1) Who would like to play it? Is it only for younger kids, or will your parents and older sisters and brothers like to play it, too? And can everyone play it at the same time?

2) What will the game teach you about astronomy? Will it be about planets? Stars? Going to space? Some games can be about all of those things, but that can also make it harder to play.

3) Where is a good place for your game to be played? Not all games have to be played inside, especially if you choose to include looking into space as part of your game. Some games do not need pieces or game boards, which means they are easy to play in the car or in the lunchroom at school.

We want to know what you've created! Once you've developed your game, write a short description of it (a paragraph is fine) and take a picture of your family playing it. Get a submission form from the box office or here on our Web site. Send your photo and description along with the completed permission form to the following address:

Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
Attn: MWilliams/Education Department
1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60605

We will choose the most creative ones to put on the Web!

Here are descriptions of two astronomy-related games that will help you to think about the game you would like to create.

Spaceball
The rules are for this game is most like that of baseball. However, instead of 4 bases, there are ten and they go in a straight line! Some of them are also very far apart just like the planets in the solar system, which makes this game challenging.

• A baseball bat and ball
• At least two people, one to pitch and one to hit
• Something that will represent each of the 9 planet bases
• A measuring tape, and
• A very long area in which to play, about 55 yards!

First, you have to decide what will represent your planet bases. Then you have to place the bases in a way that represents a scaled down solar system. (Think of it as a mini-solar system.) Begin by laying down the Sun, and then measure 19 inches to lay down the Mercury base. All the bases should be in the same direction, so you will be running in a straight line, even though the planets don't generally line up like that. After Mercury, follow this table to lay down the rest of the bases.

• Another 17 inches - Venus
• Another 14 inches - Earth
• Another 26 inches - Mars
• Another 15 feet - Jupiter
• Another 18 feet - Saturn
• Another 40 feet - Uranus
• Another 45 feet - Neptune
• Another 39 feet - Pluto

You bat from the Sun (like home plate), and then run the bases in this order, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The number of points you make each time you are at bat depends on how far out in the solar system you get. For each planet base you reach before someone catches the ball, you get one point. That way, each person is her or his own team. When playing with only two people, the pitcher is also the person who catches the ball. When the ball is caught, yell "Freeze!" and the runner must stop. Only bases that have been touched count in the score. If you are one step from Jupiter, you only scored 4 points. Play as many rounds as you can in a pre-determined amount of time (like 30 minutes). Good luck!

This game is played outside and requires a clear nighttime sky.

Choose someone to be the scorekeeper and fact checker. S/he should have a star finder (also called a planisphere) and a red light to see it in the dark (placing red plastic wrap over your flashlight is an easy way to make a red light). When the scorekeeper says, "start", all the players look up in the sky and count the number of constellations they can identify in one minute (or less time if you want to make the game harder). When the scorekeeper says "stop" each player gives the number of constellations they found. Then the scorekeeper asks each player to point out the constellation and give the names of each one.

Agree on how you can name the constellations ahead of time. For example, the Big Dipper is not really a constellation, it is part of the larger constellation called the Great Bear or Ursa Major, but if young children or novice stargazers are playing, you may want to make exceptions. Players can only name as many constellations as the number they told the scorekeeper.

The scorekeeper double-checks the star pattern and the name with the star finder. If the player gives the wrong name or points to the wrong group of stars, take away one point from her/his score. When each player has pointed out the constellations they identified, the player with the highest score wins.

Option for beginners: If the players don't know many constellation names, let them study the star finder (be sure to set it to the correct date and time) before you start the game.

Options for experts: Try the same game, but use the names of the stars instead of the constellations.