This is another idea I shared in my Summer Institute.  It is one of my favorite math activities – a hand-built 3-D game board.

The best part – the children get to construct it.

Base – a shoe/boot tray.  This one is from Target and is copper.

I have used cheap black plastic boot trays.

Add a base material such as sand or dirt.

Arrange large wood and stone pieces.

Add rocks or seashells.

I let the children create the landscape and then put down the wood disc pathway.

I like to use wooden game pieces.  (see below for instructions on making your own!)

HOW TO PLAY:

I like to model this process the first week or two until I feel the children have a good sense of how to build and play with a game board (pathway).

I always begin by telling a simple story of two friends. Sometimes they are  playing and find a secret map.  On the secret map is the pathway to the treasure.   Other times the story has the friends playing in the woods behind their home when they find this pathway.

The best stories are those that you make up in the moment.  Soon, the children will be making up the stories as they play the pathway game!

There are many ways to play.  Here are a few favorites:

1.  Each player rolls the dice and moves that many spaces on the game landscape.

2.  Each player pulls out a number stone.  They move their game piece that many spaces.

HOW TO MAKE EASY GAME PIECES:

You will need felt wooden pieces tacky glue and scissors

Step One:  Cut a rectangle of felt out for the cape.  I place the wood piece on top of the felt and cut it just a tad shorter and long enough to just cover the piece.

Step Two:  I cut out crowns.

Step Three:  I attach these pieces with tacky glue. Ta da!