PICK UP STICKS GAME

Pick-up sticks or pick-a-stick is a game of physical and

mental skill. A bundle of 'sticks,' between 3 and 8 inches

 long, are held in a loose bunch and released on a table

top, falling in random disarray. Each player, in turn, must

 remove a stick from the pile without disturbing the remaining

 ones. One root of the name "pick-up sticks" may be

 the line of a children's nursery rhyme, "...five, six,

 pick-up sticks!" The game has spawned several

 variations such as Jackstraws (or Jack Straws),

 Spellicans, and Spillikins.

The sticks are made out of ivory, bone, wood, bamboo,

 straw, reed, rush, yarrow, or plastics

The object of the game is to pick up the most sticks.

To begin the game, a bundle of sticks are somewhat

randomly distributed so that they end up in a

pile. The more tangled the resulting (dis)array, the more

 challenging the game. In some versions of the game,

any isolated sticks, or sticks lying alone, are removed.

Pick Up Sticks is a great yet simple game that helps

kids learn to count when scoring and improves their

manual dexterity. A typical Pick Up Sticks set contains

 50 multi-colored sticks made of wood, plastic or metal.

All the sticks either have a number of rings around the center,

 which indicates the point value or they are color coded. It

 is a simple game to play with children of any age.

Grandparents will especially love teaching their grandchildren

 how to play this fun game.

This is a fun game for all ages to play to use up some

 energy when you are stuck indoors on those not so

 nice days (or way too hot, depending on where you are)

 and even more fun to play outside! The variations

 you can play are endless (see “Variations” below

 for more ideas) and it is great for all ages.

HOW TO PLAY PICK UP STICKS

The first player attempts to remove a single stick, without

 moving any other stick. In some versions of the game,

 players use a tool to move the stick away from the pile;

 this "tool" may be one of the sticks, held aside before the

game begins. In other versions, players must pick up the

 sticks by hand. In either case, players must not move

any other sticks while attempting to remove the chosen

 stick; if any other stick moves, his or her turn ends

immediately. Players who successfully pick up a stick

can then have another turn; the player keeps removing

 sticks until he or she causes a secondary stick to move.

The game is over when the last stick is removed.

 The winner is the player with the highest number

 of sticks picked up.

In some versions of the game, different-coloured

 sticks are worth different number of points, and the

 winner is the person with the highest score.