Radio Bingo

Objective

Help Scouts and Guides memorize the International Phonetic Alphabet by playing bingo!

Time needed for activity

20 minutes

Materials

  • 26 balls - Write a different letter of the alphabet on every ball using a marker. Balls can be requested at tennis, paddle, or ping pong clubs or made out of paper that is crumpled into the shape of a ball.
  • Bingo cards - Print 12 blocks (3 columns x 4 rows) on pieces of plain card. Each block must contain a different LETTER. In total, each card should have 12 different letters on it (see example at the end). Each participant must have one bingo card.
  • Something to mark your cards with, such as beans, a pen, or small circles.
  • A non-transparent bag big enough to hold all 26 balls.

Examples of materials used in this activity

Bingo

Instructions

  1. A Scout or Guide is chosen as the leader of the game.
  2. Distribute one card to each participant.
  3. Distribute a small amount of beans (or other way of marking the cards) to each card holder.
  4. Ask the leader to remove a ball from the bag and say the letter written on it using ONLY the International Phonetic Code.
    • In the first few rounds, the leader should pronounce the letters drawn more slowly, giving participants time to identify the letter that was drawn. In the next rounds, the leader can gradually increase their speed.
  5. Participants must check their card and mark it if their letter has been drawn.
  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5.
  7. The Scout or Guide who marks all the letters on their card first and shouts loudly and clearly “BRAVO-INDIA-NOVEMBER-GOLF-OSCAR” wins the round.

Everything you need to know about the amateur radio can be found in the JOTA-JOTI Ham Radio Handbook at https://www.jotajoti.info/jota/radio-handbook

Finally

Publish photos or videos on your social media using #JOTAJOTI #Scouts and share what was learned! Remember: Never post photos of others without permission, and always seek parental consent to share photos of children.

Example Card

Sample card

Material to download