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Click on the each game for the rules:
IMAGINE NATION (versus
CONCENTRATION)
MAP (versus
SNAP)
NO FISH (versus
GO FISH)
IMAGINE NATION (versus CONCENTRATION)
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In the traditional version of the simple children's game called CONCENTRATION (MEMORY), all the cards are placed face down, organized in rows and columns. Players take turns flipping over two cards to see if they match numerically. If they do match, the player collects the cards and then flips over another two cards. If they don't match, the cards are placed back in place, face down, and the player's turn ends. The idea is to remember the locations of cards that have been flipped over so that when the same value shows up somewhere else, the player can flip over a matching pair. The game is won by the player with the greatest number of collected pairs.
Like SNAP, this game is very popular among young children and provides an excellent way to build up memory skills (or in the case of adults, an attempt to recover them!).
In the Cards Eh! version of CONCENTRATION (MEMORY), which we call IMAGINE NATION, Canadian Provinces and Territories are matched instead of numbers. So for example, coats-of-arms for each province and territory could be matched with the flag for the same region, while the cities could be matched with the rivers and lakes. The benefit here is that players learn to recognize the symbols and basic geography of each province and territory.
In order to prevent players from keying on the card numbers instead of the country information, an additional rule can be introduced in which players must describe a card before flipping it over. For example, a player about to flip over the flag of Canada must first describe it. The level of description may be quite simple but will ensure that players pay attention to the card faces and not the numbers.
This game can be further modified by requiring that players state a fact associated with the province or territory. For example, if a player flips over the coat-of-arms and the flag of Manitoba, he/she must state the capital of Manitoba. Another example would be stating the provincial motto for Manitoba when the cities and rivers/lakes cards are found. If the player is correct, the pair of cards is collected and the player is allowed to flip over two additional cards. If the player is incorrect, the cards are flipped back over and the player's turn ends.
MAP (versus SNAP)
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In the traditional version of the simple children's game called SNAP, all the cards are dealt out and each player plays one card at a time, from the top of his cards, without looking at them. After each player has had a turn, the player who played the highest card wins the hand and collects the cards. If two or more players play cards with the same winning value, they each play an additional 3 cards face down and then compare values on the fourth card (placed face up). The player with the highest card wins all the cards played in the hand. The next hand proceeds in exactly the same way. When a player runs out of cards, he/she uses those that he/she has won. When a player runs out of cards completely, he/she is out of the game. The last player left with cards is the winner.
Although this game is very simple and very seldom can ever be played to completion, it is very popular among young children and does promote basic sequencing skills.
In the Cards Eh! version of SNAP, which we call MAP, the sizes of the Canadian provinces and territories are used instead of the card numbers. So for example, if Player One plays any Alberta card, Player Two plays any Nova Scotia card, and Player Three plays any Quebec card, Player Three wins the hand (because Quebec is larger than both Nova Scotia and Alberta). The benefit here is that players first must learn the names of all Canadian provinces and territories and then will learn their relatives sizes. In order to avoid having to search through the entire deck on each hand (i.e. the land area for each province/territory is printed on the clubs cards), a quick reference card with all the land areas is included in the deck.
A similar game can also be played using the dates of Confederation. For example, if Player One plays any Alberta card, Player Two plays any Nova Scotia card, and Player Three plays any Quebec card, Players Two and Three must count out three additional cards face down and then flip over the fourth (since both Nova Scotia and Quebec joined Canada at the same time and before Alberta).
Both of these games can be modified still further by having players state the size or date before they can collect the cards played in the hand. For example, in the case where Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Quebec were played, if Player Three cannot correctly state the land area for Quebec, then the hand falls to Player One, who must correctly state the land area of Alberta, and so on. If all players are incorrect, the unclaimed cards are carried into the next hand.
NO FISH (versus GO FISH)
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In the traditional version of the simple children's game called GO FISH, seven cards are dealt to each player and the object is to collect more paired values than any other player. The player who goes first (typically the player sitting just to the left of the dealer) begins by selecting one of the other players and then asking for a card by number. If the selected player has the card, he must hand it over and the player who asked for the card continues his turn by selecting another player and asking for another card. If the selected player does not have the card asked for, he says "Go Fish" and the player, whose turn it is, draws a card from the face down cards still in the deck and ends his turn. As paired values are collected, they are placed face up in front of each player. The game ends when one player runs out of cards.
In the Cards Eh! version of GO FISH, which we call NO FISH (truly Canadian), the cards are asked for by province and territory rather than by number. For example, instead of saying "Do you have any 2's?", a player would ask, "Do you have any B.C. cards?". The benefit is that players learn the names of all Canadian provinces and territories.
A more advanced version of NO FISH requires that players answer a question about the province or territory before receiving the card they
asked for. For example, if Player One asks Player Two for a B.C. card and
Player Two has the B.C. cities card, Player Two says "yes, but can
you tell me the capital of B.C.?". If Player One answers correctly, Player
Two hands over the card and Player One selects another player and asks
for another card. On the other hand, if Player One does not know the capital of B.C.,
Player Two keeps the card and Player One's turn is over.
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Ideas for any additional games are very welcome and will be gladly posted here. Please contact us your game suggestions.
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