Choose one player to be the Firefly. It helps if she is wearing black, so try planning the Firefly's outfit ahead of time or keeping a spare dark t-shirt on hand. Snap the glow stick so that it lights up, and give it to the designated Firefly.
The other players must try to catch the Firefly, but first, they have to give the Firefly a chance to hide in the yard. Have the other players cover their eyes and then count out loud to 30. The Firefly can make the game more difficult by hiding behind bushes and moving as quietly as possible.
After the other players finish counting to 30 (remember to count out loud so that everyone can hear), they open their eyes. Now it's time for the first "flash"! The Firefly opens his hands to “flash” the glow stick, and then immediately covers it back up.
Anyone who saw the flash can now try to catch the Firefly while, again, counting to 30. But the darkened Firefly is still on the move, waiting for 30 more counts before flashing—unless someone catches him before that time.
The player who catches the Firefly takes his place.
To put a twist on this game, try giving more than one player a glow stick and having multiple Fireflies. The game isn’t over until they’ve all been caught and put in the bug box (for a time out)!
By Sue BradfordEdwards