"Titus and the riddle of Easter bunnies" - a field game that won with my children's smarfons

Before about Titus, first about the habits of words a few ...

Researchers for many years tried to understand and describe the mechanism that is behind the formation of habits. Logically, the matter is simple: if we do the given activity, repeat it every day, then eventually a habit will develop, right? Well, it will not rise. After all, if every day I eat czernina, although I hate her heartily, after a year, I will still hate her and if I have the opportunity, I will eat something else. The habit of eating czernina will not be produced. At the very beginning, therefore, it was necessary to answer the question why the brain likes habits so much and what causes that habits are created at all?

Our brain loves habits

The answer turned out to be extremely simple. The brain, accounting for 2% of the human body mass, has a demand for about 20% of the energy that the body has. The more the brain thinks consciously, the more energy it needs. All processes occurring in the subconscious are processes with low energy demand, because the subconscious operates about ten thousand times faster than consciousness.

If we compare our brain to a large, modern computer, then our consciousness will be the ongoing tasks we see on the screen, and the subconscious will be processes that run in the background - which we do not see and yet do their job. There is still the topic of code performance. And here our evolution is unmatched. Well the brain employs incredibly talented "programmers"who create a super efficient code called a habit.

Habits must lead the shortest way to the destination. Providing minimal energy consumption with a brain-friendly effect. Although the goal is not always beneficial for us, it is fixed in habit. For example: if we feel hungry to reach for a bar, our brain programmers will code the habit: hunger = eat a bar = satiety and contentment (endorphins). And we have a ready code / scheme that is not the healthiest for us and yet it is fixed.

That's how a habit arises

Many people believe that for a habit to arise it must be repeated many times. Truth?

Nothing could be more wrong. The habit can be fixed immediately, it must only fulfill one condition: he must engage all the senses of man. Przykład? Proszę bardzo. Kto z nas, będąc po swoim pierwszym, fantastycznym seksie, zakończonym orgazmem, nie był od razu pewien, że będzie chciał to robić jeszcze raz i jeszcze raz? 🙂 Właśnie powstał nawyk “od pierwszego zdarzenia”. 🙂

And so the answer came to the scientists, which governs the mechanism of habit formation. It is involving as many senses as possible that are responsible for our emotions.

Why are computers and smartphones so addictive?

Because, they strictly use the pattern of habits in the human brain. They engage so many senses from the first contact and generate so many emotions that our brain is actually without a chance. A habit is created right away! In addition, there is also a whole array of Mendeleev, various chemical afterburners in the form of: serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, which do not make it easy to defend against harmful habits.

How to win with a habitual "machine of doom"?

Further research by scientists proved that once developed habits, one can not simply get rid of, e.g., delete. Old habits can only be replaced with new ones, using previously sawn pathways of habit formation. The stronger the involvement of the senses, the easier it will be to replace the old habit.

And here it appears our chance of winning! We just have to come up with something that is even more interesting for our children's brains and ready! Simple? Only seemingly.

Field games - our chance to win

By snorting different ideas on how to log my two birds into real life (sometimes I feel they have logged out and forgotten the PIN), I refreshed the idea of field games that I was leading as a team in scouting.

The times of scouts, as everyone knows, have come somewhere immediately after the era of "licking stone". Therefore, everyone who lives in them is a decrepit old for children, who chews bread with his fingers and is about 30-40 years old (sometimes a bit more;)). Each, even the simplest terrain game, has a new character for children. As usual, no one has the right to remember anymore.

From the above rule there are exceptions from what I have remembered, as an aged old man, every terrain game it aroused enormous emotions in the scouts I led. She was the subject of endless conversations over the next camp days. There were hundreds of ideashow to solve a given puzzle and epic stories were born, what dangers were overcome to complete the task.

I decided to check if this educational method is still applicable in our modern times.

The habit of Easter field games

There is probably no better time to "run" the game than the period of the awakening nature. Unfortunately, this is something that also begins to wake up in our kids and it's hard to endure them at home. After the whole winter, they are "rusty" and simply squeak when getting up from the couch.

I thought Easter was the perfect moment. The beginning of spring, and waiting for some small gifts for the Easter bunny. well then we have two necessary conditions a fairly successful off-road game is provided.

5 basic rules of outdoor games

The terrain game, to be successful, must meet 5 basic conditions:

• the prize must be specific and worth playing - it is impossible to explain to the children that it was about having fun
• the game must be short - what on paper looks like a max of 1h usually takes 2.5 hours in the field
• the game must have a story that "draws" players - nothing more nothing less
• the game must have control points, które pozwolą na wyrównanie szans, tym którzy myślą inaczej niż my – pomimo dobrych chęci organizatorów gracze myślą tak niestandardowo, że aż strach 🙂
• in the game you need to use modern technology - it's not the time of knights and "wounded heads", children are smart and want to use modern technologies, you have to use it

And the rule over all rules take care of SECURITY

Why do terrain games win with smartphones?

The answer is simple. They engage more senses than simply using a computer, the Internet or a smartphone. More senses equate to more emotions. Emotions are also affected by the need to leave a safe "home outlet" and make decisions in the real world (in real life).

Is it working?

Yes. For three years she has been organizing Easter field games and each is called by children the best game ever - that is, you can say a success.

The games last around 2-3h and start at 7 am on Easter Sunday - that is before the festive breakfast.

After each game, the kids come back: hungry, full of emotions and tell stories about their adventures until the end of the holiday day and sometimes even longer. Is this not the point? I do not recall any computer game that aroused so much excitement in my children.

This year, already a month before Easter, the first questions appeared: "Dad, and will the game be this year?" And suggestions "It would be nice if the game was in the world of Titus, Romek and A'tomek". As you can see the habit of playing field games appeared after the first game :). I tak “staromodna” gra terenowa pokonała nowoczesne smartfony 🙂

Poniżej zamieszczam scenariusz tegorocznej gry, być może ktoś z Was, będzie chciał go wykorzystać. Czujcie się swobodnie w wykorzystywaniu poniższych materiałów. Są one mojego autorstwa (fabuła gdy, dialogi itp, lub na prawach non commercial use – muzyka). Proszę tylko o informację, że wykorzystaliście poniższe materiały 🙂 – będzie to bardzo miła dla mnie informacja.

Scenario of the game: "Titus and the riddle of Easter bunnies"

Scenario:

• Scene 1: Titus initiate children - "Beginning of the adventure"
• Scene 2: Task 1 - "Information about Easter Bunnies and Easter Islands"
• Scene 3: Task two - "Stalking and encrypted messages"
• Scene 4: Third task - "Feeding hares"
• Scene 5: The fourth task - "Hare-in-the-box"

Game time2-3h

Necessary: 2x smartphone, card, pen, banana, milk, lemon, carrots, apples, treasure chest + treasure chest, knowledge of chocolate cipher, mirror.

Description of the realities and purpose of the game

Modern times. Tytus wants to solve the riddle of Easter bunnies. In the absence of his friends (Romek and A'tomek), Titus invents the best replacement for Ewczan and Tymczan (children: Ewa 9 and Timothy 12). Tytus communicates with children via text messages (before the game - preferably at night - you need to change the profile picture and a description of the number from which messages from Tytus De Zoo to Tytus data will be sent), and previously recorded audio messages. During the execution of tasks, Titus and his children discover the dark secret of Easter bunnies. They decide to play with the pranks of the jokes, "processing" the hiding place.

Scene 1: Beginning of the adventure

The kids receive their first voicemail from Tytus De Zoo on their smartphone.

Titus sets two warm-up tasks. The first: to invent a break dance for mixed music and the second: to make and drink a sour banana cocktail without getting up.

Both adventures are based on the Tytus universe: "music therapy" and attempts for candidates for a smile order.

Titus loses his voice from a cold, banana cocktail - so the next messages are sent via text messages.

Scene 2: Information about Easter Bunnies and Easter Islands

The first serious task. Children must find information on the Internet:

• What are Easter Islands?
• Do the hares live only on Easter Islands?
• What do bunnies eat?

The collected information is sent to Tytus via SMS. In return, with a well-solved task, Titus sends the children a clue where to go to the next trail.

The content of the cue is a rhyming murmur:

"Hare trail"

Hop hop, Hare Trop,
You are not a hammer, so hop!
Move your legs small,
Let them break the rock!
Go to the forester cottage
That you would not regret anything
All forest roads
They crossed their hare legs
And boldly hop
Go to the Hare Trop!

Titus De Zoo

Scene 3: Stalking and encrypted messages

Using the previous instruction, children go towards the hut's cottage. To get to the right place, you have to leave the arrows drawn with a chalk or stick on the ground - as in the classic podchodach. The tips lead to the Tytus contact box. In it, children find an encrypted message - a chocolate cipher (enter in Google and you will find information on how to encrypt messages with this trivial cipher). The message contains a coded link to the new voice message from Titus.

Scene 4: Feeding the hare

In a decoded voicemail from Tytus, the kids get the next job. They have to pull the hare mafia away from the hiding place so that Titus can locate her and let the children know where she is. Therefore, using the knowledge of the hare diet - the kids come back home for hilarious delights. They also take the mirror to "let the bunny fly".

The kids take delicacies to the designated place. They let the mirror-haired bunny walk towards his house and follow the up-and-down arrow to the last message from Titus.

Scene 5: Hare locker

The arrows lead the children to the last message. To make it easier to find, one can attach to it a banana - the hallmark of Tytus. The card lies on the ground covered with litter.

In the message, kids find out that Titus found a hiding place and marked it with a chalk X.

Children must look around the tree with such a sign and start looking for a safe box. In my version of the game, the hiding place was buried in the roots of a large tree. The treasure of the hiding place was a small box with 2 zlotys coins (our children are picking up for the dream dog).

Dzieciaki wracają do domu 🙂 Koniec gry!

Good luck!

As you can see, the game is not overly complicated and it took about 6 hours to prepare it - including the recording of Titus's voice messages on the laptop.

If you have your experiences and ideas for games, please post them in the commentary. Maybe we can create some MEGA role-playing game with them?