In reply to Teaching a 6th Grade Board Game Design Class...:
Congrats on your new class. Anything I say here would just echo what others have said. So instead, I'd like to point out that my company (The Game Crafter - www.thegamecrafter.com) offers free prototyping materials to educators. We can get you blank cards, mats, and even tuck boxes for your students to design using markers or crayons. No catch or qualifications. If you're interested, drop me an email: jt at thegamecrafter dot com