For the Fun of It
Table hockey is an entertaining action-packed game for people of all ages. Get them started and watch them go!
D
reidel Balancing Act: Hardware Play Station
This game is a fascinating way to experiment with how strong magnets are and how much they can hold. Challenge players to build a sculpture with the most pieces of a combination of magnets and hardware. Once the structure is complete add a dreidel or two on top.
You will need:
hex nuts or other types of nuts (medium to large are the most fun)
flat-head bolts
8 ceramic magnets (we used rectangular magnets of 1 7/8 x 1 7/8 x 3/8 inches as well as smaller-sized rectangular square and circular ones)
round metal lids (repurposed from glass jars)
primer and paint (optional)
Game rules:
1. Place a magnet on the underside of a metal lid. If you’re using a large lid place two magnets inside it.
2. Turn the lid over. Add a magnet and then nuts and bolts on top to build a structure.
3. Once the magnetism starts to weaken add another magnet to the structure and continue to build.
4. Expand the structure to the sides. Test how far you can get the magnetism to hold the metal parts in place.
5. Balance a dreidel or two on the crown of your structure. Take it apart and repeat.
6. To make it more exciting you can set a timer and have two players try to beat the clock. Alternatively designate a specific number of pieces to each player and challenge them to build a structure using all their hardware.
Safety Note: Magnets and small hardware are a choking hazard so adult supervision is a must. To make the game safer use larger magnets as well as nuts and bolts.
Huff ’n Puff Straw Game
This team game requires a fair amount of skill group cooperation and lots of puff!
You will need:
1 bowl per player plus 2 extra bowls
a plastic straw for each player plus a few spare ones
M&Ms or other small candies
Game rules:
1. Divide the players into two teams. Place the players in two lines opposite each other (either along the opposite length of a table or on the ground) with a straw and a bowl in front of each one.
2. In the first plate of each line place 15–20 M&M’s or other candies.
3. At the signal the first player begins to transfer the candy one at a time from his plate to the next plate along using only a straw. Absolutely no hands are allowed even if a candy is dropped!
4. The next player begins to transfer the candies to the next one as soon as they arrive in his bowl without waiting for the first player to finish and so on down the line until all the candies reach the final bowl. The winning team is the one that succeeds in this challenge first. Alternatively tally up the number of candies that were transferred successfully. The team with the most transferred candies is the winner.
Coin Hockey
Table hockey is an entertaining action-packed game for people of all ages. Get them started and watch them go!
You will need:
5–6-foot table
colored duct tape
heavy-duty silver foil
cooking spray
2 small rectangular plastic containers
sharp scissors or razor
chocolate coins
long wooden chopsticks and dreidels with holes in them to make the hockey sticks (see instructions below)
hot glue
Prepare for the game:
1. Line your table with foil taping it down securely at the corners and ends.
2. Using tape create a border about 3–5 inches in from the rim of the table. Make a circle or square in the center of the table.
3. Spray some cooking spray onto a cloth and wipe the table well. (This will help the puck glide easily.)
4. Cut off the room of one side of each plastic container.
5. Tape the containers to each end of the table.
6. Create wooden hockey sticks by using hot glue to attach plastic dreidels to a set of large chopsticks.
Rules of the game:
1. Drop the puck (a chocolate coin) into the center of the middle square or circle.
2. Set a timer for 5 minutes.
3. Using the hockey stick each player must try to get the coin into his opponent’s goal. For a goal to count the puck must remain inside the goal and not bounce out.
4. Keep track of the score as the game goes along.
5. Players are not allowed to slam tilt or jolt the table to get the puck into the opponent’s goal.
Note: Keep extra pucks on hand to replace any pucks broken during play. (Excerpted from Family First Issue 570)
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