GAMES CHILDREN PLAY
Erica
Carle
December 14, 2008
NewsWithViews.com
When I was writing a weekly “Truth In Education” column I frequently attended teachers’ meetings and conventions. While there I would pick up information about materials to be used in classrooms. In my column of September 2, 1976 I included copy from a promotion brochure of a Madison, Wisconsin firm that distributed its board games to schools in Wisconsin and throughout the country. The following is actual copy from the brochure advertising its games for children:
LIE, CHEAT & STEAL Gr. 5 and 6
In this tongue in cheek political game, it’s possible to win by playing scrupulously honest or by cheating shamelessly. LIE, CHEAT & STEAL provides up to six players with everything they need to simulate the political arena. There are vote certificates and money to buy them with, “Dollar” cards which create opportunities to steal money from the public treasury. “Black Eye” cards which are useful in blackmailing the other players, and “Feather-in-Your-Cap” cards which offer some protection against the ruthless news media. You will find a 4-fold playing board, 6 tokens, and 2 dice to complete the game in which you compete for prestige in a world of shady politics.
STARPOWER
STARPOWER is our most popular game. More than a million people have participated in the game as of June 1972 by our estimates. It is a game in which a low mobility, three-tiered society is built through the distribution of wealth in the form of chips. Participants have a chance to progress from one level of society to another by acquiring wealth through trading with other participants. Once the society is established, the group with the most wealth is given the right to make the rules for the game. The power group generally make rules which maintain their power and which those being governed consider to be racist, unfair and fascistic. This generally results in some sort of rebellion by the other members of the society. The game is used to stimulate discussions about the uses of power. A surprising variety of people and institutions have used STARPOWER including prisons, churches, sociologists, urban planners, large and small corporations. The League of Women Voters, and management consulting firms.
BODY TALK
We are rarely taught how to use our bodies as effective communicators. How do you say “I love you” without speaking? How do you signal concern to another person without using words or a facial expression? Both adults and children will find an almost endless variety of ways to express such emotions. And because BODY TALK involves uninhibited physical expression it’s a wonderful release for emotional tensions and a marvelous therapeutic device. Up to 10 people can play. Boxed in a handsome bookshelf case: 54 emotion cards, 10 blank cards (for making your own variations) and a unique booklet on the possibilities of body communicating by psychologists.
THE UNGAME (4th-College)
The Ungame is more than a game – It’s a communication device designed to draw 2 to 6 people together. There are no winners or losers in the usual sense. The Ungame creates an atmosphere in which you feel safe to share feelings, thoughts, and ideas, and have fun at the same time. As the players take their turns on the board, each draws a “Tell it like it is” card and answers the question on the card. There are no right or wrong answers. Some samples are: “Share one of the happiest days of your life * If you could become invisible, where would you like to go? * What would you like to be remembered for after you die? * Do you ever feel lonely? When?” There are two decks of cards. One deck of cards can be used for children, another for adolescents and adults. The non-threatening gamelike atmosphere helps teachers gain valuable insight into the student’s behavior and to isolate attitudinal problems.
ORGANIZED
CRIME
--a real education
Organized Crime combines board game strategy and human interaction in an unusual struggle for survival. To maximize his chance of winning, each player must constantly use his psychological skills and make the right strategic decisions. The personalities that emerge and the psychology that is employed make Organized Crime a rewarding experience every time it is played. It is a board game for four, three or two players.
HEADLINE: Students lie, cheat, steal but insist they’re good. SCRIPPS TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS * MONDAY, DECEMBER !, 2008, A10.
I do not have to tell you about this story. It was all over the newspapers and TV, but educators still play dumb. The article said:
Educators reacting to the findings questioned any suggestion today’s young people are less honest than previous generations, but several agreed intensified pressures are prompting many students to cut corners.
“The competition is greater, the pressures on kids have increased dramatically,” said Mel Riddle of the National Association of Secondary School Principles. “They have opportunities their predecessors didn’t have to cheat. The temptation is greater.”
NO. . . NO. . . NO
It is not intensified pressures! It is not the competition! It is not greater opportunity to cheat! It is not greater temptation!
|
Subscribe to the NewsWithViews Daily News Alerts! |
It is the corrupt, dumbed down sociologically controlled education system. Understand the system and its goals to understand the results. THE HATE FACTORY www.52664.authorworld.com explains the history, goals, and methods used in “social studies” to corrupt the children. Remember, students who are taught in the classroom how to lie, cheat, and steal grow into adults who lie, cheat, and steal in business, government, and education.
� 2008 Erica Carle - All Rights Reserved
