Match My Meal
Match My Meal Board Game
After the success of Lunch and Learn, a child learning development project, through school lunch experience for creative lunch models with chefs, nutritionists, designers, and school staff in both Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai. This collaboration between Khon Kaen branch and Chiang Mai branch of CEA led to a trend for creative school lunches under 21-Baht-per-student-per-meal budget in 2021. This has inspired Creative Economy Agency (Public Organization) or CEA to continue with a new project: “Match My Meal: From Compartment Tray to Menu”, a board game that not only serves knowledge but also fun with creative food sets in 2022.
The direction of modern education has changed from being academically heavy to centering more around learners. Modern education, thus, emphasizes interesting activities and media to make students learn by doing (LbD). Among those, Game-based Learning or GBL has been utilized to not only help students learn quicker but also engage with the learning and have fun along with gaining knowledge.
“Match My Meal” is a project under “Creative Play and Learning Design and Development Project 2022” that CEA and Wizards of Learning, a leading board game design studio in Thailand, collaborated on. Both organizations understand the importance of Game-based Learning and “Match My Meal: Compartment Tray to Menu '' is a learning medium in the form of board games. It simulates possible scenarios for picking school lunch items for students in elementary school (age 4 and up) that encourage the learning of proper nutrition and the understanding of the diversity of diet both local and foreign, a great way to promote creative play and learning at the same time. In addition, it is also a great opportunity to work with experts and develop new learning innovations so that we can collect data and use it to plan actual school meals.
Project Objectives
1. To design a board game that allows elementary students (age 4 and up) to utilize their creativity based on their potential.
2. To collect data that can be used for designing food menus and calculating nutrients so that students can have meals with proper and diverse nutrients.
3. To inform the public of the Print & Play version of the board game so that they can apply this game in classrooms to increase engagement.
Target Groups
Players - Elementary students (age 4 and up)
Users - Those involved in nutrition development; teachers, chefs, parents, nutritionists, or Cooking School for Kids & Family
Products and Results
- A learning medium in a form of board game that is perfect for promoting learning process, knowledge and understanding of nutrition, and utilizing creativity when playing that comes in 2 versions:
1. Deluxe Edition, a complete box set with all the pieces that is ready to play. Interested individuals can try this version at TCDC Bangkok.
2. Print & Play, in this version, you can print out the pieces and assemble them yourself. Interested individuals can register for the template file of this version free of charge by visiting https://forms.gle/s1VM6smLMuto2Nor9 and filling out the online form.
For recommendation, directions, and rules of Match My Meal: From Compartment Tray to Menu, please visit www.youtube.com
- A tool set that can gather data that promotes food diversity and can be used for designing both home and school meals.
Project Update
CEA debuted ‘Match My Meal’ on National Children’s Day at the government house
Creative Economy Agency (Public Organization) or CEA took part in organizing an event for National Children’s Day at Santi Maitri Building. This year, the government organized the event under the concept of ‘5F’ (i.e., Food, Film, Fashion, Fighting, and Festival) and ‘Soft Power’ in order to promote Thai potential cultures. CEA, thus, designed a board game “Match the Meal: From Compartment Tray to Menu”, a learning medium that integrates learning with playing by simulating scenarios for picking school lunch items. This game is appropriate for students in prathom 1 - 6 (age 7-12) and encourages both creative play and learning at the same time. This board game was inspired by the success of the previous child learning development project through school lunch or “Lunch and Learn'' that was also carried out by CEA in 2021.
At this event, General Prayut Chan-o-Cha, the prime minister, visited CEA’s booth that showed case Match My Meal and talked to children who tried out the board game. Mr. Chakrit Pichyangkul, the executive director of CEA, Mr. Pichit Virangkabutra, the deputy director of CEA, and Mr. Lerchart Thamtheerasathian, director of the department of knowledge development, and the OKMD director greeted General Chan-o-Cha with a warm welcome. Moreover, representatives from Thailand Board Game Association were also present to give guidance and direction for playing Match my Meal and to hand out the Print & Play version to student visitors.
The board game at schools in Bangkok and neighboring provinces
A pre-product debut for the board game at schools in Khon Kean and Bangkok and neighboring provinces
After the Match My Meal prototype was created, CEA tested the gameplay with elementary students and school staff in Khon Kaen who previously attended Lunch and Learn in 2021. This was to collect in-depth data to later use for further improving the game and its communication before the actual production took place. Our team visited 5 elementary schools in Khon Kaen which include:
1. Ban Non Muang School
2. Ban Non Chai Municipal School
3. Ban Kham Hai Hua Thung Pracha Bamrung School
4. Manee Anuson Suksa School
5. Kumnongkoo Municipal School