Portable Pachisi

Recreate the national game of India with beautiful colors! Take it along wherever you go.

1. People started playing the board game Pachisi 15 centuries ago in India. People still play it all around the world. Here’s how to make a portable game.

2. Make a playing cloth. With Crayola® Scissors, cut a large Pachisi X from sturdy fabric such as felt. Use a ruler to measure eight squares down and three across on each arm of the X. Draw the squares with Crayola Fabric Markers. Crayola® Fabric Markers stain clothing and surfaces, CLOSE ADULT SUPERVISION IS REQUIRED.

3. Color in the squares, leaving three castle squares marked with an X on each arm: one castle in the center square on the first row and two on both outside columns on the fourth square. These castles are safe bases during the game.

4. Draw an interesting design in the center square, which is home for all players. Add Crayola Glitter Glue to the castle Xs and as highlights for the center design. Air-dry the glue.

5. Form playing pieces. Make small balls of marbleized Model Magic by blending white with each player’s color (red, black, green, and yellow). Poke an index finger in each ball to form a dome. Air-dry the playing pieces.

6. Make number rollers. Pachisi is traditionally played with cowries (shells). To make number rollers, roll small coils of colored Crayola Model Magic. With a craft stick, flatten each side and the ends. Flatten tiny balls of white Model Magic. Place them on the roller surfaces in groups of one, two, five, and six. Model Magic fresh from the pack sticks to itself. Air-dry the number rollers overnight.

7. Play Pachisi! Each player sits in front of an X. Players roll for a number. The highest scorer moves one piece down from the center square along the center column. The pieces travel counterclockwise around the outside squares, returning home via an exact throw on the center aisle. Players may capture opponent’s pieces by landing on an occupied square. Two pieces on the same square form a blockade. No opponent’s piece may pass, and any more pieces landing on the blockade may be captured. Have fun playing Pachisi!

Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project.

Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough With Small Parts— WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—

• Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
• Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
• Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
• If the arts & crafts project involves making small objects, follow the small parts/choking hazards standards: WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—Small parts. Not for children under 3 years."
• The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
• Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
• Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient. Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic, and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Glitter Glue— WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. Not for use on skin.

Adult Assistance is required for this arts & crafts project.

Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.

Wood—By its nature, wood is rough and may contain splinters or sharp points

Snowy Rooftops

Black-Belt Broken Boards

Pollock Placemats

Crafts

crayola supplies

• Fabric Markers
• Model Magic®
• Glitter Glue
• Pointed Tip Scissors

household supplies

• craft sticks
• fabric
• ruler or straight-edge (optional)

"Campers like to play this game as partners, sitting opposite each other. This way partners can form blockades or capture enemy pieces to help their partner catch up. There’s a lot of strategy!"
Li J., summer camp counselor.

"We saw an exhibit at the Smithsonian on ancient games of Asia. The Pachisi boards were beautiful, made from velvets and silks with gold thread embroidery."
Julia M., parent of 8-year-old.

A powerful emperor in the 16th century played this game on a huge board outdoors using people as the playing pieces.