Purpose:
To become acquainted
with four generations of our ancestors and gain appreciation for their
contributions to our life.
Materials:
Four 8 x 11 game boards containing three
generations. These are placed in a horizontal row, creating spaces for 16
great, great grandparents, 8 great grandparents, and 4 grandparents. Two
of these grandparents will give birth to the father of ME, and two the
mother of ME. Two small cards are placed appropriately below the game
boards to represent my father and my mother. Another card is appropriately
placed below father and mother to represent ME. The letters in parentheses
represent that person’s relationship to ME. For example: (M-M-F) means my
mother’s mother’s father.
Thirty-six number cards are included. Cards 1 – 31
represent individuals as per the numbers on the game boards and Me(#1), My
Father (#2), and My Mother (#3). Five Cards have DANGER written on them.
You will need 31
pennies or other markers.
Directions:
This game can be played solitaire, as a team, or in
competition.
Your pedigree chart or other family records should be
available for reference.
Shuffle the cards and place face down in a pile. On each
turn, take the top card and place it face up to the side of the deck. If
it is the number of one of the 16 great-great grandparents, player places
the card in a used pile and a penny is placed on that ancestor’s box on
the playing board. The ancestor’s name and any interesting information
could be discussed.
If the card is not one of the 16 great-great grandparents,
player places the number card face up on the table to be used later.
Player may not place the child of a set of great, great grandparents on
the game board until both great, great grandparents have been placed. This
is true for each generation. On a turn, a player can use one of the
face-up cards if it can be correctly placed or may turn over a new card.
This continues until a danger card turns up. When this happens, the player
or team must identify name of the last ancestor placed without looking at
any reference material. If player cannot, two dice are rolled. If the sum
is even, the ancestor lives. If the sum is odd, that means the ancestor
placed last died without having children. That of course means ME will not
be. Even if the player is able to give the name of the last ancestor
placed, one more terrible thing might happen. If the very next card is a
DANGER card, then the game is over. The game is won if the Me card is
achieved.
The game could be
played in competition by having one player take his or her father’s line
of ancestors and the other player taking his or her mother’s line of
ancestors. In this case, players take turns turning over cards. If a card
is drawn that cannot be placed on that player’s line of ancestors (the
father or mother’s line), the card is placed face up and any player can
use it on his or her turn. Any DANGER card that comes up relates to that
player’s game line only. Any player completing his or her game board or
boards wins.
Preparation Games
There are many games
that could be played using the cards and/or game boards. One would be to
take out the danger cards and then shuffle the remaining cards. As you
turn up each card, try to identify the ancestor by name. This could be
solitaire, and you try to see how many you can identify before missing
one. Next time, try to go further. As a competition game, players take
turns identifying the ancestor until one player is unable to do so or
makes a mistake. That player is out of the game and the remaining players
continue until only one player remains.
Another preparation
game would be to write each ancestor’s name on a separate, small card.
Player can then try to place the cards correctly on game boards.
Heritage Activities
1. Place each of these
ancestors on calendar to celebrate birthdays.
2. Place ancestor
names on World or United States map to show birthplaces or where they
lived during their lifetimes.
3. Start a personal
history or collection of stories for each ancestor.
4. Discuss a different
ancestor each family night.
5. Using the web or
disk, print news headlines for each ancestor’s birthday.
6. Set up a VIP place
where you can place a picture or artifact of an ancestor of the week or
month.
7. Try to identify new
ancestors as you trace your lineage. Celebrate each new ancestor found.
8. Make sure you are
keeping a journal or a collection of stories about yourself. Remember, you
may be an ancestor that your descendants will want to know about.
9. Help your parents
and grandparents write their personal histories and stories. |