Create A Father's Day Board Game
Use Drawing and Design an Innovative Game as a Gift For Dad
Although this idea for a gift for Father's day can be created alone it might be good for the students to plan, design and create this original game together.
This year Fathers Day in Australia is Sunday 2nd September 2007. If you want to do this exercise with the students in your Art class, planning now would be a good idea. Although the project could be the work of one student, it might be good for the students to plan, design and create the game together.
In the same way as suggested for Fathers Day Gift Vouchers Book project begin the exercise by brainstorming with the children about
- what dad likes to do, his favourite hobby or about his occupation
- up to 50 different images that come from his hobby or occupation
Work out how many class sessions you have available over the course of the unit
- If three people are working together have them work out how many pictures they could create
- commence drawing images as soon as possible – this is a very time consuming project
- so the students can collaborate choose a place to work where they can talk quietly
Have the students plan a journey or day that would come about in the course of the hobby or occupation. A “Fishing Trip Game” is being presented here as an example.
- Ask “On a typical day what would happen to start the fishing trip?” Students might say Dad would wake up and go “aha!” Because he realises his favourite day has come. Cartoon this action with the students.
- Already the students might start talking about how the game would develop. They might say “Dad is happy give him three points, or an extra spin, or double his points on the Di” Have them write down every rule they think of in their Visual Diaries during the process. Have them try to come up with parts of the game that are unusual, creative or innovative.
- Continue with the demonstration of how to arrive at the images for the board game. What would he do next? Would he pack the car? If dad hates this part of the journey, he might lose a turn (or some points) because he continues to procrastinate and delay. This game creating exercise can be a productive way to teach consequences to students. They can talk over what consequences they will give for the kind of behaviour they describe and why.
- Brainstorm for images that will describe the journey. Here is a list of some that might be a good starting point. As a Literacy Booster talk with the students about verbs and action
- traffic jam, flat tyres, cooking fish once caught, getting the boat ready, obeying the rules at sea, choosing not to drink beer because one needs to be sober to drive the boat, forgetting the insect repellent, not wearing a hat or wearing a hat, throwing fish back that are too small, receiving a fine for not throwing the fish back that are too small, encountering a fish too big to real in landing a fish, having a portrait taken fish an extra large fish.
Once you have come up with sufficient images to crate a board for the game, divide the illustration work amongst the three students. Don’t try to assemble the game until the end of the process as ideas for the rules of the game should come naturally as the students collaborate.
