Plan
- What objects will you use?
- What advantages and disadvantages will you give out?
- How will you decide who gets advantages or disadvantages?
Do
- Start by spreading 100 pennies (or other small objects) on the ground.
- When the game starts, everyone will have a chance to gather as many pennies as possible. When all of the pennies are collected, organise yourselves into groups according to how many pennies you collected. Did most people collect similar amounts of pennies? Write down how many people were in each group.
- Now play the game again but before you start, hand out advantages and disadvantages randomly. An example of an advantage is for some people start with 2 pennies, and an example of a disadvantage is for some people to wear thin gloves or to start 10 seconds later. Make sure the advantages and disadvantages are given out randomly!
- At the end, organize into groups again. Are the group sizes the same as the first game?
- How is this similar to people earning money in real life? What are some advantages and disadvantages that people might face when trying to earn money in real life?
Review
- Did you think that the second game was fair?
- How did it make you feel when certain players were given advantages and disadvantages?
- What are some advantages and disadvantages that people have in real life?
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Remember to submit your activities on our Scouts for Sustainability Take Action Map
Materials
- ~100 pennies or similar small objects
- A few pairs of thin gloves
Keep it Simple
f you do not have time to play two rounds, you can just play the first round. Once everyone has collected their pennies you can discuss how certain advantages or disadvantages would affect the game.
Take it Further
To continue this activity, split up into groups according to the number of pennies you collected in the second game. In your groups, discuss whether you think the game was fair. If you decided it was not fair, how can you make it fair? Share your answers with the other groups. Did all of the groups have the same answer?
