FOOD FRENZY: A DIY Learning Game
An #Oskarslittlelearners Activity Tutorial by Kate Kwijas, for Oskar's Wooden Ark
May 19, 2021
Can you work together to collect all the food and place it safely in your basket before the dragon gets there and gobbles it up?
This collaborative game is a fun way to identify colours, categorise fruit and vegetables and learn to take turns, while practising some basic maths skills. We used our play food from Erzi, however any play food would work.
“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning” - Fred Rogers
Will you try this fun family game at home? Don't forget to share your photos and videos with us on Instagram and Facebook, tagging @oskarswoodenark and using the hashtag: #oskarslittlelearners. We'd love to see what you get up to!
2. Choose a hungry 'villain'. We chose our Ostheimer dragon.
3. Collect some play food and arrange it in colour groups. For younger children, place less items in each group.
4. Make a path for your villain using six Grapat coins. If you do not
have Grapat coins, you could use pieces of paper, leaves or counters.
5. Find a basket to collect your food in.
How to play the game:
Take turns rolling the dice.
Say the colour. If you are learning a second language, you might like to practice colours here.
Take a piece of play-food from the colour you rolled and place it into the basket. If you roll the villain, move it one space closer to the food.
The aim of the game is to work together to collect all the food before the villain makes its way there and eats it all up.
If the villain is getting too close, the players have the option to answer a simple maths question to move it back one space. Choose a question that reflects your little learner's current understanding or focus. Encourage them to use the play food to model the question as they work out the answer.
Example Questions:
- If I have 3 oranges and 5 apples, how many pieces of fruit do I have altogether?
- If I have 6 apples, but I eat 3, how many apples do I have left?
The game finishes when either the players have collected all the play food into their basket or when the villain has made its way to the food and eaten it up.
Did you manage to beat the villain? Enjoy a celebratory picnic with your Erzi play food!
