Two Truths and a Lie
Need: Nothing
How to play: For this game everyone thinks of two truths about themselves and one lie. Each person then takes turns saying their statements and the others must guess which statement is a lie. For example:
I have two siblings.
I have over 20 pets.
I go on vacation in Cancun every year.
For me, Cancun is the lie. 20 pets, my guppies just had babies.
Concept: The truths shared are an example of experiences in our lives that have shaped who we are. This is compared to the idea of a "variable." The "variables" of our lives make us unique.
Sheet o' Gravity
Need: A sheet, different sizes and weights of balls
How to play: Everyone grabs a part of the sheet and pulls on it until it is tight. Next the leader adds different balls to the sheet and asks the participants to guess what will happen. Will the tennis ball roll towards the basketball or vice versa? Will the golf ball go towards the balloon or will they both stay still?
Concept: The sheet represents the force of gravity. The objects in place are drawn to each other depending on their mass. The largest object doesn't necessarily attract the smallest, its about which is more massive.
Guess your Charge
Need: Post-it notes. Anything sticky that you can write on.
How to play: Divide the participants into two groups. Half of them close their eyes, the other half keep them open. On the post-its write + indicating positive charge or - indicating negative charge. Allow the participants with their eyes open to look at their charge and then place it on their forehead. For the participants with eyes closed, place the charge on their forehead without them seeing it. Now have everyone open their eyes and interact. The participants who saw their charges can either "make friends" and stick together or run away and scream according to the charge of the other participants. If a positive and a positive interact, they should both run away screaming (same if negative and negative.) If a negative and a positive meet they should give each other a hug, shake hands, etc. After some time, bring everyone back and allow the participants that did not see their charges to guess what they have. Then switch groups.
Concept: Introduction to how charges interact and electromagnetism.
Mafia
Need: Nothing
How to play: Have the participants sit in a circle tell them to close their eyes. Go around the circle and give the participants characters by tapping their shoulder.
No tap: Regular particle: Decides who is the weak force and votes.
One tap: Weak force: Causes other particles to decay.
Two taps: Strong force: Keeps particles together.
Three taps (optional): Gravity: Points at two people, makes their fates the same. (If one person was selected to decay, the other person will.)
Four taps (optional): Electromagnetism: Points at two people and decides thumbs up (they both live even if one was selected to decay) thumbs down (they both die if one was selected to decay).
While their eyes are still closed ask for the weak force to wake up. Have them point at the particle they want to decay. Tell them to sleep. Next ask the strong force to wake up, have them pick a particle to save, back to sleep. The other two forces can be called on and go through the same process. After ask everyone to wake up and tell them who decayed or who almost decayed but was saved. If someone does decay they become a ghost and can watch while everyone sleeps but cannot talk. Next everyone discusses who the weak force was and two nominees are selected. They give their plea and everyone votes on who is guilty. Who every is guilty is now a ghost.
Play until there are no more weak forces or until there are two people left.
Concept: Function of the weak force and the strong force.
Machine
Need: Ball (optional)
How to play: Have one participant do a motion and a sound while pretending to pass a ball. Have them get creative. Now have another participant add on to their motion. Continue this until everyone is moving and making noise. Now add the ball and encourage them to work together to pass it. Everyone has a different movement (specialization) and they are working together to complete a task (passing the ball). For extra fun tell them you're adding glucose so they can make ATP for more energy, then tell them they burnt it too fast and are now running slower.
Concept: Cell specialization
Photosynthesis
Need: Ball
How to play: Choose three participants to be the sun, magnesium, and the receptor. The sun tosses the ball to the magnesium who then holds it and throws it up to be bounced by other participants to the receptor (without letting it hit the ground). Everyone then makes a circle and passes the ball around twice while tapping it. Two teams can participate to race.
Concept: Photosynthesis. The ball first represtents a photon from the sun, then an electron once it is passed from the magnesium. The passing around the circle represents the Calvin cycle and tapping is for adding CO2 and RUBP.
Telephone
Need: Nothing
How to play: One participant comes up with a funny word or phrase. They whisper it to the next participant and they whisper it to the next and so on. The last person to get the phrase announces it out loud.
Concept: Mutations. They occur in the transfer of information.
Punnet Square
Need: Chalk
How to play: Participants draw a punnet square and fill it out accordingly. They then must close their eyes and throw a ball and see which parts it hits and say the phenotype and genotype. At the end have them say the chance the ball has of hitting any given phenotype and genotype.
Concept: Genetics, punnet square, probability.
Multiplication Tic-Tac-Toe
Need: Playing board, a way to mark claimed spaces
How to play: The first player chooses two factors (the 1-9 on the game board) and places an item on each (paperclip, erasers, coins, etc) then crosses of or places a specific item on the product in the box above. Next, the second player moves one of the items on the factors to a different factor. For example, if the game begins with three and six selected, the next move can either move the three or six, but not both. The second player puts their mark on the product. Play continues until one player has marked four products in a row, column, or diagonal.
And yes, you can have two of the same factor selected at once.
Concepts: Multiplication facts, strategy
