Introduction: US State Capitol Game

About: I have been sewing and crafting for several years, my children are grown so now I have lots of time to be creative. I enjoy photography, cooking, cake decorating, painting and sharing my projects with others.

This is an educational game that several people can play.

Learning the State capitols can be fun.

This game also helps players learn about distance.

2 to 8 players. Ages 8 - 88.

You can play for 15 minutes or a few hours.

Draw a card and the question will ask how many miles from _______ to ________?

Each player guesses an answer.

The person with the closest answer, without going over, wins.

Step 1: Supplies

Index Cards

Pen

Paper

Pencils

Computer for research

Step 2: Research

Wikipedia - Look up the State Capitols. This part will take some time but it will be fun.

Hawaii is the only state that cannot be used because you can't drive there. (The capitol is Honolulu)

Google Maps - Zoom in to any State Capitol building and get directions to another.

For example: In the search bar type: Georgia State Capitol. It will bring up the State capitol building in Atlanta Georgia. Click on that location. Click on the blue arrow that says Directions.

It will give you a space to enter the next location. Type in Virginia state capitol.Hit enter.

The shortest driving route is 531 miles.

Another example:

Search for the shortest route from the Capitol of Arkansas(Little Rock) to the Capitol of Wisconsin (Madison)

The answer is 705 miles.

Put the question on one side of the index card and the answer on the back.

Make as many cards as you like with Questions and answers.

25 index cards is a good amount to start with.

Step 3: Routes

Carson City, Nevada to Sacramento, California. ..............................130 miles.

Helena, Montana to Raleigh, North Carolina..................................2,252 miles

Indianapolis, Indiana to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania............................542 miles

Tallahassee, Florida to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma........................1,002 miles

Austin, Texas to Augusta, Maine.................................................. 2,114 miles

Hartford, Connecticut to Albany, New York.......................................115 miles

Providence, Rhode Island to Bismark, North Dakota.....................1,796 miles

Phoenix, AZ to Des Moines, Iowa..................................................1,400 miles

Olympia, Washington to Juneau, Alaska........................................1,773 miles

Santa Fe, New Mexico to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.......................1,063 miles

Boise, Idaho to Trenton, New Jersey.............................................2,456 miles

Richmond, Virginia to Atlanta, Georgia.............................................531 miles

Pierre, South Dakota to Little Rock, Arkansas..................................964 miles

Step 4: Playing the Game

Before you begin, agree upon a set time to play. 30 minutes is a good amount to start with.

Give each player several small scraps of paper (2" x 2") and a pencil.

Set a timer on your cell phone.

The person chosen to read the questions can also participate because the answers are on the back of the cards.

Pick up a card and read the question.

Each player writes down their guess on a piece of paper (more than 3 players and you may ask them to put their initials on their paper under the number) without allowing anyone else to see, then place the paper upside down on the middle of the table. When each player has made a guess, turn the answers over and place them in order from lowest to highest. The answer is then revealed and the person who gets the closest answer, without going over gets to keep the index card.

If every player guesses too high then no one gets the card and it goes to the bottom of the pile.

Continue reading the cards and guessing until the timer buzzes.

The person with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

Don't forget to have fun!