In the evening some children played a game of Auction. A kid volunteered to be the auctioneer so I gave him the hammer. One pupil joined in the middle of the game so it didn't count as a formal game. #MilitaryService #MathClub

In the evening some children played a game of Auction. A kid volunteered to be the auctioneer so I gave him the hammer. One pupil joined in the middle of the game so it didn't count as a formal game. #MilitaryService #MathClub

Later two girls who had never played cards before approached me and asked me to teach them how to play Blind Man's Bluff, the fan favorite. The game was lopsided, with one of the girls being dealt the better hand every time. The losing player complained that I was purposely dealing the worse cards. However that's not true, I was just dealing the cards from top to bottom. Next time I should burn cards to earn back her trust. #MilitaryService #MathClub

Later two girls who had never played cards before approached me and asked me to teach them how to play Blind Man's Bluff, the fan favorite. The game was lopsided, with one of the girls being dealt the better hand every time. The losing player complained that I was purposely dealing the worse cards. However that's not true, I was just dealing the cards from top to bottom. Next time I should burn cards to earn back her trust. #MilitaryService #MathClub

I had some spare time before dinner so we played one game of Multiple Galli. The boy who is widely recognized as the favorite to win should a tournament be conducted on this discipline once again dominated. It is worth noting that the results of categories that directly involve arithmetic are way more predictable than those that implicitly involve mathematical thinking. This list includes Galli, King of Arithmetic and more. #MilitaryService #MathClub

I believed the children were ready to take on games featuring more complex rules. So I made the big decision to introduce Five-card draw, the opener into mainstream poker variants. I briefly explained all the different hands. At first not everyone was convinced due to a plethora of combinations being thrown at them. But they got the hang of it about 15 minutes in and enjoyed it. One pulled a three of a kind after discarding all his cards and another got a straight. #MilitaryService #MathClub

Since the playroom was occupied by the culture class I had to move to the computer lab for today's Math Club activity. Two boys played one game of King of Arithmetic. The game was heavily lopsided from the start and both sides lost interest due to it. So after about half of the deck was consumed I called game and dismissed. Unlike Auction, many KoA games end in landslides. This could be attributed to the huge academic skill gap between the children. #MilitaryService #MathClub

The two played one game of King of Arithmetic, in which the loser of the last game dominated. She came up with valid equations in record-breaking time, not giving the boy a chance. She never gave up even when everybody was stuck and used six cards at once. A 22-4 landslide in favor of the girl. #MilitaryService #MathClub

Today in Math Club we played two games of Auction. In the first game, after a lengthy discussion due to disagreements on how to form teams, each older child teamed up with a younger one. It ended in a close 30-25. In the second game two fifth graders battled which culminated in a 31-23 nail-biter. One of the younger pupils volunteered to be the auctioneer so I gave her the authoritative hammer. She enjoyed being in power for a brief period of time. #MilitaryService #MathClub

In today's edition of Math Club we played King of Arithmetic once again. The game started with three boys but two children jumped in. I allowed the night owls to participate since unlike other games this game's structure allows players to join at anytime without breaking the flow. Some of the students were so eager to come on top that they brought scratch paper and pencils to write down their equations before being tested. #MilitaryService #MathClub

To finish the day three children played a round of multiple galli. I'm happy that children are enjoying these mental exercises. Later during research I learned that a similar game called Krypto was produced in 1963. #MilitaryService #MathClub

Around fifteen minutes in, they were already getting used to the game. Every time one wrote an equation, the others scrambled to confirm its legitimacy. One child tried to subtract 8 from 0 and claimed that the operation resulted in a 0. I calmed her down and explained that negative numbers are a thing. #MilitaryService #MathClub

Players must always use four or more cards to reach the target number. The one who finds an equation takes the cards that they used, except the target number. When the deck where multiple cards are revealed from at a time is depleted, whoever has the most cards wins. Today was the introductory day so I relaxed the rules a bit and allowed children to use three cards when they were completely stuck. #MilitaryService #MathClub

After kids came back from the performance, there were a lot more children who wanted to face off against each other. I introduced a new game called "King of Arithmetic". In this game, four cards are revealed from one deck while one is revealed from another. Children use the four cards, the four basic operations as well as parentheses to write an equation that results in the lone card. If no one can come up with one, more cards are added. #MilitaryService #MathClub

18 children went on a field trip to watch a magic show so the center was mostly empty after 4PM and most programs had been cancelled. I was left with the middle school students and five children who did not go. They were bored so I played a round of auction with them. They formed teams and battled in a 2v2. #MilitaryService #MathClub

For a small number of students who did not attend or finished the special class early, I prepared Snakes and Ladders. But there is a twist: you must land on 100 exactly to win. If you were to get past 100, you first reach 100 and then go back the amount of steps that are left. For example if you are in 98 and roll 5, you would end up in 97. #MilitaryService #MathClub

Although there was no Computer Club that didn't stop Math Club from its daily meeting. The auctioning game had become such a big hit that not everyone could play in every single round. At multiple points of the game there were 8 people either playing or spectating at the same time. This is despite the fact that Math Club has yet to become an official program. This could end up being more popular than Computer Club. #MilitaryService #MathClub

I announced that if she didn't articulate her opinion within 30 seconds she would be excluded. She stopped protesting and declared that she was okay with the grouping. They played two intense rounds, both of which were very close. #MilitaryService #MathClub

Five were willing to play but we had trouble starting. Some wanted to play solo while others wanted to group up. I suggested a compromise which allowed players to choose whether to play alone or with a friend. Four of them agreed but there was one holdout. She was pissed but didn't speak a word. I couldn't understand her grievances since everyone got what they wanted. After 5 minutes of stalling, others' patience started to wear thin. #MilitaryService #MathClub

Today I once again played Ready, Set, Auction! with the kids. The playroom was occupied due to the special culture class so we had to find somewhere else to play. I planned to go to the skygarden but some boys were banned from entering due to misdemeanors so I played a couple of rounds in the online learning room, which was vacant. After the boys played enough, I went to skygarden as planned and gathered some kids. #MilitaryService #MathClub