Click the link to get the free lesson plan for the Constitution Ball!

Games embody the world views of their culture and transmit them to the next generations. Mancala, one of the oldest known games from Africa, has versions played worldwide. Mancala comes from the Arabic word for movement. Depending on the way society was organized changed the vocabulary for the early Mancala-style games. “Sowing” was the name given by agricultural societies. It is easy to see how gameplay resembles how seeds are planted in uniform rows. “Count and Capture” was the name from nomadic cultures, which could resemble how livestock must be accounted for every time they are moved. In Malaysia’s case, It could be argued that Mancala symbolized the maritime trade of goods exchanged from one port to another. Mancala spread worldwide through trade, warfare, religion, and immigration.

“One of evolution’s greatest tricks was to link up behaviors and stimuli that are good for us to our reward centers as a way to drive us to engage those experiences and thereby gain the benefits that they offer.” Nathan Lents

This blog has links to the Read and React System and videos from Manitoba Basketball.

Learn how to Invent a Sport and see four examples made by upper elementary students.

In general, I try to be hands-off during recess with the students. I want them to resolve their own problems. However, when I notice the students are making the same mistake over and over again, I step in to help. In the long run, removing the “Us Vs. Them” dynamic will get more students playing. The goal of recess is to allow the students to play. We just need to guide them to make sure everyone is playing.

The Best Open-Ended Games have Simple Rules that allow Multiple Strategies.

Open-ended Games elicit lots of emotion, which influences memory and learning.

Open-ended Games Make Difficult Subjects Easier to Understand and Reveal Human Nature

The history and rules of Pato, the national sport of Argentina.