n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nSomensay that dice are the oldest gaming implements in the world. Butnwe’re not necessarily talking about cubes with dots on them – we’rentalking about fruit stones, flat sticks, sea shells, nutshells,npebbles, and bones. People gathered these natural items, marked them (at least one side), shook them, and then rolled them or cast them down. (Maybe even blew on them, for luck!) Using knucklebones or sheepnanklebones for dice was so common, people still sometimes callnplaying dice games “rolling the bones.”
n
n
n
 |
| Knucklebone Die |
n
nDicengames probably were played before the time of ancient Egypt, butnthat early history has been lost. We do know that the ancient Egyptians,nRomans, and Greeks played dice games, and medieval Europeans as well.nDice games also existed in ancient China, and dominoes probablyndescended from dice there and then spread to the West. From the 1800snon, cubical dice have become very common, and more recentlynpolyhedral dice became popular.
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nPlaynDice Games!
n
n
n
n
n
nBupkis
n
nFarkle
n
n
n
nHerenand here are lots more dice games.
n
n
n
n
nAlso on this date:n
nAlso on this date:n
n
n
n
nNationalnCookie Day
n
n
n
n
n
nThenMuppets’ Cookie Monster has declared December 4 “National CookienDay,” so be sure to munch on cookies while playing dice games! Ornhold a cookie swap day with your team, scout troop, or class.n(Everyone makes a batch of their favorite cookies and then wraps upncookies in bundle of one to five cookies, depending on the size ofnthe swap and the number of cookies available to share. At the swap,neach participant gives every other participant one bundle of cookiesn– and gets back bundles from all the others. Enjoy having LOTS ofndifferent cookies to try!)
n
n
n
n
n
nCelebratenChester Greenwood, the inventor of earmuffs.
n
n
n
nCelebratenThanksgiving, Marshall Islands style.
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
