If you have the opportunity to study different types of forests and the wildlife, plants, and trees that exist in those areas, then Mysteries of the Forest Trivia Board Game might just "hit the mark" in your homeschool. This informational game makes players aware of the state of the world's three main majestic forests (Temperate Rain Forest, Tropical Rain Forest, and Boreal Forest). At the same time, it provides both a challenge and entertainment--especially for those who have a strong interest in nature.
The game is for 2 to 5 players or teams, and it is designed for ages 7 to adult. What makes this game unique is that it can be played in a variety of ways and for different durations of time, depending on the age and knowledge of the players. The object is to fill your tray with 20 different "seedlings" (four in each of five different categories) by correctly answering the trivia questions. The categories are wildlife, sciences, trees and plants, world forestry and parks, and general forestry. Each category is color-coded to match the game board path, the trivia cards, and the plastic seedling markers that will fill the trays. The player who fills each spot on his/her seedling tray is the winner!
The game board is very sturdy and well made, and it features a trail of stones on a beautiful forest-illustrated background. There are eight stones for each of the five trivia categories, four "miss a turn" stones, four "lose a seedling" stones, six "free seedling" stones, and five "picture card" stones. A picture card glossary (in alphabetical order) is also included to give the players more information.
The questions are all multiple choice and can be asked in a variety of ways, depending on the age and knowledge of the players. For example, you can:
- Ask the question in a true/false format.
- Ask the question and give two answer choices.
- Ask the question and give three answer choices.
- Ask the question and give all four answer choices.
- Ask the question and give no answer choices.
In our family, Daddy was the official "question asker," but if there is no adult/teacher officiating the game, the player to the right of the player who is taking his/her turn will read the question. If the question is answered incorrectly, the turn ends.
In my opinion, this game is better suited for older elementary children on up. When we played, my seven-year-old had a very hard time keeping up with the progress of the game and answering the questions. In fact, even my husband and I found most of the questions very challenging. My children commented that they thought that the action was a little slow and the subject matter a bit "dense." But, of course, I reminded them that an educational game is designed to inform and deepen knowledge. Because we did not know the answers to the questions, we had to search out the information. Therefore our forestry knowledge base was definitely increased. And that was the object of the game in the first place! I think that once we play the game a few more times, get the gist of the format, and become more familiar with the terms/definitions presented, we will enjoy it even more.
Although my children did not find Mysteries of the Forest as fun as other board games, I still think it's a valuable learning tool to have in our homeschool. And it's a much more interesting option than a dry textbook full of dull facts! So into our game closet this box will go . . . until the next time we're ready to challenge ourselves and each other to discover more about the Mysteries of the Forest!
Product review by Amy O'Quinn, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, August 2007
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