The Royal and Most Pleasant Game of Goose

The Royal and Most Pleasant 

Game of Goose

           In 5th grade we learned about life in Colonial Williamsburg.    In our journey, my students went to the Raleigh Tavern on the Duke of Glouchester Street.   Along with discussing politics, eating, drinking, and socializing were popular at these local gathering spots.    One way to socialize in Colonial times was to play board games.

          The Royal and Most Pleasant Game of Goose was introduced to my students.   I wasn't quite sure how the kids would react to a black and white piece of paper as a game.    No Ipads or computer games.    They came to realize that they could have an great time playing a simple board game rolling the dice and moving a simple marker with their classmates.

        The game is played with one die and a marker for each player.

          There are a few interesting spaces on the game board to make the game fun.   A space that no one wants to land on is the Death Space.      I could always tell when someone landed on the Death Space.      The kids would moan, yell, and laugh.   This is where the player has to go back to the beginning of the game board to space number 1.   A few spaces featuring a goose will send a player ahead.    You might also land on the Jail space where you will lose a turn.     They learned that it was all in great fun.

     The students even wanted to take the game boards home!     This game was in my TCI Social Studies Alive! America's Past teacher's manual. I cannot take credit for this game.

          I have taken this game to our school's book fair at Barnes and Noble.    Children always want to play and want their parents to watch.

      The Royal and Most Pleasant Game of Goose has become one of my favorite games.    In my minds eye, it is a very early version of Candy Land, if you know what I mean.   Give it a try with your kids.

      Please leave a comment if you have a minute.    Let me know if you could use my ideas in your class.

Beti 

Donated Easter Baskets

                    Donated 
      Easter Baskets

      Every year  my 5th graders begin a collection of empty clementine boxes.  In the spring the boxes are taken home by the students to paint and decorate. All families have a can or two of interior wall paint left over from a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, or  family room.  The kids paint the boxes and with smiling faces bring them back to school.

                       

  
          During Lent we begin to collect donations of candy, plastic eggs, Easter grass, stuffed animals, books, toys, school supplies, toothpaste and tooth brushes, just to name a few items. 

      The kids set up an " Easter Basket Store" in my classroom. Baskets are chosen and filled with Easter grass. Each child decides who they are shopping for, little boy or girl, older boy or girl.
             

        

The shopping begins!
                 

           

After shopping, each student made a tag for a boy or girl.

              As you can see, every basket is completely different.  Here is a small sample of the 104 Easter baskets that were filled by my outstanding students and their generous families.

      The baskets were wrapped in plastic bags and loaded  up to be delivered.  Parents have also volunteered to deliver all the Easter baskets to a local food pantry just in time for Easter!

 Everyone has realized

 that it is definitely better to give than receive.

             This is a wonderful Lenten project for children to understand being charitable.
           

 


Please feel free to leave a comment.  I always enjoy hearing from you.

Beti