Commissioned (A Homeschool Review Crew)

Ready or not! The Holidays are upon us. I am kinda, sorta ready for some of it. The rest is going to be a “fly by the seat of my stretchy pants” situation. The 2016 Review year is also winding down. This is my last review with the Homeschool Review Crew for the year. Hopefully, I’ll be back next year with fresh new products!

I have expressed my love for board games in the past. We have a great collection and there is nothing better than gathering around the table for a fun, family gun night. I was excited to get to review a brand-new kind of game, Commissioned by Chara Games.

The creators of Chara Games, Patrick and Katherine Lysaght, wanted to design family games with Christian themes. Commissioned is the result of hard work, sacrifice and the commitment provide historical and Biblical education.

Commissioned is a board game intended for ages 14 and up. It can be played with 2-6 players and takes about an hour to play. It is a cooperative game set during the time of the New Testament.

The game begins by each player selecting an Apostle. We got to choose from Barnabus, Andrew, James, John, Peter and Paul. A player can also play as an adversarial Roman legion. This player tries to slow the growth of the church.

There are different scenarios you can play. So far we have just played the “Acts of the Apostles” card. Our objective was to plant churches and add books to the Canon. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses, however. Just like in the New Testament, there are many trials and intense persecution.

The construction of the game itself is stellar. Everything is so well-made. There are LOTS moving parts. If you have young children this might be a game you put up at the top of the game closet.

It comes with:

• 1 double sided game board
• 5 double sided scenario cards
• 6 unique player boards
• 96 faith cards
• 27 trial cards
• 4 wood missionary meeples
• 75 wood church member cubes
• 1 wood elder's staff
• 6 wood player pawns
• 30 double sided stop tokens
• 5 double sided extinguish tokens
• 1 converted city leader's token
• 1 Roman Legion token
• 1 8-sided die
• 1 rule book
• 1 Theme Appendix

How We Played and What We Thought

At first glance this is not an easy game. Let me just get that out there. I don’t want to scare you off, but that’s the truth. There is a reason why Commissioned is intended for a more mature age group.

There is a great video, however, that has been created for those of us who need a bit more instruction than we can garner from the written instructions.  I would suggest that you watch it RIGHT AWAY! It will make things much clearer, my fine friends.

My pastor husband, Josiah (who is almost 15) and me (whose age is yet to be determined) enjoyed the game during Family Game Night. The game is supposed to around an hour, but it has taken us just a bit longer.

My husband’s only critique is that he wishes that it would do more actual teaching of the Bible as opposed to strategizing. However, there is a nice Appendix that provides scripture for each and every card.  Josiah loves playing this game. He’s asked to play it a few times…like during math. I don’t know if it’s simply a diversion, but I imagine not.

Overall, this is really a neat game. It is different and fresh. Most importantly, my husband and I loved talking to our son about all the strategies, faith actions and the actual persecution that happened in the New Testament. 

 Chara Games also has another game that should be coming in my mail box any day now. It’s called 3 Seeds, so be looking out for another review!

You can connect with Chara Games via the following social media outlets. Click on the banner below to read more reviews.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharaGames/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CharaGames/ @Charagames

A TOS Review: The Climbing Knights (SimplyFun)

We love games. Games are not only great for family togetherness, but they provide wonderful learning opportunities for the players. Last year we got to review a wonderful game from SimplyFun. Well. They just came out with some NEW games. We just got to review one of those four games, The Climbing Knights .

SimplyFun  creates educational games for families, homeschoolers, classrooms…just about for anybody learning games are appreciated. They do offer a homeschool membership that provides two free games a year and a discount on all other games you might purchase. I appreciated this section on the SimplyFun website that talks about the Importance of Play and give a number of resources about the importance of play. They made my "Early Childhood Teacher" heart sing.

For this review, I received The Climbing Knights. My request (i.e. begging and pleading) for The Climbing Knights was two-fold. For one, who doesn’t secretly wish to live in a castle? This is about the closest experience we are going to have. My other reason is a bit more practical. This summer our theme for our annual Cousin Camp is Knights and Castles! I couldn’t have planned it more perfectly.

You bet your bippy this game is going in my box of perfectly wonderful things to do.

The Climbing Knights is intended for ages 8 and up and can accommodate 2-4 players. In our house a 14-year-old and a forty-something (which would be me) got into to the action. I plan on taking it with me to our Reading Club when we next read something “Castleish”. They will be thrilled to play.

The purpose of the game is to have your knight climb the castle. You are to capture your Coat of Arms. Actually, you have to capture your Coat of Arms twice. It’s not an easy climb. You have to avoid all windows and (bahahaha) two gnarly looking guards.

Can you see why I wanted this game? What a game! I think it could provide at least some shelter in a pinch.

The game, itself, was easy to put together. I was worried about complicated bits and pieces, but found that the construction took little time. The castle is only a few pieces and is made out of some kind of magnetic board. It is also easy to put away. Score!

Here is my knight and coat of arms. I would have liked my knight to be sporting a sparkly tiara, but we can't always get what we want.

Someone else in the house found the Castle to be perfectly enchanting. I believe this is one of Josiah's favorite time lords. He's everywhere.

The whole set-up didn't take any time at all. We read the directions (which were easy to follow) and we were off!

The game starts with the knights at the bottom of 2 scaling walls. There are 3 dice included with the game. The black die tells you what to do with the black guard. The gray die tells you what to do with the gray guard and the white die tells you how many spaces you can climb.

The game requires spatial reasoning. For example, Josiah had to decided what direction would be the best way to proceed around the window. For Josiah, who is dyslexic and has a few other issues to go along with that, spatial reasoning can be difficult. This was a great, non-intrusive way to work on that skill.

This guard is asleep right now, but if you get in his sights you have to start over again!

Because the player also moves the guards according to the roll of the die, he has to decided what direction to move them...using some strategy, of course.

Yikes! I'm almost caught.

Josiah won this particular game, but Momma was not out yet. I lived to climb another day.

This game is fun, fun. We didn't have to think too hard. It didn't take up too much time. It made us get up and move around a bit. We had to strategize and think about what to do next.

I also love that this game is sturdy. The pieces are not flimsy or cheaply made. It is something that will stand up to multiple playing experiences.

The whole set-up is unique and perfect for kids like my guy who needs a hands-on experience. I mentioned that Josiah is dyslexic and, while he is reading beautifully, he prefers activities that do not require any reading. The instructions obviously have to be read, but I did that and he simply followed instructions and his own intuition.

This is a game I am thrilled to add to our game closet.

You can connect with SimplyFun via the following social media outlets. Don't forget to click on the banner to read more reviews (some members of The Crew reviewed different game).

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplyfun/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimplyFun #HSREVIEWS #FAMILYGAMES #LEARNINGGAMES #HOMESCHOOLRESOURCES
Instagram: @SimplyFun
Blog: http://blogs.simplyfun.com/

A TOS Review: Shape Whiz

 

We have an enormous number of board games at our house. Through the years they have not only provided hours of great entertainment, but I’ve discovered that games are one of the best ways for my son to learn.  Games are simply fabulous teaching tools.

It’s always a good day when I can add another clever little game to my arsenal. This time around one has come in the form of a review. I received Shape Whiz by SimplyFun.

 

 

Shape Whiz is all about geometry. It is intended for ages 10 and up.  I am not sure how much a typical round would be to play. Josiah and I played together and it took us a bit longer because Josiah hasn’t had much geometry. However, Shape Whiz has proven to be a great introduction.

So how does one play this Shape Whiz?

Basically, there are two different sets of cards. One set are Shape Cards. Half of the Shape Cards are blue and the other half are green. The green cards are just a bit more complicated. We started off with the blue cards (cause that’s just the way we roll).

 

The other set of cards are Whiz Cards. These cards describe a certain aspect of a shape. 

For example,  this card will want the players to find a shape amongst their cards that has two different lengths of sides.

 

Some Whiz Cards ask for simple attributes. Others require a little more thought. Don't worry about being an 'on-the-spot' geometry genius. More on that in a minute.

To start with each player receives a stack of Shape Cards. Three of their cards need to lie face up in front of them. A Whiz Card is then placed in the center of the players. Now for this round of Shape Whiz we used our coffee table. It didn’t have as much space so I placed the Whiz Card to the side. We then had to try and match one of our Shape Card to the Whiz Card. The game is all about speed. The goal is to see who can match the Whiz Card first. The first person to go through their entire stack of Shape Cards wins the game.

 

 

Something that helped us tremendously was that the each of the Shape Cards has the shape properties on the back. Josiah has struggled with math (he has dyscalculia). Geometry hasn’t actually been high on my “to learn” list and those properties on the back of the card were simple to follow and understand.  

 

 

Each time a card was played we could review the shape card and see if it fit the Whiz Card.  You can see that the Shape Properties are easy to read and give the player exactly the information they need to determine whether or not that particular shape fits.

 

 

I mentioned before that games have been a vital part of my son’s educational process. He just learns better by doing and playing. It still isn’t a perfect process. If you are in the same boat I recommend to take it slow. We did a lot less competitive play and more exploration. We primarily used the blue cards and talked about what properties we needed to look for.

 

I am sure that in time this little game will do its job. Josiah is already becoming more familiar with geometry terms and shape properties that simply would have passed him by via textbook.

Of course, this game is not just for homeschoolers. Shape Whiz would benefit anybody with their geometry skills.

Shape Whiz is a wonderful addition to our game collection.  I recommend it wholeheartedly.

 

 

 

 

 

You can connect with SimplyFun via the following social media outlets. Click on the banner to read more reviews.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplyfun
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplyfun
Instagram: https://instagram.com/simplyfun/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/simplyfun/

 

Game On!

True story. When I was a little girl growing  up in the Boston Mountains region of the Ozarks (I know...here she goes again) our bus rides home from school were so long I learned to play Poker like a pro. Who knew that inadequate bus services for the public school would encourage such a skill.

When we finally moved to civilization and closer to my Grandma, my mother implored us kids not to play Poker in front of Grandma. Grandma felt that Poker was one step away from the fiery gates. It is not my intention to offend any of you who have similar convictions (you can breath easy...this is not a post about Poker). But it wasn't uncommon for my brother with his buddies to be playing Poker on the front porch and have to throw the cards in the bushes when he saw Grandma's Chrysler coming down the street.

My Poker playing days are behind me (I haven't been on a school bus since the '80's, for one), but I still love to play games. We get more enjoyment out of a Family Game night than about anything. And don't get me started on the wonderful learning games you can coax out of deck of playing cards. Actually, I'll talk about those in just a minute. Plus, a few of my favorite "gamey" things I've made and our newest favorite board game.

I want to show you one of Josiah's more recent projects.

He created his own Board Game.

And it's pretty Whoopty-do!

We first talked about the concept for his game. He knew he wanted to create some sort of Mystery game. (He's all into mysteries right now). He decided he didn't want a Clue kind of game, but instead more in the line of Candy Land.

He also decided that instead of  the game board being all squares and lines like a Monopoly game, He wanted to created lots of twists and turns. He created his path on the board and then we colored in the squares. Like the Easter Grass in his hair? He was digging in his toy buckets for the right props for inspiration. I shouldn't admit to this, but I haven't got out any Easter Grass this year, yet. Yup. That grass is from last year, my friends.

He also decided that he wanted the detectives (the players) to reach the Pathways (the game is called the Mystery of the Missing Pathways). And after reaching the Pathways they could choose to go through doors A, B, or C. Certain doom or a wonderful surprise would be awaiting you. Depending on the door you chose.  See my big tote of fabric in the background. I told you all that the Fabric has taken over my house. I was serious!

We typed up some cards (I just simply made a form using a table in MS Word) and he figured out what manner of mishaps or lucky breaks you were to receive along the way.

The players take turns rolling the dice. If you land on a spot with a sticker (we used simple dollar store stickers) you have to draw a card. Hopefully, I'll get that one that encourages me to go to the Donut Shop!
As you can see he used Action Figures from his Ginormous Stash. 

Here he is. Explaining the wonder of it all.

Pretty fun stuff, huh? Oh. And he used the back of a large poster frame that had come apart. It was wonderfully sturdy and free.  He's already to try it out with his friends and his Daddy. I sure hope Daddy doesn't get locked in the room of spiders.

So I promised just a few other of my favorite Gamey things. I love using items that we already have or are easy to find.

 

Josiah and his cousin Christopher are playing War. Which I think is a genius way to learn math facts. In fact, Let's Play Math, a blog filled with tons of Math game ideas, has been a life saver. I would urge you to go try it out.  I have a Math Bucket filled with fun things Josiah can use to practice his skills at any time.


This next game has to be mentioned. It's just plain fun. Headbands! You can check us out playing with the Cousins. 

I also want to show you these little darlings. I made these owl bean bag babies. I got tired of trying to find all the various bean bags we've had over the years.For one, they were dull and unfun. These are as cute as they can be. We most recently took these to a friend's house for a Bean Bag Toss Game. Warning. Don't let their cuteness fool you. They can be used as missiles.

My last little "Game On" Shout Out is to Classic Bingo (with a twist) These are so simple to make. I used these with a variety of kids this year for Valentine's. I love that you can personalize them to fit any occasion.

Okey Dokey. I've given you a few of my favorite do-it-yourself, got it have it, and to- cute- pass up game ideas.

Go Get Your Game On!

I'm linking up to 5 Days of Creative Teaching!