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Sprouts

Published

on April 27, 2009

in For Parents & Teachers, Games & Activities and Indoor Games

The game of sprouts was originally developed by math professors at Cambridge University in 1967. As simple as this game may appear, there are complicated math properties involved in solving the game and as a result, Sprouts has been written about in the magazine; Scientific American. Due to the complexity of Sprouts, it was the focus of study at the famous Bell Laboratory.
In its forty years history, Sprouts has never been popular as a recreational game but it has been popular in academic circles however, this all may eventually change as more people become aware of how challenging it is and will want to play sprouts recreationally.
To prepare for play, you start with a piece of paper and draw three random dots in an attempt to be the player who has the most bushy, tangled sprout at the end of the game. This is done while following four simple rules. It sounds easy, when you think that all you have to do is connect the dots, but the game is a whole lot more than meets the eye.
There are basically four rules that you must follow in the drawing of the sprouts; two dots must be connected by each sprout, existing sprouts must be not crossed over by newly drawn ones, with every new sprout drawn and new dot must be added along its length and each dot may only make contact with a maximum of three sprouts.
There has been one variation added to this game since its creation, this change has been to add plus signs in place of dots and has been referred to as Brussels sprouts. With every turn, a player draws a sprout that joins an arm of one plus signs to another.

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Tic-Tac-Toe

Published

on March 27, 2009

in For Parents & Teachers, Games & Activities and Indoor Games

Tic Tac Toe Game Where you draw the line is entirely up to you in this fun, entertaining and easy to play game. All that you need to get started is a pen and paper and basic understanding of how to play the game. We all remember the simplified version Tic-Tac-Toe. Now a twist has been added; instead of the standard three, four marks in a row are needed to create a line. This can be in any direction vertical horizon or diagonal.

You start by drawing a ten by ten grid containing 100 squares or you can draw a larger grid with more squares if you prefer, that is entirely up to the players in the game and agreed upon before play begins. Different letters of the alphabet are assigned to each player which represents their personal mark.

The game begins with the first player marking any one square of his choice with his assigned letter in an attempt to line up four of his letters. If the participants in game decide to make the grid with more than just the standard 100 squares, the patterns become more complex and interesting. It might be fun to try playing this game on a standard sheet of graph paper and require six in a row instead of four to form a string.

For an added twist, why not agree before-hand to require two strings instead of the standard one to win and allow then to be joined at any point on the grid. You will see all sorts of interesting patterns developing; from T’s to L’s to V’s.

You can play Tic-Tac-Toe game online

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Grandmother’s House

Published

on March 21, 2009

in For Parents & Teachers, Games & Activities and Indoor Games

A Game that was created out of sheer necessity in order to keep impatient kids distracted in route to perhaps, an elderly relative’s home for a visit. Concerned parents will go to no ends to provide for their children in any way possible and that include finding a way to keep them entertain and if not for any reason other than their own sanity.

To be successful in this game a player must be able to remember a series of words arranged alphabetically and play begins as one participant uses a word starting with the letter “A” in the story. An example of that would be; “On my way to Grandmother’s house, I put an APPLE in a picnic basket to give to her. The second participant would add to the story by possibly saying; I brought an “APPLE” and “a loaf of BREAD.” The game continues with each player, in order adding another item to the list in alphabetical order.

The game continues and players are eliminated as they fail to recall the alphabetized list of items, however, if the player following the forgetful participant is also unable to recall the list of items in order, the previous player will not be eliminated and the next player has the opportunity to eliminate both. If one of the players in the group is able to remember the entire list in order, then all previous players who have forgotten are eliminated.

It is not necessary that an item be food in the case of the letter “X” when added to chain of words, since in the English dictionary there are no foods listed, starting with the letter “X.”

Once all the letters of the Alphabet have been used, the game continues with the letter “A” again but continues with original list of twenty-six entries.

A useful tip, is to create a spoken rhythm in the way in which the list recited. This often makes it much easier to remember how the story goes by creating “mental markers” along the way.

Downloadable words games for kids

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Mancala A.K.A (Wari)

Published

on March 19, 2009

in For Parents & Teachers, Games & Activities and Indoor Games

Mancala A.K.A (Wari) Manala is a very interesting board game which roots lay in ancient Egyptian culture and is still popular to this day. Throughout the African continent this game is known by many as Wari. The game is also known to have close associations to traditional tribal rituals in that part of the world. This game is a duel between two players and the action takes place on a rectangular game board which consists of two rows of six squares with additional squares placed at end for a total of 14 squares. Along with the game board, forty-eight game pieces are used.

The action begins with the players sitting opposite each other with the game board placed in the middle. All 48 game pieces are placed within the twelve adjacent squares providing four in each square.

Once it has been determined who will begin the game, this lucky first player will start by removing any four of his game pieces from any of his squares on his side of the table and divides them up evenly in the next squares in a counter-clockwise direction. The player is also permitted to invade his opponents square on the other side if the game board in the first two of the opponent’s squares, with your goal to gain as many of your opponent’s pieces in the hole’s of your opponent’s squares.

The action begins with each player moving all of his game pieces, on by one from one hole to the next. Once the last moved piece has ended up in an opponent’s square which contains only two or three pieces game pieces, those game pieces become captured and removed from the game. As the game pieces are captured, they are placed in the end hole to the player’s right.

When a player captures an opponent’s game piece, the consecutive pieces in order situated in an opponent’s row are also captured during the same turn. When a hole is left vacant, the hole is jumped and will be filled on the following turn by his opponent during the following turn. When a player finds that all the holes in his row are vacant and it is his turn, the game is over and.

The winner is determined when all the pieces remaining on the game board are added up and the pieces placed aside are added to the count as well. The player with the most pieces is the decided winner.

Mancala is a difficult game to understand but with practice and patience become more interesting as you develop more detailed strategies in this fast-paced and complex game. When considering strategy, you must always keep in mind the positioning of the filled holes of your opponent, with special attention paid to holes that have 2 or 3 game pieces. If you are able to threaten more of your opponent’s holes in order to keep him on the defense that is a huge advantage.

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The Fox & The Geese

Published

on March 18, 2009

in For Parents & Teachers, Games & Activities and Indoor Games

Fox & Geese Game This ancient game was the creation of early Nordic hunters and was enjoyed by many once it gained widespread popularity in Italy during the medieval period, eventually reached England in the fifteenth Century and was met with much popularity and in fact it was one of Queen Victoria’s favorite pastimes.

This game requires two players, a game board made in the shape of a cross with lines of many directions creating thirty-three intersecting points. Game pieces include seventeen pieces which symbolize the geese and one piece symbolizing the fox. Once it has been decided who gets to play the fox and who plays the geese, the geese are arranged on the board accordingly and then the fox has the option of being placed anywhere he wishes on the game board.

The geese can prevail in this game by surrounding the fox and blocking all of his potential escape routes. The fox on the other hand, will is successful by eliminating twelve of geese since it would require more than five geese to halt his progress.

The fox always begins the game with the first move and can move in any direction forward or backwards to an open space. The geese on the other hand can move in any direction aside from backwards. The fox will eat a goose when he is able to jump it and land on an empty space and once a goose has been eaten it is removed from the game. As in the game of checkers, multiple jumps are possible as long as there are empty spaces to accommodate the landings.

Turns of each player must be taken and not skipped, even if this puts a player in an undesirable position. It might prove interesting to change the rule a bit and allow the geese to move backwards as well or even play the game with only thirteen pieces as in an earlier version of this game that was popular prior to the Seventeenth Century.

Making the jumps of the fox compulsory can add a whole new element to the game and can force an opponent to retreat to a previous position. The player playing the role of the geese has the ability to keep the fox in check by making sure he has made only the allowable moves.

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The House of Fortune

Published

on March 18, 2009

in For Parents & Teachers, Games & Activities and Indoor Games

Similar to the Royal Game of Goose and Roulette, The House of Fortune is a game of Nordic origin and was made popular during the medieval time period. It is still played to this day in Switzerland and Austria. Players are awarded points and penalized depending on the square in which they land.

This game is played by two or more players and requires a game board, which is made up of ten squares that are numbered from two to twelve and the number four is left out. There are two standard, six-sided dice and playing chips for wagering used in this game.

The game begins with some sort of value being attached to the playing chips, once decided, the players are given a certain number of chips to start the game with, the object of the game to win as many chips as possible. The player that starts the game rolls the dice once and all the players have gathered around the playing table and then pass the dice to the player on his immediate left. On a player’s roll, he will put his chip the corresponding square to the number he rolled with his dice. If that square already has chips, he then takes those chips and then leaves one of his own.

If a four is rolled, then no chips are placed on the table with that roll and if a two is rolled he is allowed to move to the square of the “lucky pig” and collect all the chips on the table with the exception of the chips in the number seven square. The player moves to the square of “matrimony” should he roll a number seven, any chips on this square cannot be taken.

The player who rolls a twelve goes directly to that square which is known as the “King.” In this event, the player rolling the 12 stakes claim to all the chips on the table this also includes all the chips in square number seven.

As a player runs out of chips, he is out of the game and must leave the table and play continues until the winner is decided when a player ends up with all game chips and should there be any game chips at the end of the game, the last remaining player end up with these chips as well.

Your success in this game is purely luck with the roll of the dice and in no way can this be influenced by any factor. One way in which to make this game more interesting is to place the amount of chips that correspond the square in which you should land, for example; land on square 9, place 9 chips in that square.

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Alquerque (or Windmill)

Published

on March 18, 2009

in For Parents & Teachers, Games & Activities and Indoor Games

Alquerque (or Windmill) An illustration of this game dating back to1400 B.C. was discovered in an Egyptian temple and many consider this game an ancestral version of modern checkers. Alfonso X wrote about it in the “Book of Games” in the late 13th Century and from that point forward gained in popularity throughout Europe. Alquerque was met with great appreciation, similar to that of Chess due to its level of sophistication and the level of intelligence and skill required for success in this game of anchient origin.

Two players are required in this game as well as a game board which is square in shape and has a total of 16 squares printed on it, two sets of twelve game pieces with both sets being of a different color. The game begins once both players have put their pieces on the intersecting points of the game board. The center of the board is left empty to accommodate the first move which is always made by the white piece.

Your goal in this game is basically the same as in the game of checkers in that you win by eliminating all of your opponent’s game pieces. The game pieces can be moved diagonally, horizontally or vertically to another intersecting point on the game board. If there is an opponent’s game piece next to yours and there is a space open on the other side of it, it is required to jump that piece. If for what ever reason you do not make the jump and take the piece, your piece will be “huffed” in other words removed from play. Jumping multiple spaces is completely acceptable in this game.

In this game it is an advantage to be the player to go second and if players should be at the same level, it would only be fair that player’s alternate who starts first. It is possible for this game to end in a draw, where in which both players are unable to make any more moves. In an earlier version of this game, it was allowed for players to move their pieces in a backwards direction to make the game more interesting.

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Halma

Published

on March 18, 2009

in For Parents & Teachers, Games & Activities and Indoor Games

Halma Starting in the last century, this game was met with quite a lot of popularity in England and in modern times is widely played by the Swiss and Germans. The word ’Halma’ is of Greek origin and means “jump.”

Halma can be played alone or with up to four players and is played on a square game board having 16 squares on both sides. A game board is used which is broken down into sixteen squares on both sides and in each corner thirteen squares are marked off. A total of four different colored game pieces are used with two of the sets having 19 pieces and the other two sets being 13 pieces. If the game is played solo then the game is started with nineteen pieces in the special section of the board. With two players involved in the game each player will receive 19 game pieces lined up opposite one another and should the game involve three or four players then each player receives 13 pieces. You can play this game as teams of two if there are four players involved.

The goal in this game is to get all of your own pieces into the opposite corner from where you start. There are two kinds of moves in this game; the pass move and the jump move. In the pass move you move you’re your piece into any adjacent square, in any direction of your choice. With a jump move you basically jump your game piece over any piece including your own. These game pieces that you jump never get eliminate during this move and jumping is not compulsory even if the opportunity should arise. You are allowed to stop at any point in your jumping even if there are more jumps possible. You have to choose between jumping or passing in a move but you are forbidden from doing both.

The order of rotation is clockwise when the game is played by three or four players. When the game is played in teams of two, if a player is unable move one of his pieces, it is allowed for him to move one of his teammates. In order for a solo player to win at this game he must be able to get all of his nineteen pieces to the opposite corner in the least number of moves.

Since this is a game with such simple rules there are so many possible ways in which to win and one way in which to benefit is to form as many obstructions as possible for your opponent thereby preventing their movment or forcing them to retreat.

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The Royal Game of Ur (Twenty Squares)

Published

on March 18, 2009

in For Parents & Teachers, Games & Activities and Indoor Games

The Royal Game of Ur (Twenty Squares) This is a game of Mesopotamian origin dating back 4,500 years and was popular among the nobility of that time. These game were very near and dear to the people that played them and as a testament to this, when ancient grave were exhume from this area, some of the tombs had this game board placed in them. The British Museum has a well preserved example of one of these game boards which is really a work of art for its time.

This game requires two players, a game board which has been divided into twenty spaces. Two sets of seven different colored game pieces. Six dice shaped like pyramids, each die having two corners that are marked and two that are unmarked.

Once it has been decided who will begin the game, play begins with rolling the three dice in an attempt to get your piece on the board. Once you get you game piece on the board, your goal is to move around the entire board and then remove your pieces from the board.

With the three specially marked dice the score are as follows with marks touching the table:

- Five points for Three marked corners
- Four points for three un-marked corners
- One point for two marked corners
- Zero points for two un-marked corners

The action begins with game pieces being placed on the board one at a time and advance accordingly but only after all game pieces are on the board. Once on the board, your goal is to race your opponent to the end of the board until reaching the exit square. The entrance onto the board is only allowed with a dice score of one or five at the rosettes, located in the lower portion of the board.

You are free from the attack of your opponent if at the exit square or you are on one of five rosettes on the board; there are two at the top of the board and three at the bottom. If pieces are in the upper path or section they are vulnerable to attack by the opposition. If they are attacked, while sitting on an un-safe square, the game piece will be sent back to the beginning. Game pieces that are face down can only attack other pieces that are face down and face up pieces can only take pieces that are face up.

Once a player has one or more game pieces taken out of the game, he must re-enter all of his game pieces before moving any other pieces on the board.; this done by rolling either ones or fives.

You remove your game piece from the table if your piece is on an exit square and you roll exactly four. If there are multiple pieces on the same square they all leave on that roll. If you are near exiting the game board and you roll more than the amount required to exit the board, you count off the points to the end and then back onto the board.

An effective strategy in this game is to try to get as many pieces onto the exit squares as possible, so that when you roll a four they can all be removed together.

See all downloadble board games for kids

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