If you don't have a family sized caber lying around then improvise – anything cylindrical and just a bit too heavy and large to easily lift will do. In the video above you'll see carpet tubes used (free if you ask nicely at your local carpet shop) which come in a variety of sizes for children of all ages.

The rules are exactly as they would be at any Highland Games: the caber is stood upright and lifted by the competitor using both hands under the bottom of the caber to rest against their body. The competitor then runs forward, building momentum, before tossing the caber into the air so that it turns end over end with the upper end landing before the end originally held by the competitor follows through and hits the ground. The aim is for the caber to land in line with the original run. If it is straight the toss is said to be in the 12 o'clock position. Competitors are judged on how closely their toss lands to 12 o'clock.

Marking the bottom of the "caber" clearly with coloured tape or a marker pen will help to distinguish the ends of the caber and ensure that the judges can see which cabers land correctly on the first bounce.

Once you've enjoyed our play-at-home Highland Games why not see the real events held around Scotland and the world. Most events will include the old favourites like Tossing the Caber alongside music, dancing and great food.

For a list of Highland Games around Scotland go to Visit Scotland's Highland Games Calendar

To find out more about the history of the highland games and about individual events see Wikipedia's Highland Games page

To find out about highland games around the world go to cmana.net.