In this guest post Dawn from Every Day's A Mistery blog shares a lovely Christmas game with Flockmen. We think it is a perfect illustration of integrated learning whilst ticking all the boxes - #responsibleparenting #familytime #kidscrafts and much more. 

The aim of the game is for the nine Flockmen elves to help Flockman Santa reach chimneys in order to deliver his presents at Christmas. With five levels, the game can be played by all the family.

The game is for two players. One player has five red presents and the other, five green. You line the five chimneys up in order of height, smallest to tallest. At each level there’s a game card representing the way you need to stack the elves and Santa in order to reach the top of the chimney. If you stack the Flockmen in the way the card shows without them falling over, Santa can put a present down the chimney. The winner is the person who delivers the most presents. If you both deliver them all, you both win, hurrah!

 To play the game according to the rules your children will probably need to be at least three, depending on their abilities, but my little Bean is two and loves this game even if she doesn’t manage to stack the elves in quite the way the cards suggest. She loves to send the presents down the chimney, stack the Flockmen and even the presents.

The great thing about this game is that you can start with 10 Flockmen and add to it, to increase the difficulty. You can build different frameworks with the Flockmen and create taller chimneys. I have numbered the Flockmen 1 -10 and you could create a mathematical element to the game, making sure the Flockmen are stacked in order. Perhaps they need to be added in sums. For example, to reach chimney number 1 you need three Flockmen equating to 15, so an elf with a 2, one with a 3 and Santa with a 10. Free play and role play with Santa and his elves, is also easy with this game. It even doubles up as a child friendly Christmas decoration. The possibilities are endless!

Fancy having a go at making your own? Here’s what you will need.

There are four different elements to make for this game. They are all simple elements and won’t take you long to make. You could even decorate the Flockmen, chimneys and presents together with your children.

• 10 Flockmen
• Various cardboard tubes
• Pens to decorate your Flockmen
• Modelling clay
• Black sugar paper
• Sticky tape
• White Card

To Make The Flockmen

I used paint pens to decorate the Flockmen but you could use markers too. Don’t forget that on the natural grain of the wood the pens may run slightly so try to use a pen that won’t bleed into the wood too much. I also printed out a couple of pictures of elves and santa as a guide for decorating. You may want to do this if, like me, you’re not a confident artist.

• Take ten Flockmen from you Flockmen set. You can get your’s here.
• Decorate nine of them as elves, front and back.
• Decorate one of them as Santa, front and back.

To Make The Game Cards

• Create five game cards with five levels of Flockmen towers to build. You can use mine as a guide or create your own. I laminated mine but this is not essential.

To Make The Chimneys

• Use the Flockmen to build the different levels you have created on the cards and note the height of each tower as you do.
• Use various cardboard tubes to build the correct heights for your chimneys. I used some that had been used in previous craft projects. It doesn’t matter as you are going to cover them.
• Cover with black sugar paper, using sticky tape, and decorate.

To Make The Presents

I used DAS modelling clay to make the presents but you could use Fimo or any other clay that will dry and harden. They don’t have to be perfect just present shaped.

• Create ten presents from the clay
• Leave them to dry – follow the instructions on the clay.
• Decorate five one colour and five another.

YOUR FLOCKMEN CHRISTMAS GAME IS READY TO GO!

NOTE // The presents are light but dropped from a height they could damage wooden furniture or floors. Use a mat underneath the chimneys or play on a carpeted floor. Alternatively add a small round of sponge to the bottom of each chimney.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and that you will give it a go at home. Don’t forget to let me know how you got on. Do let me know if you have any questions about this game, We’ll do our best to answer them.

About The Author Author of murder mysteries, blogger of everyday adventure & Children's Storyteller. Interested in #nature #sustainability #community Blog | Instagram