How to play
Atom Capture

What age and skill level works best with Atom Capture?

Atom Capture was designed for a wide range of ages and skill levels. The designer has had children younger than eight play with the help of their parents and come away with some of the basic ideas. The colors and symbolism go very deep, and so this same game can be played and appreciated by those first learning about the atom in school, as well. These players are usually 12 and up. However, it makes a great simple math game for ages in between.

If you want to play with learning about the atom in mind

This page contains a video on the basics of an atom, as well as a craft project, where you use the pieces like those in the game to make your own hydrogen atom.

A video introducing the atom and its fundamental parts - electrons, protons and neutrons

  

Make a hydrogen atom!

What you will need:

• Small spherical objects to use as protons. We used small bells. Caution - small objects are choking hazards for children, especially 4 and under.
• Arrow shapes for the electrons. These can be cut out of paper and will be attached later with velcro dots or pieces of tape. OR, you can use decorative stickers to represent electrons.
• Cotton balls or pillow stuffing.
• Velcro dots to stick your electrons to your electron cloud, or a circle of tape, double stick tape, or just use stickers.
  

1. Place a small bead of glue in the center of the electron cloud, a piece of the pillow stuffing or cotton ball

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2. Place your "proton" in the center of the cloud. This can be a small ball o fdough, a bead or other small round object. Please avoid giving small choking hazard objects to children.

3. Cover up the proton with the electron cloud so it is in the center, then apply two velcro dots, two double stick pieces of tape or tape rolled into a circle. You can also use a decorative sticker for an electron. Each cloud only holds up to two electrons and no more!

4. Put the other half of the velcro dot on an electron arrow, made of paper. Now you can attach your arrow to its electron cloud home! If you are using stickers, just attach one sticker for your hydrogen atom model.

5. Now you have one model of an atom of hydrogen, with one proton in the nucleus and one electron somewhere in the electron cloud around the outside!