Around the Game.... Oval?

The regulation Game Square is about 37-40 feet across, with a 30-foot circle. But as most of you may already know, the norm doesn't always work. Awana clubs come in all shapes and sizes, and so do their game areas.

Several clubs, such as the ones at Summit Christian Church, New Life Christian Center, High Sierra Fellowship, Sierra Bible Church, and Good Shepherd Wesleyan Church can set up a permanent game area in a church room. But while they have a space for a game area, many don't have space for regulation size. Of the four listed, only Summit Christian can fit such a square.


Some churches can't fit a game square. So they do something
different for their game area.

So, what do you do if you can't fit a normal game area? Well, one of the sayings I've heard ad nauseam about Awana leaders is "be like Jell-O and mold." If you can't fit a normal game square, then you fit an abnormal one.

For some clubs, molding means keeping the game square's proportions, but at a smaller size. This is what the commanders did at Good Shepherd Wesleyan, as their game area is inside a long and narrow rectangular room. The square and circle are about one-fourth the size of regulation. Two sides of the square have just enough room for the clubbers to stand between the color line and the wall. The other two sides have room for the game equipment to be out of the way and for visiting parents or other spectators to watch from chairs at a (mostly) safe distance.

Sierra Bible Church Awana shares its Sparks game room with the King's Academy — a private elementary school. As a school, the walls are lined with chairs, mobile white boards, storage cubes for the students to use, and other school supplies. Commanders John and Penii Jo Trautwein put in a smaller square so the clubbers could safely navigate the circle without running into storage cabinets mounted on the walls.

Some clubs can't fit a game square at all. They may have a much longer rectangular game area, or they may have other obstacles that make a square a hazard. For whatever reason, these clubs simply cannot use a game square unless the weather's warm or they can visit a different club for a couple sessions. But they still have a space for the clubbers to run and have fun.

Consider the club at New Life Christian Center. Instead of a circle, the commander chose to put in a game oval. "New Life Christian Center uses an oval because the building is long and narrow," said Awana Missionary Jeff Gilpin, who recently helped start the club. "A circle would fit, but only a small circle. The oval would be bigger."

High Sierra Awana Club faces a different problem: Pillars in the runway. "We'd considered using a small game circle, but in order to avoid big wooden posts that go to the ceiling, it would have been really tiny," High Sierra Commander Jennifer Van Beuge said. "We were afraid kids would run into each other or into the posts." So to keep things as fun and safe as possible, they run most games down the length of the foyer, with a chalked circle outside during the occasional light and warm evening.

Do you have any other ideas for a non-regulation square game time? Share them here!

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.