The Marble Game, like all truely co-operative games, only works if people work together to achieve the goal. The Marble Game is one of our favourite co-operative games.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

REASONS FOR PLAYING:

Fun; co-operation and a great sense of group achievement

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

• One marble
• One bowl or other 'target' container
• A number of lengths of channelling - one for each player

Note (on 'channelling'):

We bought some lengths of household sink waste-pipe from our local plumbers' merchant. The pipe has a diametre which is about 30mm and we cut some 250mm lengths. The pieces were then cut in half (down their length) using a hacksaw to produce the 'half-pipes' or 'channels'.

You could also use kitchen roll inners - cut in half, down their lengths.

HOW TO PLAY:

The object of the game is simply to transport the marble over a set distance (e.g. over the length of a room) using the lengths of channelling.

One person starts by putting the marble into their channel and they slowly tip their channel and let the marble role down it such that when it gets to the end it drops into the next person's length of channelling.

Rules:

You must not touch the marble

You must not move your feet (no walking or running) while you have the marble in your channel

NOTES:

If you haven't got enough 'channels' for people to have one each, you could try doubling people up.

We played the game recently with a group of about thirty 15 year olds (half of whom were Japanese). We paired up a British youngster up a Japenese one and they held one piece of channelling between the two of them (one at each end and on opposite sides - facing each other).