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Chemistry Scrabble
The basic game board is a grid for laying out game tiles. Cut out cardboard squares (tiles) and label them with the periodic elements and numerical digits. Assign values to each element or number based on how commonly that element or number is used in chemical formulas. Set ground rules for each play. For instance, if a unit is done on rocks and minerals, allow only those kinds of formulas in play. Students may be given a day to research and write up their own "crib sheet" of chemical compositions for whatever rock or mineral they can think of. The game is played like Scrabble.
Solar System
The game board has the sun at the center and 11 empty orbital tracks for the planets and dwarf planets Pluto, Eris and, sharing the 11th orbit, Haumea and Makemake. Playing pieces are all cut-out rounds (the same size for ease of use). Each round is labeled with the name of a planet or moon. Optionally, you could add in numerous rounds labeled "asteroid" for the asteroid belt. For game play, you will need a pair of 6-sided dice. Each planet and moon has a point value based on degree of difficulty in placing it on its orbit. Keep the rounds shaken in a bag. Start play with everyone randomly drawing three pieces. Play starts with whoever has drawn the largest planet. If need be, continue a round of drawing pieces until a planet is drawn. The first player rolls the dice. The player may use either the number from one die (his choice) or the sum of both dice to move a piece. The number must be the exact number to place one of his planetary objects on the proper orbit. For example, a roll of five is required to place Jupiter on the fifth orbit. This can be from a five on one die or from a combined total of five on both dice. (If using asteroids, and for the dwarf planet Ceres, a roll of four or five is required as the asteroid belt falls between Mars and Jupiter. This means asteroids are the easiest to place and would only be worth one point. Ceres could be worth two only because it's a unique piece.) Point values could be placed as follows: Mercury (in the first orbit) and Haumea and Makemake in the 11th orbit would be the hardest to place, so they're worth eight points each. Eris, in the 10th orbit, is seven points. Venus and Pluto are worth six points each. Earth, Mars and Neptune would be worth five points each. Jupiter and Uranus are four while Saturn comes in at three points. All moons have the same value as their associated planet as they must reach the same orbit. However, a moon cannot be placed into orbit until after the planet is there. If a player rolls a 12, he may trade one of his unplayed pieces for another player's unplayed pieces or he may use the roll as a wild card and place one of his pieces in the appropriate orbit. At the end of each roll and after a piece has been played (assuming the player rolls a number he can use) the player draws another playing piece from the bag. Play continues until all the pieces have been drawn from the bag and one player has placed all of her pieces. At this time, the player with the highest score wins.
Quirks
In 1980, a game called Quirks came out. In Quirks, players competed against each other in evolving a plant, an herbivore and a carnivore in upper and lower niches for dominance given the current climatic situation (which also evolved as game play progressed). Get a copy of the game and have students make their own plant and animal pieces for play. Give each student a list of plants and animals (including insects and fish) for which she is responsible for getting digital photographs.
Collecting the photographs can be part of a science excursion at the zoo, it can require students to go out looking for insects in their yard on their own, or it can require them to learn what trees and plants are growing around them in order to locate the right ones on their list.
Using Photoshop (or similar software package), size the images to match the three-card-sized animal or plant image. (Match actual game sizes so you can use your students' cards as expansion cards.) Before printing the image, add in appropriate numerical values along the image side for game play. (Hint: Use similar images in the game to select appropriate values.) Then print the image on cardstock and cut the image into three parts.
For Computer Science
For a computer science class, instead of creating the game board on cardboard, bring in old (and especially unusual) game boards and have teams of students develop a program to simulate the board game. For easier games, teams of two work. For harder games, teams of four may be required. Don't let teams do the same game, as each team will need to constantly reference the board and its pieces.