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Roman games

A Roman afternoon (game afternoon) for approx. 100 children. Provided by Matthias Zimmer (EC-Sulzdorf) in December 2003.

Order of events and preparations

The afternoon will be run like a station game. According to the theme, different stations will be played where the groups can play for coins. These money points can then be swapped against a rank. The group who is the first to each a specific rank, either receives extra points for their group, or earns some treats. We still have to decide on this.

Points:

Only one Dinah is awarded for a miserable performance in the station games. Up to 10 Dinah can be won for an outstanding performance. Everything in between is possible. The member of staff on each station is responsible for the points scale on their own station. The first group can be used as a guide. The whole points scale should be used. Not every team should simply be awarded 4-6 points. That would be boring when the ranks are handed out because there wouldn’t be any differences.

The ranks:

As soon as the required points total has been achieved, the relevant badge can be collected at the career office – and the relevant prize. The number of points required to achieve a certain rank depend upon the number of stations. How many stations can be made is dependent upon the group numbers. The points below are based on 12 stations.

The citizens:

Each group is automatically “citizens” at the beginning of the game. There is no recognition for this.
Quaestor:

24 points – average of 2 points. A good team can achieve this rank after 3 stations.
Aedile:

48 points – average of 4 points. A very good group would achieve this rank after half of the games are played. An average will probably not get any further.
Praetor:

72 Dinah – average of 6 points. The group has really achieved something.
Consulate:

96 Dinah – average station points: 8 points. That should be a challenge.

Game stations and tasks

Finding supplies – the story:

When the roman soldiers were somewhere in a field, they had to find food. For this reason, hunting was very important.
Shooting straw balls.

Material: straw balls, bow and arrows
Fire of Rome:

Story: In 63 A.D there was a massive fire in Rome. In the town in which buildings were erected close together, the fire spread very quickly. The ability to put out a fire was important for the survival of all citizens of Rome.

Task: Put out candles with water shooter/water pistol

Material: Shooter, tea lights or other candles
Aqueduct:

Water is life, especially in a city like Rome. We have to think up some ideas to endure the supply.

Task: Water must be transported in a beaker. Two people are standing on a board and have a second board. One player holds the beaker while the other places the second board in front of the first. They both move onto the second board and so on..

Material: Beaker, boards.
Lance with wagon

The Romans drove through difficult land with their chariots....

Task: 4 people are blindfolded and must drive a chariot through an obstacle course. The player standing on the chariot gives the commands.

Material: chariot, blindfold
Skiing

Their campaigns also took the Romans over the Alps. It was snowy.

Task: A race with 3 man skis.

Material: 3 man ski
Headwork:

The Romans always had a lot to do, for this reason they also needed their heads.

Task: Crawl around on all fours and push a ball around an obstacle course with your head.
Trade:

Trade was a speciality of the Romans and the important thing about trading is that you can estimate what value the items might have.

Task: Three estimating games: estimate 2 minutes, estimate the length of a piece of string or how many lentils (or similar) are in a glass.

Material: String, glass with lentils or other
Staff photo montage:

A crazy roman sculptor has made a new work of art but it is all mixed up

Task: A photo montage of some of the members of staff is presented and you must guess who is on the photo.

Material: Photo montage
Camp attack:

That means out of the sleeping bag, into the armour and run

Task: See above – relay race

Material: Armour, helmet, breast plate, slippers etc.
Ice in northern Europe

During their campaigns of attack the Romans also came across surprising fields of snow...

Task: A sprint across a water slide with liquid soap on it (take shoes off)

Material: slide, liquid soap, water
Scooping up water

Team work at the stream.

Task: A beaker is attached to four pieces of string, which 4 people from the group have tied around their waists. Now they must take water from a tub and transfer it into a bucket without using any hands!

Material: Apparatus
General education

Education was very important to the Romans. Everyone had to be fully versed in all things Roman.

Task: Quiz with some questions about Rome
Ruined cereal

The last cereal delivery was ruined and it must be cleaned up.

Task: Corn and wheat are mixed in a container. You must sort out the wheat from the corn.

Material: Corn, wheat, container
Lemon fishing

Roman revelry: lemons were a hit. Even the old Romans knew that sour is funny.

Task: Collect pieces of lemon from a bucket of water with your mouth and eat them.

Material: Lemons, pot or bucket
Survival

Knowing all about nature is the key to your survival

Task: Find different things in the woods (beech leaves, pine cone, ...)