Did You Know?

Studies have shown that advertising can actually dictate how to play with a toy and who will play with it?

Board games or their equivalent have been popular for thousands of years. The hugely popular African game, Mancala, is believed to be one of the oldest games in the world. In this game players transfer playing pieces from one bin to the next. Playing boards can vary dramatically, from incredibly ornate ivory and gold boards to holes dug in the ground with pebbles used as playing pieces.

Chinese Chess is said to be the most popular game in the world. It is estimated there are as many as half a billion people who know how to play the game. In China, very often you can find people playing the game on the street using a large chess set. If the game is an exciting one, many times it will draw a crowd of on lookers.

Alquerque is an ancient Egyptian game that was actually a forerunner to checkers. It is a game that has traveled the world, moving from one culture to another. It was brought to Europe by the Moors when they invaded Spain. The Spaniards, in turn, brought it to the New World, where the Zuni Indians of New Mexico modified it into a new game.

Take a poll
Ask your friends to think of as many games as possible that can be played with one of the following items...a ball, a piece of string, a rope, a pencil. Share your findings with your classmates and family.

Design Challenge

Use your imagination to create a toy made out of a common household items. Your imagination is the greatest source of inspiration for this design! Share your toy with other kids and see how many ways that they can come up with to play with your invention.

Constraint: Create your toy out of five or fewer objects (decorations don't count).

Extension: Work with your friends to create a commercial for your toy that will really make other kids want to play with it.

Some suggested materials: appliance boxes, gift boxes, paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, envelopes, newspapers, rubber bands, parts of old broken toys (used in a totally new way), string, rope, plastic cups, bubble wrap, oatmeal boxes, construction paper, glue (stick or liquid), paint, markers, glitter

Standards Addressed

Mathematical Reasoning (Grades 3-8):
Students make decisions about how to approach problems.

Students use strategies, skills and concepts in finding solutions.

Writing Applications:
Grades 3 & 4: Students write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences.

Grades 5-8: Students write persuasive letters or compositions.

Listening and Speaking:
Grades 3 & 4: They speak in a manner that guides the listener to understand important ideas by using proper phrasing, pitch, and modulation.

Grades 5-8: Students deliver focused, coherent presentations that convey ideas clearly and relate to the background interests of the audience.

Speaking Applications:
Grades 3 & 4: Students deliver brief recitations and oral presentations about familiar experiences or interests that are organized around a coherent thesis statement.

Grades 5-8: Students deliver well-organized presentations employing rhetorical strategies (e.g., narration, exposition, persuasion, description).