US1506979A

US1506979A - Educational game device

Info

Publication number: US1506979A
Application number: US510701A
Authority: US
Inventors: Foulks Itha
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1921-10-27
Filing date: 1921-10-27
Publication date: 1924-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 1941-09-02

Description

Sept. 2 1924.

|.. FOULKS EDUCATIONAL GAME DEVICE Filed Oct. 27. 192] Inuerdor fi/za Fa'ul/fs Patented Sept. 2, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ITHA FOULKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EDUCATIONAL GAME DEVICE.

Applicationfiled October 27, 1921. Serial No. 510,701.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ITHA FooLKs, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Educational Game Devices, of which the following is a full,

ing and teaching of large groups of children.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating more or less diagrammatically a device embodying my' improvements. And Fig. 2 is a detail perspective of one of the sections or blocks constituting a part of the entire device.

In the drawing, the embodiment of the improved device is shown in connection with States, each the United States although it will be understood that the invention may be employed in connection with other countries.

In carrying out my invention, I provide what may be termed a relatively large platform of suflicient size to readily accommodate thereon a relatively large number of children or persons ofolder age, so that the childrenmay move from one place to another on the platform for the purpose of carrying out the features ofthe instructive game. In actual practice, preferably a suit able foundation of concrete or other permanent material will be laid out and upon this bed or foundation will be placed the platform which, in the instance shown, corresponds to the geographical outline of the United States. The platform itself will preferably be made of some substantial wear resisting material as, for instance, concrete. The platform is made up of a plurality of independent sections or blocks, each corresponding to a political sub-division of the country, and, in connection with the United section or block will correspond to the geographical outline of a State, one of such blocks or sections being indicated in Fig. 2, the same corresponding to the State of Nevada. The sections or blocks will be made to fit properly and when all are assembled, the platform will correspond to a map of the United States.

Each of the State-sections will be 'provided with an opening or recess as indicated at 10, said recesses being located to correspond with the locations of the capitals of the different States, as indicated in Fig. 1. In carrying out one feature of the game, the children will be given little flags or plugs to be placed in the proper capital city recess 10. The various sections corresponding to the difierent States will also preferably be differently colored so as to distinguish one from the other. Other recesses may be provided to indicate locations of the larger cities in the different States, which may not happen to correspond with the capital cities. Furthermore, the various State-sections may be suitably inscribed, as for instance shown in connection with Pennsylvania and Louisiana, with data describing the principal products of the particular State as anthracite coal for Pennsylvania and raw sugar for Louisiana. The principal ports, as for instance, Boston, New York, etc., may have their locations indicated. Locations of the principal rivers, mountains, lakes and other physical geographic characteristics of the country, may be suitably indicated by indicia or by, the proper relief effects. The principal railroad routes, high-ways, old Indian trails, populations of the different States and cities, the princpal railroad centers, the locations of the principal sources of water power and various minerals, the chief centers of different nationalities, etc., can all be suitably represented on the map platform, or recesses'provided at the proper points to receive plugs or flags having the respective items of information thereon.

In playing the game, the children can be given a number of plugs with instructions to place them in the proper corresponding recesses, or the children can play the game by moving from one point to another oint, as for instance, in tracing out a main ighway, or the platform can be used by the children skipping or hopping from one State to another over the State boundary lines in substantially the same manner as hop-scotch is played.

By my improved device, I am enabled to teach large numbers of children various physical, economic and commercial geographical information in the form of games and thus familiarize the children with the most important geographical information relating to any partlcular country, as for instance, the United States.

I claim:

An educational game device, comprising a platform having onthe upper surface thereof, a map forming a playground, said map corresponding in outline to the geographical outline of a country, said map being composed of a plurality of permanently associated, distinct areas distinguishable in size and outline, each area corresponding in outline to the geographical outmoame line of an actual political sub-division of the country, said map being of a size to accommodate a number of persons thereon for movement from point to point on the map during play and still be embraced in its entirety Within the field of vision of a person thereon, whereby geographical instruction may be imparted to persons thereon while traveling from area to area.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereuntosubscribed my name this 13th day of October, A. D. 1921.

I v ITHA FOULKS. Witness:

ANN BAKER.