Calories in = calories out. The Amazing Facts Card Game avoids a finger-wagging approach to teaching children what they should and should not eat. They match up pairs of cards that say what it takes to burn off the calories from various unhealthy foods.

Teaching the activity
The game is intended as a fun way for children to learn with amazing facts about the body and health. The message of the card game is that there is obviously room for a ‘sweet tooth’ provided that the calories (‘gunpowder’) are burnt off again.

A game lasts 15–20 minutes, but longer if the children have to cut out the cards first.

Number of players:

• 2 or more.

Before starting:

• Deal out all the cards. It doesn't matter if not all of the players have the same number of cards.

Aim:

• To avoid ending up holding the bomb. All other cards are to be collected as pairs.

Playing the game:

• Everyone picks up their cards and makes as many pairs as possible. You have a pair when two of the statements match. The only card that cannot be paired off is the bomb. All matching pairs are laid on the table, and then the game proper begins.
• The player to the left of the dealer starts by taking one card from the dealer's hand (without being able to see the cards). If the new card makes a pair with one of the cards in the player's hand, the pair is laid on the table. Otherwise the player must retain the card. Now it is the turn of the next player, who takes a card from the hand of the player who began the game.
• Once a player has paired up all of his/her cards, he/she leaves the game. When a player leaves the game, the next player loses the right to draw a card, and instead supplies a card for the next player along. The player who is left holding the bomb at the end loses.

Tip: Don’t panic if you get the bomb. Keep an eye on where the next player normally takes a card and try putting the bomb there.

Step 1
Before the game gets under way, you could have a discussion with the children on what is healthy and what is not, including the link between calorie intake and calorie consumption.

Step 2
It is ideal if the children themselves help to cut out the cards, which can be glued to pieces of stiff card to make them stronger.

Step 3
Explain the rules. You could play a dummy hand before the children play ‘for real'.

Tip: The various pairs can naturally be discussed during the course of the game.

Tools

• Set of special playing cards

References
Calculating calorie consumption:

• www.runnersweb.com