The Grocery Store Game is a 'real-life' shopping and math skills program that uses a unique game board designed to resemble actual grocery store aisles. The engaging game was developed by PCI's Janie Haugen-McLane to give students 'hands-on' experience in using shopping lists and getting the "best buy" on various food items. Realistic food illustrations on both the game board and shopping lists make the program easy for individuals with limited or no reading skills.
Game Play
To play the game, each participant is given a shopping list of eight food items that must be 'gathered.' The lists have illustrations of the items for students with limited or no reading skills. All participants can use the same lists, or they can each be given different ones. A sample shopping list might include carrots, chicken, angel food cake, asparagus, biscuits, mayonnaise, soft drinks, and orange juice.
Players roll the die to move their playing pieces in either direction on the game board. This simulates walking up and down grocery store aisles and teaches them to locate all of the food items on an aisle before moving on.
When a food on their shopping list is landed on, players roll the die again to determine the price.
If a 1 is rolled, they get the Everyday Low Price. If a 2 is rolled, they get the Sale Price. If a 3 is rolled, they get the Coupon Price. Players then write the appropriate price on their shopping list. The "Move to Any Square" space, gives players a chance to return to a previous aisle for a missed item or move ahead. When players land on a food that is not on their list, play passes to the next player.
Once all items are collected, players go to the checkout counter, total their shopping lists, and write a personal check to pay for the groceries. Using PCI's Money Calc (available separately) at the checkout enhances the playing experience.
Teacher's Guide
The 24-page Teacher's Guide contains detailed instructions for game setup and play. It also features 16 different shopping list blackline masters and a personal check blackline master. Suggestions are given for enhanced play and numerous teaching tips are offered.
Special Features
Since players can use any of the 16 shopping lists and there are three price possibilities for every item, participants enjoy a different game experience every time they play. This corresponds with the "real-life" situation where people spend varying amounts of money every time they grocery shop.
The game board is divided into the same sections as a real grocery store:
- Produce
- Meat
- Grain
- Baked Goods
- Canned Foods
- Dairy
- Condiments
- Snacks
- Drinks
- Frozen Foods
Grocery Store Game includes: Game board with 36 full-color illustrations, Price stand, 16 shopping lists, 6 playing pieces, 6 game pencils, and 1 Die (with numbers 1, 2, and 3 repeated twice).