Staff Favourite: Julia

Hello TTK Families!

This week we are bringing you another installment of our blog series – staff favourite activities!

Next up is… Julia!

Julia has been working with Tomorrows Topkids now for two years, first joining the Summer Adventures staff team in 2019 as our Food and Health Coordinator, then returning to work at Errington Clubhouse for Summer Adventures 2020 and she has now joined the staff team at our Ferris Clubhouse!

One of Julia’s all-time favourite go-to activities with the kids is a classic, cards! She loves how the children all have their own games and tricks with such a simple activity, but her favourite game is a favourite for many of us – Bam!

Bam is a great card game because it uses a little skill and strategy, but also quite a bit of luck, so a lot of kids win on their first game!

How to Play Bam:

You can play this game with 2-4 players if you have one deck of cards, or up to 8 if you have 2.

Set up:

1. 1. Each player gets 3 cards which must remain face down in front of them. No peaking!
   2. On top of those 3 cards, the dealer places 3 cards face up. Everyone can see these cards, but you can’t touch them yet!
   3. Next, each player receives 3 cards to hold in their hand.
   4. Place the remaining cards face down in reach of the other players, this is your draw pile.

The player with the lowest card in their hand goes first!

The object of the game is to be the first player to use up all of your cards.

To play:

1. 1. Each player takes a turn placing cards on the pile. The card played must be the same number or higher.
   2. If you cannot play a card, you must pick up the entire pile and the next player has the first turn.
   3. If you have less than 3 cards in your hand, you must pick up from the draw pile until the pile runs out.
   4. There are some “special cards”:
      1. Ace: This is the highest card and can be placed on anything!
      2. Two: This card “resets” the pile and can be placed on anything
      3. Ten: This card “clears” the pile, taking the pile cards out of the game. If a player plays a 10, they can start the next pile.
      4. Jack: This card “skips” the next player’s turn
      5. 4-of-a-kind: If four of the same number are played all at once, this “clears” the pile, similar to playing a ten. The player can start the next pile.
   5. Once the draw pile has been used up, players try to empty their hand.
   6. Once your hand has been emptied, you may choose one of your face-up cards to play. If you cannot play a card, you must pick up the pile.
   7. Once all of the face-up cards have been played, it is now time to use your face-down cards! You cannot look at these cards until you’ve played them – it’s just luck at this point!

If you have any questions about how to play this game, ask any Topkid and they’ll be happy to show you!