August 1, 2006
Spent an enjoyable hour tonite with my son playing cribbage. He loves to play, and it teaches him strategy, math skills, and how to bluff his poor mom. He’s pretty good…I’ve been playing for *mumblemumble* umpteen years and he beats me about 30% of the time!
At any rate, I started thinking about beads (of course) while we were playing, and what games could be played using beads. First one that came to mind was what we’ve always called mancala, and I found instructions and background information on a game called Owari, that is from the mancala family of games (bead/stone count and capture). I really like playing this game…like cribbage there’s an element of luck, but you need planning and math skills to excel in it.
I’m sure you can pick up an Owari board and game pieces, but it might be fun, in these last hot days of summer to make your own. For the board, you’ll need something with indentations to put the beads in…six for each side. If you’re looking for a really simple version, use a foam or cardboard egg carton and draw a line to denote the two sides of the game board. A small bowl for each player can serve as the center “house”. Use orphan beads or beads that have chipped or are otherwise unusable.
For a fancier set, have someone who is into woodwork create the board for you. It might even be fun to start designing jewelry based on where beads fall on your Owari
board!
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