A.V.I. - The Super Game

A.V.I. (Age-Value-Items) is an absolute must-have in your repertoire of learning games. A.V.I. can be played by 2 to 20 players (or more). It is suitable for ages 12 to adult. Once the materials are prepared, they may be used over and over. A.V.I. is a game of infinite possibilities. It can be used in a variety of formal and informal educational settings - classrooms, youth groups, madrichim training, teacher training, parent education, adult education.

MATERIALS for a group of up to 10 individual players or 20 players playing in pairs:
slips of paper in three different colors
three manila envelopes

PREPARATION:
Label the first envelope "Age." On each of 10 slips of paper of one color, write a different age or age group.
Examples - 4th graders, 2-year olds, kindergarten, senior adults, parents of B'nai Mitzvah students, college freshmen, etc.

Label the second envelope "Value." On each of 10 slips of paper of a second color, write a different Jewish Value (think Mitzvot and the Ten Commandments).
Examples - welcoming visitors, not stealing, repairing the world (Tikun Olam), observing Shabbat, honoring parents, preserving the earth, giving Tzedakah, etc.

Label the third envelope "Items." You will need 50 items for 10 individual players or 10 pairs of players. "Items" can be almost any object or activity. Give free rein to your imagination. Write each of the 50 items on slips of paper of a third color.
Examples - a pizza box, an Elmo puppet, an Etrog, plastic dinosaurs, marbles, a rainbow, a hike in the woods, a diamond, safety pins, planting a garden, a ball of yarn, a deck of cards, a trip to the zoo, a can of Kosher chicken soup, etc.
(Brainstorming the 50 items is a fun group project.)

DIRECTIONS:
Pass the envelopes to each player or pair of players, who select one slip (sight unseen) from the "Age" envelope, one slip from the "Value" envelope, and 5 slips from the "Items" envelope. The object of the game is for each player or pair of players to design a way to teach the Jewish value selected, to the age group selected using the 5 items selected.
Set a time limit of 10-15 minutes.
Then, the players share their teaching designs, so that all can enjoy and learn from the variety of creative responses. It's helpful to have a moderator who directs the game, calls on each player or pair to share, and provides positive feedback.
At the end of the game , the moderator collects the slips of paper, sorts them by color, and returns them to the appropriate envelopes ready to be used again.

Our Director of Life Long Learning presented the A.V.I. game at our first faculty meeting. It was a marvelous ice breaker, team builder, and game model for future use. The teaching ideas generated were imaginative and resourceful. A.V.I. was an excellent way to get acquainted with our colleagues and to appreciate their ingenuity.

Now, it's your turn! Below are the slips which my partner and I pulled from the envelopes:
Age - preschool
Value - not bearing false witness
Items - barbed wire, aleph-bet magnet letters, thumbtacks, yellow tile squares, a 1969 box of matzah

Go for it!