Appropriate age group(s):
Elementary School
Middle School
High School & Beyond

For which mode(s) of transportation is this tip or activity appropriate?
Traveling by car (or bus)
Traveling by plane
Traveling by train
Traveling by boat

Describe this trip activity or tip:
It's a game between two players. The first one starts:
- "At the London shop you cannot say YES or NO, BLACK or WHITE... Good morning Sir, can I help you?"
-"I want to buy a ...(i.e. jacket, a telescope, a toothbrush, etc.)" - answers, the second one.
-"What colour Sir?"
- ...(i.e.blue), please.
-"I'm sorry, Sir, but we only have BLACK or WHITE"
-"Show me the first one then..."
-"Did you say the first one, Sir?"
-"Of course..."
And the game goes on.... The player who acts as the assistant must corner the one who plays the part of the customer, inducing him/her to say the four FORBIDDEN words. You have to chronometer the time it takes the one who plays the customer to pronounce the first of the FORBIDDEN words.
Then the players change roles, and the winner is the one that took longer to be defeated by the salesman.
It's great fun for kids to avoid saying the FORBIDDEN words which usually come out naturally...(they will use phrases such as "may be...., perhaps..., don't know..., I guess so...," but sooner or later they fail.
Give it a try...and soon you will see how they become experts avoiding the FORBIDDEN words.

Other comments or suggestions to consider:
If there are more than two players, they can take turns or play in two's, taking records of their time marks.
If kids don't like competitions or you don't have a watch, they can play it just for fun.