27th August World Rock Paper Scissors Day

Who would have thought we needed a day to celebrate this game? 

Looking at the game in more detail though I found out just how significant, controversial and important this game is!

Rock paper scissors is an intransitive hand game, usually played between two people, in which each player simultaneously forms one of three shapes with an outstretched hand. These shapes are "rock", "paper", and "scissors". It is often used as a fair choosing method between two people, similar to coin flipping, drawing straws, or throwing dice in order to settle a dispute or make an unbiased group decision.

The rock is a closed fist; paper is a flat hand with fingers and thumb extended and the palm facing downward; and scissors is a fist with the index and middle fingers fully extended toward the opposing player. Rock wins against scissors; paper wins against rock; and scissors wins against paper.

Rock Paper Scissors is considered the oldest hand game in the world. In fact, the game dates all the way back to the Chinese Han Dynasty. This era began in 206 BC and ended in 220 AD. There are also accounts of this game in Japanese history. The earliest versions of this game consisted of a slug, snake, and frog. Rocks, papers, and scissors were used in a later version of the game developed in the 17th century. It wasn’t until the 1920’s that the popular Asian hand game made its way to Great Britain. In 1932, an article in the New York Times described the rules of Rock Paper Scissors.

The format of the game, however, is different in other parts of the world.  In Australia, the most common name is "scissors, paper, rock", a reversal of the American format, and even within Australia each state may have a variation. The children I teach do say Scissors, Paper, Rock.

There is even a World Rock Paper Scissors Association which suggests ways to celebrate this day. Their suggestion I like best is to teach the game to someone who doesn't know how to play. 

Whatever order you use and whatever rules you adhere to, it is the day to read Drew Daywalt and Adam Rex's The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors.

Blurb: Long ago, in an ancient and distant realm called the Kingdom of Backyard, there lived a warrior named ROCK. Meanwhile in the Empire of Mom s Home Office, a second great warrior sought the glory of battle. And his name was PAPER. At the same time, in the Kitchen Realm, in the tiny village of Junk Drawer, lived a third warrior. They called her SCISSORS. These three were the strongest, smartest, and fastest in all the land. Time and again they beat the most fearsome opponents they could find: an apricot, a computer printer even frozen, breaded, dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets! 

If you have Scissors on Strike  by Jennifer Jones it would be fun to have a philosophical discussion with your class about what would happen to Scissors Paper Rock if the scissors were not included because they were on strike.