Jul 25, 2012

A Game to Incorporate Play in the Art Room

I recently added a new game to my repertoire of sponge activities called The Green Glass Door! Brainteasers and puzzles like The Green Glass Door are wonderful tricks to pull out of your hat while kids are waiting in line for their teacher, at lunch waiting to be dismissed or seated prior to an assembly. They grab students’ attention and pump up creativity!

This Green Glass Door can be used from age 8 on up and is even fun for adults. The game is very simple and can be played anywhere at any time and it requires no supplies. In a nutshell, players try to figure out the one rule that allows items to pass through The Green Glass Door. There are two directives to explain before playing:

Players may ask yes or no questions only. For example, “could a bear go through The Green Glass Door?”
Once you figure out the rule, you cannot blurt it out! You must only add suggestions and continue the game.

It’s that simple. So, let’s play! I will start off by giving you a few hints:

A kitten can go through The Green Glass Door, but a cat cannot.
A book can go through The Green Glass Door, but a newspaper cannot.
A pillow can go through The Green Glass Door, but a blanket cannot.

Think you have mastered The Green Glass Door? Add your questions or suggestions below, but remember… don’t give away the rule!

What sponge activities, riddles, and brainteasers do you use?

How could you play this game using concepts from your art curriculum?

Laura

A swallow can go through the Green Glass Door, but an eagle cannot.
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  Very true!
  - Guest
    
    Ha ha! I bet my whole Professional Growth Committee can go through!! Except for the superintendent.
    - http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
      
      Too funny! You are correct. The superintendent is not allowed through the Green Glass Door. :)
    - Laura
      
      Looks like your PGC could go through several times.
lauren alexander

but what is the answer? who can go through the green glass door? I feel like a moron….
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  Lauren,
  You are NOT a moron! I didn’t give the answer. Ask me a yes/no question, then see if you can figure out what all the things that can go through the door have in common.
http://twitter.com/OneBlondeGirl April

A mammal can go through the Green Glass Door, but a reptile cannot.
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  Right on!
Becky Abel

A palette can go through the Green Glass Door, but a brush cannot.
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  True.
Kristyn DeMint

This is fun… I can get my foot through the green glass door, but not my arm? I don’t know if I would figure this out if it was just spoken to me and not written (hint,hint).
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  That’s right! Your arm cannot go through, but your sleeve could!
laurasnyder2109

A poodle but not a dachsund…I had a high school English teacher play this with us. she called it “deep, but not profound”
Cookie True

Speaking up for all the rule challenged kids among us… I read all the comments but I still don’t get it
Marni Oberpriller

A battle can go through the green glass door, but a war cannot.
Megan E Steinlage

I always play “I spy” and I make them use art terms, like “I spy with my little eye something with cross hatching.” The kids can’t wait to get in line to have a turn which means the room is cleaned up quickly and quietly.
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  I really like your “I spy” idea. Great way to integrate art vocabulary words!
Mcoker

You can boogie through the green glass door but you can’t dance through it :)
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  Unless you were ballroom dancing ;)
Claire

My class can go through the Green Glass Door but not my students.
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  Very true… and tricky!
Heather

My students love playing Pictionary. I secretly tell a student something to draw. They draw on the board and the class tryies to guess what is being drawn. I sometimes use the cards from a Pictionary-Jr game for ideas.
You can make the game easy for very young artists (flower, butterfly, house) or complex for older students.
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  Drawing on the board is such a motivator! Great idea, thank you for sharing!
http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett

THE ANSWER: This game has to do with spelling. The words green, glass and door all have double letters, therefore, only words with double letters can pass through! For example, classical art can pass through the green glass door because the word ‘classical’ has double ‘s’, but contemporary art cannot because the word ‘contemporary’ has no double letters. Pottery (double ‘t’) can pass through the green glass door, but clay (no doubles) cannot. The game is much more enjoyable when you know the rule, so give it a try!

Thanks for playing along. I enjoyed reading all your suggestions. This is a creative and humorous group!
Vivian

So you don’t really explain the game but just give the rules so that students catch on to the actual rule, right? A rooster can go through the green grass door, but a pig cannot! Because I imagine it would take me several times to have figured it out…. but a fun one indeed, once it’s gotten!
http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett

That is right! Just give examples until they figure it out. And as students figure it out, they can give more examples, as long as they do not blurt out the rule. It is fun for adults too :)
erica

Okay I HAD to google the answer to this one!
The Mad Hatter can go through the green glass door but Alice cannot
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  Ha ha, good one! The white rabbit can go through as well.
misskaty

A tool can go through the green glass door but a screw cannot.
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Heather Crockett
  
  Yep! You got it! :)
Kclaus1979

I didn’t get it till I scrolled to bottom of the comments (thanks Heather) I guess I will try this now.