Big Top (also Barnyard Critters)

Subject: Math
Category: Pattern recognition, logic
Ages: 4 and up
# of players: 2 to 8
Time to play: 15 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: card collection

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 5
Gaming value: 3
Aesthetic value: 3
Price value: 5
Ease of play: 5
Younger adaptability: n/a

My comments: A nice twist on matching games, the object is to find what is missing rather than matching what is there. The game uses 5 animals and 5 colors on two types of cards--one type has one animal in one color that are spread out on the playing surface, and the other type has 4 animals in 4 colors that are stacked face down in the middle. You flip the top card and try to figure out which animal and color are missing, and the first player to slap the card with that single animal and color gets to keep it. After flipping all the cards in the deck and collecting all the single animal cards, the player with the most cards wins.

Because the cards have to be analyzed systematically on two different features, the game builds logic skills aw well as pattern recognition. Speed is a factor, which may be a bit frustrating for mixed-age players. It is a good game to start with if the Set (to be reviewed) is too challenging. The deck comes in a hard lidded box rather than the typical flimsy flip-top with colorful animals on them.

For a more challenging variation, switch the decks such that the 4-animal cards are spread out and the single-animal cards are flipped over.

NOTE: be sure to look at the images at Board Game Geek. Barnyard Critters is made by Rio Grande and though still available, it is discontinued (see here at Thoughthammer.com) Big Top is made by Gamewright (see here at Thoughthammer.com) in a magenta box with an elephant but there is another completely different game of the same name by Advanced Primate Entertainment in a yellow box with a ring master meant for older kids.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/486

Mystery Garden

Subject: General
Category: Art/Reasoning
Ages: 4 and up
# of players: 2 - 6
Time to play: 30 minutes
Mechanics/Game Type: Q&A

Ratings (1 to 5)

Educational Value: 4
Gaming value: 4
Aesthetic value: 4
Price value: 3
Ease of play: 4
Younger adaptability: 3

My comments:
Now here is a game that you will enjoy playing with your younger children. Not your run-of-the-mill match your color, count the spaces type of game. Basically this is a game of 20 questions (or 15 as the game suggests) using a darling board with lots of details. One player takes a tile with an item from the board pictured on it. The other players take turns asking yes or no questions, moving the pawn ahead one space for each question, until someone guesses what is on the tile. The player who guesses correctly gets the tile and after a set number of rounds the person with the most tiles wins.

Searching out details on the high quality board is the best part. Interestingly when I did a search for this item I found there are two different boards available, one with a castle scene and another, the one I have with a country house scene. Kris even suggested making a board out of a print of a famous painting that you are studying with your children for art class. Two color copies of the print, one for the "board" and one for the tiles to be cut out. What a brilliant and inexensive game to add to your art study!

Although four is already a good young age for game-playing, you could still make this adaptable to younger children by having them find items that you call out to them or use the board for a game of I Spy.

BoardGameGeek.com link to this game:
http://boardgamegeek.com/game/1216