I find that a lot of the time my students want to play games rather than talk - after all, they're all under 11 years old. Finding a balance between what they want to do and teaching them the skills to reach their IEP goals has been a challenge, but I recently received In a Jar cards from the Creative Therapy Store as a gift and decided that they were the perfect way to engage my students in a lesson that was both therapeutic and fun. The only downside, was that the cards didn't have much to them; they seemed to be missing something to tie the lesson together. When I woke up this morning, a light bulb went off and I realized that I could create a single game board for all of my In a Jar cards AND include my school's mascot - the otter! So... I got to work on my "Otter Anygame Board." I decided I wanted it to be a "no loser game" so there is only a starting box. The goal of the game is for each of the group members to work together to help the otter find his friends. Here are the instructions on how to make the board! The directions for the game are at the bottom of this post! Obviously, unless you're doing a unit on otters or your school also uses the otter as a mascot, this DIY should just be used as a guide! Feel free to post your own DIY game boards in the comments!
SUPPLIES:
- 1 blank game board
- 2 sheets of tan card stock
- 2 sheets of light green card stock
- 2 sheets of light blue card stock
- Scrapbooking double sided tape (this allows you to reposition if you make a mistake!)
- Mod Podge (or clear contact paper)
- Foam or bristle brush
- Gluestick
- Embellishments (i.e., grass, waves, otters, etc.)
- Dice
- Prompt Cards (Stumped on what to use as prompts? Check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store for an inexpensive and easy alternative to In a Jar cards!)
STEPS:
1. Cut 1 sheet of blue and green card stock and 2 sheets of tan card stock into 2x2 squares using a paper cutter. These are for the game board squares. If your game board squares are a different size, cut accordingly.
2. Cut 4 4x4 squares of blue card stock and 2 4x4 squares of green card stock. These are for the inside of the game board.
3. Lay out your squares on the game board to determine the appropriate placement. Before you glue or tape them down, be mindful of where the game board folds and be careful not to glue over them. If you do glue over them, use an exacto knife and ruler to cut a straight line to allow for the fold. Then begin to adhere your squares on the board using glue or scrapbooking tape. I set up the board to look like a river since many otters' habitats are in marshlands and rivers. (*TIP: In hindsight, I would have placed extra tape on the larger squares as they began to pop up when sealed with Modge Podge).
4. Next, begin to add the directional boxes (i.e., Start, Pick a Card, Roll Again, etc.). I used the Cricut Explore to cut out my letters and embellishments, but you may also use clear labels from Staples or alphabet stickers as well. In hindsight, I would have waited to add the embellishments (i.e., grass and waves) until after I finished the rest of the game board because I ended up having to take some of them off to account for the otter's footprints.
5. Once you complete your directional boxes, place the game pieces for your "team objective" in the center of the board. In my case the otter needed to follow the footprints to get to his friends.
6. Seal your game board with Modge Podge or clear contact paper. I think in the future, I will use the latter as the Modge Podge didn't fully seal the paper to the board and I can see my little kiddies peeling at the paper during an intense game!
GAME INSTRUCTIONS:
Now that you've seen what the game looks like, here are the instructions on how to play.
Explain to your students that there is no winner or loser in this game. The purpose is to work together answering questions to help the otter find his friends. Each player rolls the dice and move his or her game piece the appropriate amount of boxes. If a player lands on a "Pick a Card" spot, they must pick a card from my cards in a jar and answer the question. In order for the otter to move a space, the player must answer the question and a fellow group member must repeat back the answer to ensure everyone was listening. If this is successful, move the otter one space closer to his friends. Continue playing until the otter has reached the end of the footprints.
"Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose learn." - John C. Maxwell
