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Serving Albany & Rensselaer Counties
The Fun Page!
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area (BGCCA) dedicates this page to youth of all ages. Here we provide a safe space of simple fun, perfect for rainy days, or any time to take a break. Explore a maze, word find, optical illusions, riddles & brain teasers, playable video games, DIY art projects, and more! Great fun starts here in the Capital Area!
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Club Maze
Mazes can help us think outside the box, finding unconventional methods to solve a maze much more easily, that could stick in our minds for other situations. Take a journey from point A to point B or go backwards!
A print version is available for download.
Optical illusions
Optical illusions are images or pictures that we perceive differently than they really are. Put another way, optical illusions occur when our eyes send information to our brains that tricks us into perceiving something that does not match reality.
What do you see in each image?
Coloring Pages
Download and print them out to add your own artistic flair!
Spot The Difference
This is a type of the puzzle games where two versions of the same picture are shown, which look very similar, and we look to find the subtle changes between them.
There are nine differences in both puzzles. Can you spot them?
BGCCA Word Find
Word searches are proven to enhance vocabulary, improve spelling skills, and strengthen concentration. Find all 22 words associated with Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area!
Summer Word Scramble
Unscramble the following words by rearranging the letters to form summer-related words. How many can you get?
Spoiler alert! If you get stuck, we've listed the answers near the bottom of the page.
Riddles
Riddles help youth develop their critical thinking skills by requiring analytical information, logical deduction, and finding creative solutions to problems. Can you solve these riddles? Challenge your friends!
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You’re in a race and you pass the person in second place. What place are you in now?
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You are in a dark room with a box of matches. Nearby are three things: a candle, an oil lamp and a log of firewood. Which do you light first?
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This vehicle is spelled the same from the front as well as from the back. What is it?
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What has no beginning, end, or middle?
Brain Teasers
These are little more difficult!
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What makes this number unique: 8,549,176,320?
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What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
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Your parents have six sons including you and each son has one sister. How many people are in the family?
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You’re escaping a maze, and there are three doors in front of you. The door on the left leads to a pit of lava. The door in the center leads to a room filled with deadly gas. The door on the right leads to a lion that hasn’t eaten in three months. Which door do you choose?
Spoiler alert! We've listed the answers near the bottom of the page.
Video Games
Studies show video games have a positive effect on children including better performance on cognitive skills tests involving impulse control and working memory. The embedded games below are provided by third parties. BGCCA has no affiliation with any of the ads displayed during gameplay.
Dino Game
Jump over the obstacles or run underneath them to keep the T-Rex safe. To jump on mobile, tap the screen. To jump on a laptop, use the spacebar.
Draw The Bridge
Draw a bridge for your car to cross the gap. After the drawing is complete tap the play button to send the car. To draw on mobile tap the screen and drag. On a laptop, use the mouse to click and draw.
Fortune Tellers
These DIY origami Fortune Tellers (aka Cootie Catchers) are Club-themed and available to download.
Chicken
DIY Origami Chicken. Download the print version and carefully cut out the square and smaller shapes. See the instructions below.
Shark
DIY Origami Shark. Download the print version and carefully cut out the square and smaller shapes. See the instructions below.
What's Ur Fav?
BGCCA Fortune Teller - Youth Edition. Download the print version and carefully cut out the square. See the instructions below.
Would U Rather
BGCCA Fortune Teller - Teen Edition. Download the print version and carefully cut out the square. See the instructions below.
How to Setup:
Carefully cut out the square. Fold the square cross-corner both ways. Fold over the corners evenly into the middle. Flip the paper over and fold the new corners into the middle. Fold in half. Put fingers into slots and open & close. See the image below.
How to Play:
1) Pick a color. Spell the letters while alternating the pinch and pull to reveal a set of four numbers.
2) Pick a number and alternate the corresponding number of times, revealing a second set of numbers.
3) Choose a number and open the flap.
A blank version is available for download. Add your own art and fortunes!
Why play is important
Allowing children to play autonomously is extremely important for their development and growth.
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According to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, playing is essential for development as it benefits the child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth. Playing helps children develop social skills because they will learn how to get along with others, take turns and interact. Playing helps children develop healthy emotions by being able to experience and express conscious and subconscious emotions.
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Children learn to share, resolve conflicts, make decisions, assert themselves, and work in teams through free play. Even playing alone can help children gain confidence, learn to be assertive, and make decisions.
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Playing allows children to identify, express, and learn about emotions. Children often use the “imitation game” to describe what they see in life. Children will become more aware of their own feelings and those of others, starting to manage their own emotions.
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Children process their life experiences through free play. They do not see the world through the eyes of an adult and playing is an effective tool to better understand social situations.
Allowing children to play freely has an enormous role in the comprehensive development of children.
Answers
Summer Word Scramble Answers:
1) BEACH 2) ICE CREAM 3) WATERMELON 4) VACATION 5) BARBECUE 6) SWIMSUIT 7) FLIP-FLOPS 8) POPSICLE 9) SUNSCREEN 10) FIREWORKS 11) LEMONADE
Riddle Answers:
1) Second place. 2) The match. 3) A racecar. 4) A doughnut.
Brain Teaser Answers:
1) It has each number, zero through nine, listed in alphabetical order. 2) Short. 3) Nine—two parents, six sons, and one daughter. 4) The door on the right. A lion that hasn’t eaten in three months would be dead.
