This is a game loosely based around the popular board game monopoly. It is designed to show children the importance of spaying and neutering in a fun interactive way.

Pre-game lesson

Before you play the game with your class it is important to explain the meaning of key vocabulary. You should explain:

• The meaning of spaying and neutering
• The concept of an animal shelter
• Why over-population is a problem (too many animals and not enough homes)
• How over population can occur. For example, start at the top of the board and draw a mummy and a daddy then their offspring and then their offsprings offspring in a flow diagram and the children will soon be amazed how quickly the board fills up. Alternatively you could use play-dough and ask them to make a mummy and a daddy and then babies and then babies for the babies etc.

The Game

(based on 4 players)

• Each player of the game runs an animal shelter. The aim is to be the first shelter to rehome all of their animals. If all the homes become full and none of the players have rehomed all of their animals then the winner is the player with the least animals or in the event of a tie, the most money.
• Each player starts of with 1 animal shelter, 2 cats, 2 dogs and x dollars.
• The players should then take turns to pick chance cards. Some chance cards will be good e.g. a family take a dog and make a donation, some will be bad e.g. a box of kitten has been abandoned take 4 cats in to your shelter and some will involve a choice e.g pay 2 dollars per animal  for neutering or take 1 more animal for each animal in your shelter.
• When they rehome an animal they take it off their animal shelter board and place it on a house ( use blue tack or velcro). Either dot the houses around the class room so that the players can enjoy finding a house for their dog or car or make a row of houses on the table.
• I recommend you get the first group you play this with to colour all of the houses and shelters then laminate them for future use.

Materials