Stockholders Exploring America Game

Yesterday we played a fun game that I found in the Story of the World Activity Guide. In order for explorer ships to set sail there had to be money backing each ship. Sometimes a ship would run aground or sometimes it would find nothing of worth to return with. Other times it would find wealth and return for the benefit of the stockholders. To simulate this, I put out 4 "ships" and covered them with a cloth napkin so the contents couldn't be seen. I then hid almonds and chocolate chips inside the "ships." 2 children played at a time. They were each given an equal amount of money to spend on their ventures. I made comments about the ships like, "I hear that the captain takes many risks," or "That is a fast ship." They decided how much to spend per ship. Each ship had to have the minimum/maximum to sail and once all ships were funded we revealed which ships held the most treasures and divided the spoils  based on who put in more money into the ship. The kids had a blast. After we played a few times (sharing the some of the spoils with those who didn't play the round), the girls continued playing with play money. They got to do lots of math ;)