Japanese Shell Game

Materials

1. 20 large shells (clam shells are ideal)
2. gold paint
3. black paint or marker

Instructions

This variation of a traditional Japanese game can be made by children or by an adult.

1. Select 10 shells that look identical or almost identical. As the children get more experienced playing the game, add another 10 shells.
2. Paint the inside of the shells with gold paint.
3. When the paint is dry, paint the numerals 1 to 5 on the inside of five of the shells.
4. Inside the other five shells, paint dots to represent the numbers 1 to 5. Place the dots as they appear on dice. 
5. When dry, place the 10 shells in a spiral shape and play as a traditional memory game.
6. Each player turns over two shells at a time and reads the numbers. If there are dots, she counts the dots on each shell to get the two numbers.
7. If the numbers match, she gets to keep them and take another turn. If they don't match, the player should try and memorize the position of those particular numbers as she turns them over again.
8. The next player turns over two shells and the play proceeds until all the shells are collected.