Mammal know-it-all

Here's a fun and challenging team game to help your kids review the many ways mammals influence our lives. The game is played something like the U.S. TV program Concentration " Team members" must correctly answer a mammal-related question and then try to solve a mammal rebus. (See examples on page 312 )

SETTING UP THE GAME BOARD

1. Tape several pieces of construction paper or easel paper together to form a large sheet about 35x45" (88 x 113 cm). (The size of the paper will depend on the size of envelopes you use.)

2. Choose one of the rebuses shown here or make up your own and draw it in easy-to-read letters and pictures across the sheet. (The rebus can be a famous quote relating to mammals, a type o mammal, a famous person that studies mammals, a famous mammal saying, or anything that is mammal-related.)

3. Using thumbtacks or pushpins, attach the sheet to a bulletin board and then attach 24 envelopes in four vertical columns across the board. (There should be six envelopes in each column.) The rows of envelopes should cover the entire rebus. (You can use standard envelopes or make your own using colored construction paper.)

4. Write each of these numbers - 10, 20, 30, and 40 - on a square of construction paper. Then tack the numbers, in order, above the columns of envelopes. These numbers indicate the point value for the questions in each column.

5. Write each of these categories on a piece of construction paper and tack to the left side of each row:

* Mammal Pets
* Famous Mammals
* Mammals Around the World
* Mammals in Art, Music, Language, and Literature
* Endangered Mammals
* Mammals in History

6. Now copy each question listed at the end of this activity (we've included two sample sets) on an index card and insert the cards in the appropriate envelopes. (You should write the answers on the front of each card.) The questions in each row should get progressively harder, with the ones in the 40-point column being the toughest.

Note: Adjust the questions and categories to fit the needs of your group.

HOW TO PLAY

Divide your group in half and have each team choose a captain (or appoint one). Roll dice, draw straws, or spin a spinner to see who goes first. Explain that a message about mammals is hidden under the envelopes on the game board. (Make sure everyone understands what a rebus is by drawing a simple example on a chalkboard or large sheet of easel paper.)

Point out the different categories and point values and explain that the team with the most points at the end of the game wins. Also mention that there is a 1 00-point bonus for correctly solving the rebus. (The game is over when a team correctly solves the rebus.)

To play, have one person on the first team pick a question. (For example, he or she might say, "Mammals in History for 40 points.") Read the question to the team and give them one minute to come up with an answer. Only the team captain can officially answer, but he or she should first confer with the whole team. If the team answers the question correctly, they get the point value of the question. Then remove the envelope that contained the question, exposing part of the rebus underneath. Let the team try to guess the mystery message.

If a team misses a question, they don't score any points and the question goes back into the envelope for another try. Then it's the other team's turn. A team can try to guess the rebus only after its captain has answered a question correctly and that envelope has been removed from the board. (When a team misses a true/false question, remove the envelope, but do not give the other team a chance to guess the message. They must first answer another question correctly before guessing.)