Simulation Games

Members of Craven DEC may loan items and or boxes from our collections.

Artefact collections typically include musical instruments, clothes, textiles, jewellery and much more.

Simulation Games

Simulation games are an excellent way to engage even the most reluctant of learners and develop a range of skills, e.g. teamwork, negotiation, decision-making and numeracy. They are always fun ways of learning which are memorable and provoke insightful observations from children of all ages.

Craven DEC has copies of the following simulation games which schools may loan. We recommend all of them without reservation.

Banana Split

An absorbing game for KS2 and above that involves the students working [noisily!] in five groups with each group taking on the role of someone in the banana chain, e.g. a banana plantation worker, a shipper. Each group has to decide how much they think they should get from the sale of a banana and then negotiate to reach an amount to match up with the actual cost of a banana. After revealing the reality of ‘who gets what’ from the sale of bananas a discussion about fairtrade bananas can easily follow.

This can be downloaded from www.cafod.org.uk and includes very attractive and colourful illustrations.

Growing Bananas

A fun role-play game that supports the teaching of Fairtrade, social justice and interdependence in KS2 and KS3.

£6.75 Reading International Solidarity Centre or from Oxfam Resources for schools catalogue.

The Paper bag Game

This is a simple simulation to teach younger children about poverty, unfairness and inequality. Everything you need can be downloaded from www.christianaid.org.uk/learn and includes an excellent interactive power point presentation which engages the children immediately. It is suitable for KS2 and above.

The Poverty Challenge Game

This is an engaging and interactive geography role play that supports students in exploring how sustainable living can help fight poverty in the majority world. Players aged from 7 to 14 can simulate growing crops, selling the produce and negotiating with market traders; by recording what happens and their feelings, they will increase their understanding of the benefits of sustainable development and reconsider their own lifestyle.

£8.99 Christian Aid or from Oxfam Resources for schools catalogue.

Cutting the Jeans

This game was devised by the Centre for Leeds University Centre for African Studies for Yr 5 children and includes a Power Point introduction. Players take on roles which show what happens to cotton in the production of a pair of jeans. Each group has to decide what they consider to be a fair price for the work they do and negotiate until they arrive at the average price for a pair of jeans - £24. The cotton producer gets the least amount and this can lead into a discussion on fair trade and reflections on what a producer would get if the jeans only cost £3 as pairs of jeans currently on sale in Asda do.

The Chocolate Game

This popular game was revised in 2007 and gets players to represent families in the cocoa trade in Ghana, Brazil, UK and Belize, so they can understand how international trade affects them. It incorporates fair trade issues, instructions for play, discussion points, and role play cards.

£5.50 Leeds DEC or from Oxfam Resources for schools catalogue.

The Coffee Chain Game

This is a role-playing game that allows students aged 13 and above to understand how coffee is grown and produced, and explore why the growers receive so little. It helps students develop critical thinking and discussion skills and includes background information, a quiz and case studies from Uganda.

More online at: www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/coffee_chain game

£4.50 Oxfam Resources for schools catalogue.

Looking Behind the Logo

This imaginative role-play includes activities and discussions, which enable students aged 13+ to understand why workers in the sportswear industry are denied their basic rights – and consider how to stop worker exploitation.

£4.95 Oxfam Resources for schools catalogue.

Trade Rules!

This is a game for older students [16+] to explore how international trade rules are widening the gap between rich and poor.

£5.60 Christian Aid and from Oxfam Resources for schools catalogue.We recommend the OXFAM Resources for schools catalogue as it provides a very comprehensive collection of Global Education resources. Copies of the latest catalogue are available from us or www.oxfam.org.uk/education