Ok here's a great game for youth groups and come to think of it, youth leaders. It's called Guggenheim and is a little bit similar to Scattergories but cheaper and more fun.
Everyone gets a grid as in the picture (click to enlarge). As a group you then decide what catergories are to go down the left hand side. Five letters are then given out for the top five boxes and you then have THREE minutes to come up with a category beginning with each of the letters, thus you try and fill each square with ONE appropriate answer. This may sound a bit lame at first but stick with me on this one. The THREE minute deadline is crucial as it adds a great dynamic and really hinders the thought process. The spice that then goes into the mix is the scoring system:
You get 1 point for an agreed correct answer
You get 1 bonus point if you get an answer no-one else has got
You get 1 bonus point per word for illiteration.
(For example: If the catergory was electrical items and the letter was "S:" ... If you wrote "Stereo" and someone else also had this you would score 1 point. If however no-one else had this it would then become 2 points. If however you had "Sony Surround Sound Stereo System" you'd still get the 2 points for a unique answer PLUS an extra 4 points for the additional aliteration .... making 6 points)
Trying to come up with high scoring words while under time presure is frustratingly difficult. From a youth work point of view this is a great game because of the discussion that ensues on what is, and isn't allowed! It gives the leader chance to affirm some really creative/unusual answers .... it also creates quite a lot of humour. The way that you lead will maximise the fun! We often pick a random page from a book and the first five letter word forms the letters for the top and that signals the start of the game!
So this is the offering for today AND if you have a spare 3 minutes, print off this example and have a go, BUT no cheating! (If you really get into it, e-mail me your answer sheet and I'll announce a winner on Monday) Download file
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