Game

Produce Handling Game

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A perennial favorite with Cloverbuds in Cuyahoga County is the “Produce Handling Game.” It helps young members learn to identify fruits and vegetables, using only the sense of touch (and possibly smell). They can also imagine themselves as working in the produce department of a local grocery. If the right mix of produce is used, it can also teach members which vegetables come from roots, stems, leaves, or are fruits of plants.

Items Needed:

  • 1 recycled copy paper or printer paper box with detachable lid (the kind that holds about 10 reams).
  • pictures of fruits and vegetables from magazines, garden catalogues, etc.
  • small piece of felt or other cloth
  • variety of vegetables and fruits from garden or store (onions and ripe tomatoes not recommended!)

Instructions:

  1. Cut out pictures of vegetables and fruits, and glue to outside of box to decorate.
  2. Cut small window (about 6 x 8 in) in one side of box. Glue or staple cloth over window like a curtain, so players can’t see inside.
  3. Put produce in box where players can’t see what goes in. A good mix would be things like bell pepper, sweet potato, carrot, celery stalk, leaf lettuce bunch, lemon or lime, kiwi fruit.
  4. Players take turns reaching inside (no peeking!) and guessing one or more vegetables or fruits that are inside, using only sense of touch, feeling shapes and textures of items inside. Players can whisper their guess to game moderator so a not to “spoil” turn of next player.
  5. After everyone has had a chance to guess, take lid off and reveal what is inside.

Reprinted from Ohio 4-H Cloverbud Connections – Spring 2004. Authored by Greg Seik, Former 4-H Youth Development Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Left, Right, Center, Keep

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This is a great game to play with all ages, children and adults. I have played it with all age groups and it is always enjoyed. It is a great way to reinforce right and left, plus teaching fair play and sharing.

What you need :

  • a minimum of 3 wooden blocks for each group of 5-10 players
    (blocks need to be large enough to have a letter written on each side but small enough that all three blocks can be held in a child’s hand at the same time – these can be purchased in the craft department of many stores or cut out your own)
  • Using a permanent marker – write one letter on each side of the block as follows – one K, one C, two sides will have R and two sides will have L. So the blocks will contain one K, one C, 2 R’s and 2 L’s. I place the R and the L on opposite sides of the block.
  • 3 pieces of wrapped candy per player ( I like chewable wrapped candy as opposed to hard candy. Lollipops work well too! )
  • people to play

Instructions to play:
The players sit in a circle facing one another. Each person receives three pieces of candy. They place their candy in front of them. One person begins by picking up all three blocks and rolls these into the center of the circle.

  • For example – lets state that the dice rolled come up with K, C , R

The person who rolled the dice will then K = Keep one piece of candy, C = place one piece of candy into the Center of the circle and R = hand one piece of candy to the person sitting on their Right. The next person (go around the circle either direction ) takes the three blocks and rolls.

  • For example – this person gets L, L , C. This person would then hand the person on their Left 2 pieces of candy and place one piece of candy into the Center of the circle. The game continues. A person can be completely out of candy and then a few rolls later receive some from a “ neighbor” A person rolls the number of blocks corresponding to the number of pieces of candy that he or she has.
  • For example – one piece of candy – roll one block, 2 pieces of candy – roll 2 blocks, 3 pieces of candy – roll 3 blocks, more than 3 pieces of candy – still you roll 3 blocks as that is the maximum number of blocks.

Several circles can be playing at one time. I suggest having a teen leader or adult volunteer supervise each circle of players. The game ends when only one person has any candy left and the last two players with candy have rolled a final time. The person ending up with the last piece of candy is then allowed to take all the candy from the center of the circle and distribute it to all the players. With little ones, sometimes a small talk on sharing is needed!

Reprinted from Ohio 4-H Cloverbud Connections – Spring 2004 Edition.

Author – Barbara Phares, Former Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development, Ohio State University Extension, Mercer County, Ohio