Village game: Spies in Jericho

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An entertaining village game in which the young warriors are sent to Jericho as scouts to solve tricky puzzles and gather important information about the city and its inhabitants.

Framework story

Joshua 2:1: And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Sittim as spies, saying, "Go, see the land, and especially Jericho

Joshua divided young spies into groups and sent them to Jericho with the task of gathering information about the fortification of the city, its inhabitants and food. In doing so, the spies are to behave as inconspicuously as possible.

Procedure

Each group is given a sheet of paper with questions about the city of Jericho. The goal is to collect this information as quickly as possible and bring it back to Joshua.

Who lives in the palace of Jericho? The king of Jericho
How many inhabitants does Jericho have? approx. 2600
How thick is the wall of Jericho? 3 meters
What is the wall of Jericho made of? Stone retaining wall with red clay bricks on top
What do the people of Jericho eat? Dates
What animals do the people of Jericho keep? Sheep
At what altitude is Jericho? 250 meters below sea level (lowest city in the world)

Each group will be given the materials needed and a clue for the first post. Of course, all groups start at a different location so that everyone really has to puzzle.

Material to be given: Five-ring bob, scribe, walky-talky, money for snack, questionnaire, güfeli

On the way, the youngsters will find the answers they are looking for and clues for the next post. Sometimes the information is encrypted, sometimes not.

It is very important that Joshua, the game leader, has an overview of which group is completing the posts and in which order. This way this leader will be able to help in case of problems (see special game elements).

Rules of the game

Warning of the guards present everywhere (hide suspicious material well).
It is not allowed that two groups enter a store at the same time.
The groups are not allowed to talk to each other!
Look carefully at everything you get your hands on
Talking to Jericho residents is allowed - but only very inconspicuously!

Special game elements

Joker: Via Walky-Talky the spies can contact Joshua. They are only allowed to do this 3 times during the whole game.

Guards: Two leaders are on the move in the village and ask unpleasant questions from time to time. They also conduct searches. They also treat themselves to a date every now and then.

The posts

Here is an overview of possible posts.

Business card with address: Get newspaper that is in the mailbox there and read it carefully!!!
Newspaper with article about the construction of a new palace in a mailbox (Jericho has about twice as many inhabitants as the village XY. The queen will celebrate her birthday on February 8. Therefore, he will hang red balloons in front of his palace containing secret messages)
Balloon with puzzle pieces: estimate the width of the garden gate, this is equal to the thickness of the city wall of Jerusalem.
Poster: "Ds Füfi oder ds Weggli" Spying makes you hungry. Go to the counter at Volg and say that you are going to Jungschi XY and buy a Weggli.
Buy some chocolate at the grocery store (not at Volg!) and tell the saleswoman that you belong to Jungschi Linge .Find a cozy place for the snack break. Good luck!
Message baked into a Weggli: Watch the guards to find out what the people of Jericho eat.
In the paper of a Sugus (which the children got in the Landi): You will receive the next clue at address XY.
At address XY the young wardens receive a letter describing a place where sheep graze.
Message on the fence: (poem with reference to church)

One row behind the other,

in the middle is an aisle,

we will now move forward,

the sixth on the left contains the map.
Info sheet in the church 6th row from the back, on the left
Paper planes down from the gallery: Guards are after you. Go back to KGH immediately and meet the other spies there.