Blackboard Sketch-O-Rama

Blackboard Sketch-O-Rama was one of those programs that I was super excited about doing until about a week before it actually happened...and then I got totally nervous about the details. The concept was easy--it was just simple blackboard Pictionary, but as the program got closer, I wasn't sure how it was all going to actually work. What if I had an uneven number of kids? What if they didn't know what all the words meant? Should I let them pass? If so, how many times? For such a simple program, it actually seemed overwhelming.

But last Thursday night, when it came time to do the program, a new problem arose immediately. It was a gross, rainy (nor'easter) night and I needed at least 4 kids to even play the game at all. And of course, I had three. They waited and waited and about two minutes before I cancelled the thing and disappointed three kids and three parents, I got a patron on the floor to join the program! The show must go on! And it did work out well that my four kids were two boys and two girls--all of whom enthusiastically wanted to play the boys vs. girls. I mean obviously.

I made eight categories--just handwritten words folded up into labeled cups. The categories were:

Animals
Sports & Games
Music
Travel
Book & Movie Characters
Food & Drink
Miscellaneous 1
Miscellaneous 2

The kids who did come had a great time. I started the program by handing out snacks (veggie chips, iced tea, and fruit punch) and letting the kids pick team names. The girls called themselves Purple Girls and the boys (being second grade boys) called themselves I Am Dumb (and then cracked up every time I said it). Probably just because they were older overall (and at that age, every year makes a big difference. Plus, at that age, girls have a maturity bonus over boys anyway)...but the girls won by kind of a landslide:

What worked least: Nothing worked least specifically, but the program would have just been better with a bigger group. As with any party game, it's just more fun with more people. But what can you do? The weather dictates all!

What worked best: The categories were perfect. It gave the kids an advantage to know what subject they were guessing and I think, when it was their turn to draw, they liked the power of choosing a topic for their team.

Maybe this would be worth giving another shot in the middle of the summer or during a school vacation. Like I said earlier, despite the size of the group, the four kids who came really enjoyed themselves!