This
funny, fast-paced game can be played
several different ways. FYI: July
22 is Spoonerism Day and a perfect
day to play a game of "Spoons."
No.
of players: 3 to 12 players
Age: 9 to 99
Difficulty: Easy
Equipment: A standard deck of 52
cards, a pencil and paper for keeping
score and some spoons (one less than
the number of players)
The
object of the game is to fill
your hand with a four-of-a-kind set of
cards (four queens, four twos, etc.)
and grab a spoon before they are all
gone.
To
play:
Put
the spoons in the center of the table
within grabbing reach of all of the
players. There should be one less spoon
than there are players.
The
dealer shuffles the cards and deals four
cards to each player. He keeps the remaining
cards.
To
begin play, the dealer takes a card from
the top of the deck of remaining cards.
(This is the only time the deck is used
in a single round.) Since the dealer
now has five cards in his hand, he must
select one to get rid of. He puts the
card he doesn't want face down on the
table and slides it to the person on
his right.
Each
player in turn adds the new card to
his hand and selects another to discard.
(If the card the player just received
doesn't help him, he can send it on
its way immediately.)
When
a player has a whole set (four-of-a-kind),
he places his cards down on the table
(face up) and grabs a spoon.
As
soon as the others notice, they also
try to grab a spoon. One person will
be left without one.
Keep
score. At the end of the round, the
player who has the four-of-a-kind gets
2 points. The other players who managed
to grab a spoon get 1 point each. The
player who wasn't fast enough to grab
a spoon gets 0 points.
Play
as many rounds as you want. The player
with the highest score at the end of
the game is the big winner.
Other
Variations
Last
One Out. Play as above, except don't
award points. Instead, the player who
is too slow to get a spoon is out of
the game. Continue eliminating one player
and one spoon per round until only one
person is left. That person is the winner.
Mobile
Spoons. The spoons are not placed in
the center of the playing area but in other
areas of the room, or even in a different
room. The object of the game is the same
- don't be left without a spoon. This is
a great game to play at parties.
Spoon
Substitutes. Use objects other than spoons,
as long as they are easy to grasp in one
hand and have no sharp edges or points. (Forks
are not a good choice.) Some objects might
include stones, empty aluminum cans, chess
pieces, mugs, etc.
Halfway
Hunt
July
2 marks the halfway point of the year.
Plan a "halfway"
contest for the whole community. Here are
two possibilities:
Find
Your "Better Half"
Cut
some pictures in half. They can be anything
from magazine photos to simple hearts cut
in half. Give staff members one of the
halves and residents/clients the other
halves. Ask everyone to find their "better
half"
sometime during the day.
Halves
Scavenger Hunt
Place
a number of "halves" around
your building. Some of them might be hidden
and some might be in plain view. For example,
post half of your calendar on the bulletin
board, hide half of a bingo card (use
the Bingo Press
to print), fill a clear vase half full
with water, ask a member of the staff
to wear half of a pair of socks, etc.
Then, make up a list of the "halves"
to find and play like a scavenger hunt.
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No.
of players: 3 to 12 players
Find
Your "Better Half"