BigPicnic – JOIN THE GAME!

What is the BigPicnic – Good for You, Good for the Planet?

The BigPicnic is a version of the Game of the Goose (a game similar to Snakes and Ladders) created by a botanical garden as a tool to encourage participants to make sustainable choices with regard to food – from production to consumption.

What is the core message of the game?

Food has an enormous environmental impact on the planet, as well as a decisive impact on our body. With BigPicnic we can reflect on these aspects and help to improve the state of the planet and our health.

What is needed to play the game?

The essential element is the playing board (carpet game), which we recommend placing horizontally on a table, the floor, a lawn, etc., with the players arranged around.

The game can be played by two or more participants, school pupils or groups.

Playing time: from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the degree to which the topics are explored.

Target: 10 – 11 years (the presence of an educator or teacher is necessary to explain certain difficult concepts), 12 years and over (an educator/teacher is recommended to start the game).

It is an active, dynamic game of exchange and reflection on habits and food and has a competitive element that encourages involvement.

It is played with:

• • • The playing board (carpet game), placed on a horizontal surface (which can be downloaded and printed)
    • A 6-sided dice (which can be made by following the downloadable instructions)
    • Game pieces (each player can choose the item they prefer)
    • A sheet of paper for the answers (we suggest using the downloadable sheet)
    • The lifestyle and score cards, on which results are compared (downloadable)
    • The rules of the game

The game materials can be downloaded free of charge by clicking HERE.

You’ll find a 6-sided dice, the rules of the game, a sheet for the answers, the lifestyle and score cards, and two versions of the playing board:

• • • • • The first allows the playing board to be printed as a single sheet, up to 1.8 x 3 metres
        • The second allows the playing board to be printed in 10 parts. The minimum recommended size is A3, below this the characters become much less legible.

To continuously improve the game and gather data, when you have played the game we would be happy to receive your feedback via the Google form found at this address.

• Would you like to know more about this game?

  Whis is the story behind this game?
  
  A European project with the shortened title of BigPicnic, which lasted 3 years (2016-2019) and was led by BGCI – Botanic Gardens Conservation International, highlighted among participating botanical gardens a great interest for issues linked to food safety and sustainability.
  From this, it was established that there was a need to develop educational tools and strategies for an ever-wider audience.
  

  In 2020 the Botanical Garden of Bergamo proposed an educational project to BGCI, which had the aim of encouraging visitors to behave in a sustainable manner by playing a “carpet game”, the original version of which was in the form of a travelling exhibit.
  The transformation into a carpet game (large board game) was backed in 2020 by BGCI’s Global Botanic Garden Fund, which supports projects that are focussed on reaching the targets of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

  What are the game’s strong points?
  
  The game has attractive and creative graphics, and helps players to engage and reflect upon topics that would otherwise seem boring.

  The topics chosen are the result of the experience of the Botanical Garden of Bergamo, which for years has been committed to developing educational initiatives in order to increase awareness of personal lifestyle choices and to change behaviour linked to food supply chains for the better.

  Who collaborated on this game?
  
  “”Big Picnic – Good for you, Good for the Planet” is a game developed at the Botanical Garden of Bergamo, which involved MAMMAFOTOGRAMMA, a multidisciplinary firm in Milan engaged in the creative development of our ideas and concepts.

  The people involved on behalf of the Botanical Garden are:
  Gabriele Rinaldi – cultural concept and coordination, with the collaboration of Jacopo Ghezzi, Juliet Halewood and Francesco Zonca.

  For Mammafotogramma:
  Cinzia Terruzzi – project management, graphic design and participation in data research
  Gianluca Lo Presti – project management
  Ettore Tripodi – illustrations, with the collaboration of Federico Della Putta and Rebecca Barbuscia.

  THANKS
  We would like to thank Giovanna Asperti, Elena Ferrario, Caterina Francolini, Michela Leidi, Aurora La Russa, Grazia Nicoli, Laura Pellicane, Mario Rizzo, Chiara Spanio, Sara Tironi, Ottavia Tonelli.
  We would also like to thank the numerous students, teachers and players of the game in general who were used to gather feedback, the Botanical Gardens that downloaded the game and, in anticipation, everyone who finds in this work useful ideas and inspiration for tackling the challenge of SDGs.