This is similar to the game, called "Musical Chairs".In this game:
- Initially there is one fewer chairs than the number of kids playing the game. At the start of each "round", a kid stands behind each chair.
- A person at the piano starts playing and the kids march in a circle, around in front of the chairs, to their sides, then behind. Marching, marching, until the piano music stops.
Then each kid rushes to occupy a chair. But at least one kid is "left out"and must leave the game. So that kid must leave the game of "Musical Chairs".
- Since this makes chairs and kids equinumerous, a chair is also removed from the game and the music starts again. Etc.
- The game ends when only one kid occupies a chair.
This clearly is a zero-sum game with one winner and a pack of losers.
But I have modified it, for a purpose, and the result is not a game, since ALL ARE "WINNERS".
MODIFICATION: Kids and chairs are EQUINUMEROUS at the start of the MATHTIVITY, and REMAIN so, because NO CHAIR IS REMOVED.PURPOSE: To see MOST OR ALL OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THE CHAIRS CAN BE OCCUPIED.
Thus, this becomes an exercise in permutations, similar to the "transactivities" described elsewhere.
The teacher or "supervisor" can guide the kid in becoming aware of the various permutations and the comparisons with transmuting letters or colors or tones, etc.
To modify it even further, instead of chairs, we have chair covers which a kid may don and act as a chair to hold another kid on her/his lap when the music-playing stops.The modification is this: When some special musical signal -- say, special chords are played -- CHAIRS BECOME KID-OCCUPIERS AND KID-OCCUPIERS BECOME CHAIRS.
This prepares kids to understand, later on, how ENERGY BECOMES MATTER AND MATTER ENERGY, further preparing for understanding MODERN PARTICLE PHYSICS.
This especially calls for guidance for a teacher or other supervisor!
Can you suggest any variations on this? On ways to make the activity more like "reality" pr theory?