (Best in a group.) (Requires Alka-Seltzer tablets, at least one empty 35 mm film canister per couple, construction paper, at least one dry-cleaning plastic bag per couple, candles, matches, and regular paper.)
Part one: Making rockets
Using the construction paper, each couple decorates their film canister to look like a rocket. (The cap should be the bottom side.)
Then fill each rocket three-fourths full of water, place an Alka-Seltzer tablets in it, put the cap on, and see how high your rocket gets.
Part two: Making hot air balloons
Using tape, close the bottom end of the dry-cleaning bags to a hole about eight inches wide. Then hold a lit candle under the hole, allowing the hot air to fill the bag and float up.
Part three: Paper airplane contest
Use the paper and make paper airplanes. Find an elevated indoor spot to launch your airplanes and watch how far they go.
The idea is to have each couple compete against the other couples to see who can do what the best.
Date Idea # 3 - Ice Sculpting (good with a group or just as a couple)
Buy or make your own ice blocks. Stacking blocks on top of each other is possible if you place a layer of water in between each block.
Using a hammer, screwdrivers, warm water, and knives, try your hand at creating a sculpture.
Date Idea # 4 - Memory Lane (great as a couple)
Go to a local bookstore (like Borders) and take turns picking out your favorite children's books and reading them to each other.
Date Idea # 5 - Photo date (great as a couple)
Go to a picturesque area and enjoy taking funny pictures or scenic photos or both.
Then develop the pictures using one-hour processing. While waiting for the film to develop, go eat ice cream.
Date Idea # 6 - Human Battleship (requires a large group, volleyball net, bed sheet, water balloons and yarn, and paper.)
The group divides into two equal teams and will be on opposite sides of the volleyball net.
In the regular game, opponents call out squares (i.e., B-seven) to see if their opponent has a ship on that grid-square. If someone's ship has been hit on all the grid squares it lays, then the ship sinks. The object is to sink your opponent's ships before your ships get sunk.
In this game, the yarn will be laid out in the form of a grid (dividing the volleyball boundaries), and the paper will be used to label each grid square.
Instead of plastic ships lying on the grid, humans will be the ships lying on the grid.
A sheet is places on the volleyball net so each team can't see where the other team is lying.
Each team takes a turn throwing a water balloon over the net. If one hits a person, then it is a "hit." If someone has been hit on every part of the grid, then they are out of the game.
The team who has the last surviving "ship," wins.
Warning: This usually ends up in an all-out water fight.
Date Idea # 7 - Homemade Miniature Golf (Great with a group.) (Requires golf balls, some plastic cups, and something to hit the ball with.)
Go to a building that isn't in use in the weekends (where you won't distract people studying).
Lay out a miniature golf course, with the cups being the holes. It is best if course includes going down stairs, up elevators, or other similar obstacles.
To make things even more interesting, require everyone to use their left hand (or right, if they are left-handed).
Date Idea # 8 - Cucumber-boat races (Single couple or group date) (Requires knives and cucumbers)
Carve out cucumbers in the shape of a boat.
Go to the river (when there is water in it) where students pass as they walk down the hill from south campus.
Place your cucumber-boat at a starting line and see it beats your date's boat.
There are some general guidelines to keep in mind while planning a date.
Most dates, especially first dates, should involve a lot of interaction (not a movie).
Often the best dates are the creative, inexpensive dates. If possible, find a theme and have everything on the date relate to that theme.
- Winter Olympics (your own version of the games)
- Feed the ducks located right off Provo River
- Variations of Dinner
Make it together
Tie your hands to the person next to you (if eating in a group of at least six and around a table).
Tinfoil or Dutch-oven dinners in the canyon
- Variations of video filming
Create your own play/movie
Video scavenger hunt
Copyright Brigham Young University 13 Feb 2003
