Bamboo

Objective: Students will play a game to learn rain forest vocabulary.

Materials: 1 deck of Bamboo cards (card cover, cards), 1 sand timer, 1 Bamboo score sheet, 1
metal desk bell, pencils

Background: Rainforests are the oldest kind of forests. They have been growing on our planet
for millions of years. They are home to the largest concentration of animals, birds, and insects
on earth. They provide our world with enormous amounts of oxygen and store 2/3 of the earth's
freshwater. Rainforests also provide us with medicines, spices, fruits, nuts, chocolate and
minerals like gold.

Rainforests are located on several continents. They are mostly located near the equator. Each
major rainforest is diverse in its contents.

Procedure:
This game is played like the game "Taboo".
Preparation:
Two or more teams play Bamboo at a time. Each team must consist of at least two people. There
is no maximum number of people per team; however, the game goes quicker with three or 4
people per team. It doesn't matter if one team has more players than the other.

One person should be designated as the score keeper. Give score keeper a score sheet and
pencil.

Seating of team members:
Team A chooses one of their players to be their first clue-giver and that player sits with the
card deck placed in front of him/her.

Team B's players sit beside or behind Team A's clue-giver so they can see the cards as the
clue-giver plays them. Team B controls the desk bell and sand timer.

The clue-giver's teammates are not allowed to see the cards and they should sit opposite their
clue-giver, waiting to shout out their answers.

After Team A's clue-giver has completed a turn, a member of Team B is chosen to be the next
clue-giver for their team. Seats are exchanged so that the new clue-giver's teammates cannot see
the cards and the opposing team can see the cards. The bell and timer are passed to Team A.

Playing the game:
The clue-giver draws a card from the top of the deck. The word at the top of the card is the
Guess word the clue-giver is trying to get his/her teammates to say. The five words below the
Guess word are the Bamboo words the clue-giver CANNOT say when giving clues for the Guess
word

As soon as the card is drawn, the sand timer starts. The clue-giver starts giving clues that will
make teammates say the Guess word. The clues may consist of detailed sentences, phrases or
single word hints.

No form or part of ANY word printed on the card may be given as a clue. Examples: If the Guess
word is ANTEATER, "ant" cannot be given as a clue. If LEAF is the Bamboo word, "leaves" cannot
be given as a clue. If RAINFOREST is the clue, neither "rain" nor "forest" can be used.

No gestures can be made. Example: you can't wave your fingers in the air mimicking rain falling.

No sound effects or noises can be made; however, feel free to break into song.

You cannot say the Guess word "sounds like" or "rhymes with" another word.

No initials or abbreviations can be given if the word they represent are included on the card.
Example: MD cannot be used if Doctor is on the card.

As the clue-giver gives hints, his/her teammates shout out possible words trying to say the
Guess word. There is no penalty for wrong guesses.

Scoring a point:
Each time a teammate shouts out the correct Guess word, the clue-giver's team scores a point.
The correctly guessed card is placed face up on the table in a discard pile. The clue-giver
quickly draws another card from the deck and starts giving his/her teammates clues.

Losing a point:
Clue-givers can lose points in two ways: by getting "belled" and by passing on a card. All points
lost are awarded to the opposing team.

Getting "belled": During the clue-giver's turn, the members of the opposing team watch the
clue-giver and the cards. If a Bamboo word is used by the clue-giver or if any of the RULES FOR
CLUES are broken, one member of the opposing team rings the bell. This signals that the card is
dead. The opposing team quickly explains why the card is dead. The clue-giver places the dead
card in the discard pile, face down. Then the clue-giver quickly draws a new card and
continues playing. The number of cards face down in the discard pile are the number of points
awarded to the opposing team on a turn.

Passing on a card: You may choose to pass and not play a card at any time during your turn as
the clue-giver. Pass by placing the card face down in the discard pile. The opposing team
scores a point each time you pass.

The clue-giver continues until the timer runs out. The opposing team is responsible for watching
the timer and signaling when time is up. If time runs out during a clue, you do not get awarded
the point. After totaling the points for both teams, place the card with the discard pile and
continue play.

Winning the game:
When all players have had one turn as clue-giver (or both teams have had the same number of
turns as clue-giver), the points on the score pad are totaled. The team with the most points wins.

Extensions:
Use the words on the Bamboo cards to make a Rain Forest BINGO game.

Make a Rain Forest Bottle Terrarium. You will need one 2-liter clear plastic soda bottle with an
opaque bottom, gravel or small stones, charcoal, potting soil, small plants and water. After
carefully cleaning out the soda bottle, cut the bottom off and set aside. Then cut away the top
of the bottle at the point where the bottle starts to slope to the opening. You will then have the
dome to fit on your terrarium. Check to make sure your base doesn't have any holes. If it does,
place a coffee filter or some large stones inside it to prevent the soil from coming out of the
holes. Add gravel to the base to help with drainage. Spread about an inch of charcoal over the
gravel. Fill the base with potting soil and plant the plants. After you're finished, water then with
about 1/3 cup of water. Take the soda bottle top and invert it on top of the base. Press down
until the bottle is firmly attached to the base. Place in direct sunlight.