Funny Farm DIY Board Game
(UPDATE 6/3/19: Anne Crosby Gaudet can now be found at a new website, and has updated her shop! Links here will continue to be updated as more resources are made available.)
When I opened my studio, this was one of the first games that I made for my students. This comes from Anne Crosbey Gaudet’s Piano Studio from Bedford, Nova Scotia. Her blog, Music Discoveries, is full of wonderful games, instructional videos, and materials for young piano students. Some of my favorites include her Music Discoveries series and her games such as Interval Octopus and Enharmonic Snap.
… and there’s Henrietta again! She was really excited that we were going to feature this game. It’s one of her favorites! This game can be played with multiple students, or it can be a great single player game that allows students to test their knowledge of note names, music symbols, and rhythm.
UPDATED (2/17/15): Piano Anne offers a printable version of the game board for $4 CAD. If you’re in for a little DIY music crafting, this version is simple enough to make. Here’s a list of the items that you will need:
- 8 x 10 (or so) unfinished wooden picture frame
- 4 x 6 image from Funny Farm
- (1) 2mm white foam sheet
- 1 Self adhesive black foam sheet
- Foam music stickers
- Thin black sharpie
- Craft glue
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Calculator
The new version of the game on Anne’s site is a printable game, but you can easily use the center image to create a picture frame board. It’s very easy to assemble! I’ve created a PDF with step-by-step DIY instructions, which you can download here or by clicking the image below: Funny Farm Game Board Directions. Because not all wooden picture frames are alike, I did not include exact measurements. This will allow for more individual freedom in designing your board.
Here’s a close-up of the board so you can get an idea of what the foam looks like. Most of the materials I used were things that I already had on hand. (It’s a great way to use up foam scrap if you have any laying around!) After you create the board, all you need to play are some game pieces, a die, and the Funny Farm cards.
This game is a great way to review general music knowledge, but it can also be a good way to teach students about half steps and whole steps. You can start by using only the white keys as the path, then progress to having students travel chromatically around the board once they learn about half steps.
Henrietta and I hope that you enjoy our little tutorial.
