Pick Up Sticks

Pick Up Sticks is a popular game played by children in North America. It was originally introduced to the early settlers by the Native Americans and was known as Jackstraws.

Age: 5+

No. of players: 2 to 4

Equipment: 30 coloured sticks - these can be made from wooden skewers. The sticks have different point values:

    1 x black (25 points)
    5 x red (10 points)
    6 x blue (5 points)
    7 x green (2 points)
    11 x yellow(1 point)
Alternatively, you can use 30 uncoloured sticks, worth one point each.
NOTE: Take care to avoid injury if the skewers have sharp ends.

Time: 10+ minutes

Aim: To pick up as many sticks as you can without moving any other sticks.

1. To play the game the first player holds the sticks above the ground and then releases them so that they fall in a pile on the ground, overlapping each other.

2. The first player then tries to remove as many sticks as possible without moving any other stick.

3. As soon as another stick is moved, the first player's turn is finished and it is the next player's turn.

4. The next player gathers up the sticks and releases them again.

5. The game continues until everyone has had their turn.

6. The players add up the total of their points. The winner is the player with the most points.


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