Keep Playing Week 7
Game of the Week: Huckle Buckle Beanstock
This week, Playworks is featuring a group challenge that’s all about keeping cool even when the game gets exciting! The best part is that this game can be played with a large group or with only a few people.
Skill Focus:
Integrity – Be fair, be honest, and do the right thing even when no one is watching you or you don’t “have to.”
Play In-Person
Play Virtually
Simplified Game Instructions
# of people to play: 3+
Best for ages: 5+
Setup/Teaching Time: 5 minutes
Equipment needed: A small, unique object to hide (bean bag, marker, etc.)
Goal: to find the hidden object without letting anyone else know where it is.
Before you start
- Remind everyone to be fair and honest during the game – especially when the object is being hidden.
- Remind the person hiding the object to remember where they put it!
How to Play:
- Choose an object for the players to look for (a small bean bag, marker, stuffed animal, etc), and have all participants start in one spot (their desk or sitting on the carpet).
- Choose one person to hide their object first. The hiding place should be in plain sight (not completely hidden from view).
- Have the person who is hiding the object walk around the room and hide it while the other players close their eyes.
- Once the object is hidden, the hider returns to the start and says the magic word. Seekers can then open their eyes and walk around the room.
- As participants find the object, they return to sit where they started and say “huckle buckle beanstalk.” Once all of the participants have found the object, ask the person who found it first to show the group where it is. That person then gets to hide next.
- If not all the players have found the object after 1 minute, the leader should do a countdown to have all players return to the start. They can ask for a volunteer to show where it is and hide it for a new round.
- The goal of the game is to find the hidden object as fast as you can and keep it a secret from other players.
Game Debrief
- What did it feel like when you were still looking for the object even when others had already found it? Were you tempted to pretend you had also found it?
- If you did find the object before others, what did you do to show integrity and keep the object’s location a secret to the other people who were still looking? What would have happened if you had shouted out where the object was?
- How can you show integrity in class today?
Game Modifications
Academic Application
- Have the object next to a trivia question, math equation, or test question. Once found, the student needs to answer the question on a piece of paper and keep the answer secret in their seat.
Challenge Idea
- Facilitator can hide multiple objects and ask that students find all the objects in the designated period of time before sitting down.
Another Way to Play
- Play Huckle Buckle Beanstalk in the hallway when moving between locations.
- Students will need to stay in line but will be using their eyes to try and find the object and say Huckle Buckle Beanstalk when they are back in their seats.
- The object can move as little or as much as needed to engage the most students in transitions.
Brain Break: Sleepy Bunny
How to Play
- The goal of the game is to not get caught moving.
- The leader calls out a magic word. Once the magic word is called, players hop around like bunnies.
- When the leader says “Sleepy Bunny,” all players must do their best impression of a sleepy bunny by freezing where they are.
- The leader walks amongst the bunnies, looking for movement.
- If a player moves, they perform a task (i.e. jumping jacks, running in place for 10 seconds, etc…) to get back in the game.
Additional Resources
Sample School Community Announcement
This month we are learning more on the theme of self awareness. Self awareness helps you tune into your own feelings and notice how they influence your behaviors.
To be self aware requires integrity – both to yourself and to others. Integrity means to be fair and honest, and to do the right thing even when no one is watching you. Our game of the week is Huckle Buckle Beanstalk. The success of this game has integrity at its core – everyone must follow the rules and not share their hiding spots or peek at others. How have you acted with integrity in your own life?
Teach students to play in class, and then empower them to lead the game and teach others!
Core Recess Game
In addition to our Keep Playing Game of the Week, we’re sharing bi-weekly Core Recess Games that will help kids be active, practice leadership, maximize recess time, and have fun.
This week’s game is BLOCKER BALL!
Return to the Keep Playing Homepage for archives of past weeks and other helpful resources.