Dice, Decks, and Boards: Qwirkle

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Sometimes, there is a game that has been on your wishlist for so long that when you finally buy it, you worry if the game will actually be worth the wait. Qwirkle was the game on our wishlist for a long time. It was totally worth the wait!

What is Qwirkle?

Qwirkle is a fun game that will challenge your critical thinking skills. Yes, it is about matching shapes and colors, but you need to think and plan ahead to ensure that you will be able to score the most points. It is easy to learn but difficult to master! 

While you are looking to place your tiles or blocks, you need to make note of colors and shapes and make sure there are no duplicates in the row. So you can place a red circle in a row with a green circle and a blue circle, but not if there is already a red circle in that row. Since you connect the blocks in a way similar to a cross between Dominoes and Scrabble, you need to think ahead of the current move, too. 

Players score points by adding up how many tiles or blocks are in the row where they played their last block or blocks. If they are able to complete a row of six, they then score a "Qwirkle" and gain bonus points. So, it can be easy for the leadership board to change as people play their tiles. 

The game is designed for two to four players, ages 6 and up, with an average playtime of 30+ minutes. 

How else can you use the game?

The wooden tiles can help your younger children work on patterns and color recognition. Even if your little ones can't play Qwirkle, they can still use the brightly colored wooden blocks or tiles. 

• Place only one set of colors in the drawstring bag. Have your child pull out one block or tile and name the shape depicted. Or have them draw the shape shown on the block matching the color when they draw it. 
• Place only one set of shapes in the drawstring bag. Have your child pull out one block or tile at a time and identify the color. 
• With all the blocks or tiles in the bag, have your child draw one at a time. Ask them to identify both the color and the shape. 
• With all the blocks or tiles in the bag, have your child draw one at a time. Have them find an object in the house that matches the color or the shape. Or have objects or cards ready for them to match at the table. 
• Use them as building blocks to practice fine motor skills. 

Games in Your Homeschool 

Including games in your homeschool day can bring such joy and fun! When you are able to include games that encourage critical thinking skills, you are building those skills as well as communication skills, good sportsmanship, patience, and more. 

Read more about games that foster critical thinking skills in my reviews of Zig Zag Puzzler and Bugzzle. Click on the images below to visit the reviews!

Dice, Decks, and Boards: Zig Zag Puzzler Review

I received a FREE copy of this game from the Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Travel-friendly games are fantastic – especially for homeschooling families. If you need to go from one co-op locale or appointment to another but still want to keep your children's minds active, Zig Zag Puzzler may be an excellent addition to your game shelves. This puzzle which encourages improvement in concentration, memory, fine motor skills, and more is part of the 9th grade Timberdoodle Curriculum kit. 

There are two modes you can play using the two full-color manuals which give you and your children 80 different challenges. Everything fits neatly into the package which means you can easily store and transport the Zig Zag Puzzler.

What Is Included? 

Along with a lidded container, you will receive nine colorful, geometric shapes to complete the puzzles, one manual with 40 2-D challenges, and one manual with 40 3-D challenges. The container itself doubles as the playing boards on which you place the geometric shapes.

How Did We Use the Zig Zag Puzzler in Our Homeschool? 

The two manuals present 40 challenges for stacking the geometric shapes in 2-D patterns and 3-D patterns depending upon which side of the playing board you use. The little booklets progress in difficulty providing the person puzzling out the solution with fewer and fewer pieces placed on the board. Your goal, after you follow the initial set up in the manual, is to place the remaining pieces.  

After we received the Zig Zag Puzzler, I set out to put together one of the puzzles so that I could easily put away the game. It did take me quite a bit to work through the puzzle but I am the first to admit that my mind does not work through logic puzzles like this as easily as other logic games and questions. 

A few nights after dinner, I asked our soon-to-be senior to take a look at the Zig Zag Puzzler. Once he got the hang of what was required, he skipped to the harder puzzles. He moved all the way to puzzle 40 in the 2-D manual. It did take him quite a while and I ended up having to provide some tips and suggestions but eventually, he placed all the geometric shapes correctly. 

Working on the late challenge for the 2D puzzles - at the Wizard level.

What Did We Think? 

While only our teen and myself have played with the game, both our younger children are eager to try their hand at it. I think that the recommendation on Timberdoodle of ages 12 and up is perfect. I do not think that those younger would be very successful unless they already are familiar with this type of puzzle or game. 

While our teen was getting frustrated, he was determined to finish the most difficult 2-D puzzle. I think that the Zig Zag Puzzler will be great for him to help him fine-tune his memory and concentration skills. He spends a lot of time playing video games and being on the computer, so I like the idea of him working on puzzles using his hands.

I really like the quality of the container, the pieces, and the manual. It should last for quite a while of traveling from one location to another. I also like that the Zig Zag Puzzler is a one-person game. This makes it perfect for those moments when you need to work with one or another of your homeschooled children and your older child finishes up early. They can still be engaged in something educational but have fun.

I would recommend Zig Zag Puzzler for junior high and high school students, their parents, and even their grandparents. Completing the puzzles will help one keep their mind young. With everything self-contained, you won't have to worry about where you put the pieces at the end of each play session.

Do You Want to Read More Timberdoodle Reviews? 

Are you looking for more educational games? Bugzzle is a game for younger children that will help them work on their logic skills and Gobblet Gobblers will help elementary-aged children work on strategy building skills. 

Learning Geography Through a Fun Game: Review of Continent Race

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

For the past several weeks we have had the fun of playing and reviewing a geography-based game produced by Bryon's Games. Continent Race is created with children ages 7 and up in mind but our entire family (ages 4 and up) had a lot of fun playing it and learning about the world. There are multiple ways to play the game per the game card rules (a basic level of play and an advanced level of play with additional options) which made adapting it easy for our homeschooling family.

About the Game

So what do you get when you purchase Continent Race? The box contains:

• 5 Continent Lists with Maps

• 1 World Map (which is much like a game board because it folds and fits into the box) 

• 205 Country (Flag) Cards

• 3 Antarctica Wild Cards
• 1 Game Rules Card 

Continent Race is recommended for ages 7 and up and each game is approximately 30 minutes in length. The object of the game is to be the first player to collect the required number of country cards from the continents. So, one would need to collect two cards from Australia/Oceania and four cards each from Africa, Asia, the Americas (North and South combined into one area for the game's purposes), and Europe in order to win. However, in the basic level of play, one would only need to collect the necessary cards from 3 continents to win. In advanced play, players need to collect all the required cards and one could add in two additional options: mystery cards and challenges. The mystery cards are ones that do not have the color of their continent on it. For example, the country of Denmark is not blue like the other European nations so players must look on the world map or the Continent Lists to be able to correctly identify to which continent it belongs if they don't already know. 

If one is using the challenge feature, players can challenge another player when they draw a card with a C on it to look over the Continent List for 15 seconds and then name off as many countries as they can. The two players take turns naming as many countries as they can until one player can no longer name any countries. The winner gets to draw 3 additional cards from the draw pile and keep the most useful (discarding 3 cards afterwards).

The Game Rules Card offers additional information and answers some questions you may have, such as why are their only five continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, The Americas, Australia/Oceania) represented. It was determined that Antarctica would be too easy and North and South America were combined as North America contains so few nations. Overall, the idea was that Bryon wanted to represent the five Olympic rings. 

How Did Our Family Use the Game in Our Homeschool?

We modified Continent Race a bit to fit the needs of our homeschooling family. We required players to try and say the name of the countries when they put down the cards to fill the continents. We did not require winners to call out and locate the countries on the map as is one of the requirements on the game card to win. We will be incorporating this rule as our children get older as it is an important part of using the game to help reinforce geography.

We found that as more players started putting down groups that more and more people were able to collect the necessary cards to complete continents. This meant the end of the game moved much more quickly than the beginning of the game.

Working towards collecting all of the necessary cards to win!

We shuffled in the Orange Mystery Cards after we had played the game several times. I am not sure why but I had trouble keeping those orange cards separated and set as different in my mind. I kept thinking they were either a new continent or part of the Americas.

We have not used the scorecard yet that is provided on the site but our first grader was very excited to see that they offer one. Plus you can download and print the flags to color!

Pictures from one of our many games

What Did We Think?

Our family really enjoys all types of games – from those that are just for pure fun and entertainment to those that are educational like Continent Race. We play games all the time in our house and homeschool. In fact, I would like to spend more time playing games as a family.

From the very opening of the box, I really liked the way that Continent Race looked. The materials are well-made and very colorful. I am very impressed with the quality of materials. As games are meant to be played over and over, I can foresee Continent Race standing the test of time. While there are a lot of cards that could go missing (for some keeping 205 cards in one place may be difficult), I love that the box containing everything is sturdy. Everything fits very neatly in the box and so far the bands to keep the cards together are doing their job. The five Continent Lists with Maps are printed on a sturdy cardboard that is thick and the World Map is also made of a thick cardboard material with a laminated finish. 

I love using products in our homeschool that can bring us all together as a family while we are learning. As geography is sometimes a subject that is completed in isolation (labeling a map, coloring in different nations on a printout, etc.), it is nice to have a game where we can all be together and learn about the nations around us. I found the game to be a lot of fun to play (even though I have never won).

Our six-year-old said, "If you don't know a lot about the continents and countries, the game can help learn about the world." He likes that the capitals of the countries are printed on the cards. He said, "It could be the best continent/country game for kids." One of his favorite parts was using the Continent Lists with Maps. I can see him using them outside of the game, too, for his homeschooling

Our four-year-old likes the idea of the challenges. She wants to try those out (we have been holding off on doing them because we are playing with such a wide range of ages). And even though she doesn't completely understand the whole concept of the game, she did win the first time!

I am very happy to report that our homeschooling teen really enjoyed the game, too. He had fun with pronouncing the different names of the countries as well as helping his brother and sister do so. I also learned just how much geography he knows – which is a lot!

My husband found the game a great outlet for our family to enjoy each other's company in an unplugged and round-the-table way. He liked that he could see his kids learning before his eyes as they took in the maps, country names, capitals, and geography of the world's nations and continents.

I would recommend Continent Race for families seeking a fun, educational game for their home. It would be perfect for a classroom setting, co-op, or homeschool. I could even see it making a good addition to a library's game collection.

Do You Want to Learn More?

Website – Facebook –  Twitter – Instagram 

In addition to reviewing Continent Race, families of the Homeschool Review Crew also reviewed the Connections Stationary Kit. Please visit their reviews, too!

Learning Through Play: A Review of Matific Galaxy

Our son has been having a blast practicing and reviewing his math skills using Matific Galaxy—an online math resource for grades K-6. He has been working his way through unlocking ten different planets in the Matific Galaxy. This allows him to practice a number of different math skills through a variety of games.

For each level, our son needed to complete online math games in order to collect all the pixels necessary to unlock characters. Once the characters were unlocked, our son was able to dress the characters using the different outfits he won as prizes as he continued working through the different math games.

What is Matific Galaxy? 

Matific Galaxy is available for both the desktop and as an app for electronics such as tablets and phones with hundreds of fun math games. There are over 1,500 activities available across grades K-6. You can even try out Matific Galaxy before you purchase to see if it is the right fit for your homeschooling family.

In general, Matific Galaxy can be used almost entirely independently by your child. Our son was able to navigate most of the learning games without help from me. There were only a few activities which he had to ask me about and a few games where he needed assistance multiple times (example: Lucky Stars and Draw A Line). There are also audio and written instructions to help your child work through the planets, activities, and information by themselves. So, when our son let his sister take a turn, she could figure out the instructions even though she is not able to read everything yet.

I quite liked helping our son play this game. It is a lot fun to figure out which cards to use to collect the stars.

Be sure to check out the FAQ page if you have any questions and visit the site to try some of the learning games for yourself. When we were first told about the possibility to review Matific Galaxy, I asked our son to check out the site and try the games for himself to see if he liked it. After only a few minutes, he said he would like it if we got to review Matific Galaxy.

What Topics Has Our Son Been Practicing? 

The first grade topics practiced and reviewed include 60 different skills:

• Dusty: counting, addition 
• Kai: geometry
• Jung Jung: counting
• Blaze: counting, addition, basic fractions, subtraction 
• Rocky: counting, addition, numbers measurements 
• Icy: addition, counting, data analysis 
• Sweetie: measurements, counting, subtraction, patterns, numbers, addition, basic fractions
• Nickel: addition, problem solving, measurements, counting, subtraction 
• Sir Goldy: numbers, subtraction, addition, mixed operation, geometry 
• Queen D: addition, numbers, geometry 

The motivational messages are fantastic!

What Did Our Son Think? 

Since first playing, our 6-year-old son asks almost everyday if he will have a chance to play on Matific Galaxy. In addition to working on my laptop, I also let him play via the app on my phone. He will happily sit solving math problems and practicing his addition and subtraction.

"Turn Screen Time Into Learning Time"

Our son had so much fun the first day after we set up the accounts, he played for quite a long while. And when we downloaded the app to my phone, he was ecstatic!

One of his favorite learning games was with the first planet—Dusty: Get the Picture. He needs to correctly assign the bows, necklaces, and glasses to characters in a line by following ordinal directions. When everyone is wearing the correct article, a photo is taken of the Class of 2019.

Another favorite was Robot Lift-Off, where students need to add the number of robots (there are two different kinds). When the amounts are chosen correctly, the robots go onto the space ship and take off. Before this, they do a little dance, which our son likes seeing.

When our son completes all the first grade activities, he will receive a certificate. He is motivated by the prizes and achievements, so this is a perfect online learning opportunity for him.

My Thoughts 

I love that our son can work at his own pace. He can repeat games multiple times as he works on mastering skills and returns to play things again for more practice. The background music is also nice. So, if I am working at the table with his sister on something else while he is completing his math assignment, his playing the game is not distracting.

Another great aspect of Matific Galaxy is the Parent Zone. When I look at the Parent Zone, I can quickly see where our son's strongest subjects are and what areas he needs more practice in (geometry). I can also easily send him one of three motivational messages (which he enjoys).

Summary reports are available to be emailed to you once a week (or not at all, if you choose) or you can view them through the Parent Zone. I can view data based upon all-time, 3 months, one month, two weeks, or just the last week. The results are also displayed by topic with our son's score and the Matific average score.

And, finally, results are broken down by assignment. So, I can see how our son did on Dusty's planet, Kai's planet, or Jung Jung Planet's. After viewing these scores, I was able to ask him to focus on certain planets and games to practice certain skills as recommended.

The last thing in the summary report is the All-time Achievements which shows how many trophies our son has achieved during this time working with Matific Galaxy. I really like how easy it is to understand everything in the Parent Zone.

The only detraction I can find is that the progress from the desktop does not seem to transfer to the phone (they are not synchronized across different platforms). So, while our son is happy to repeat the same steps on the phone or tablet app as he had upon the desktop, I think maybe other children would be annoyed with having to repeat things.

Even though our son has everything unlocked on the desktop, they are still locked on the app.

We will continue to use the one-year subscription we received to review from Matific Galaxy through the rest of the year. Our son really enjoys it and I see it as a fun break to review and even introduce new math skills.

Do You Want to Learn More about Matific Galaxy? 

Website – Facebook – Instagram 

If you wish to read more about the other levels—since our son worked with just the first grade level—be sure to read the other reviews!

Reviewing Home School in the Woods' Á La Carte Projects

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

My family had the wonderful opportunity to review two history products from the Á La Carte Projects line from Home School in the Woods – Pirate Panoply game and The War to End All Wars game. When I became a teacher, these types of activities – file folder games, timelines, newspapers, and lap books – were the very things I couldn’t wait to do with my students. Now as a homeschooling mom, I will be able to share my love of history with my own children using products from the Á La Carte Projects line.

Both Á La Carte projects are PDF files that vary in length from seven to over thirty pages and provide an ‘Introduction and Tips’ page that includes information on printing the project and laminating completed pieces.  These “individual projects are designed to enhance your studies” with a variety of hands-on activities and “new projects are added regularly.”

Pirate Panoply: A Game of Pirate Garb!  

Pirate Panoply: A Game of Pirate Garb! is a multiplayer game for grades third to eighth grade where families can learn about pirate clothes and accessories. Each player takes turn rolling a six-sided die to dress their pirate in clothes that range from a wide-brimmed hat to stockings and shoes. The Gameboard, which each player needs to play Pirate Panoply, includes information on the different pieces of clothing and accessories such as the Baldric is “a leather belt, hung diagonally over the whole ensemble.”

The pieces for Pirate Panoply are black and white and can be colored by the family. Our sons and I colored the pieces so each would have their own set and game board when we played. All the children enjoyed playing Pirate Panoply.  Even our two year old, who played with the help of Dad, had fun. We found the most difficult part of Pirate Panoply was trying to get the necessary roll for one person to dress their pirate and thus win the game. (We also played till everyone’s pirates were dressed since we were playing with 2-, 4-, and 15-year-olds.)

The War to End All Wars File Folder Game

The second project we reviewed from the Á La Carte Projects line from the Home School in the Woods was The War to End All Wars: WWI France vs. Germany, a two-player file folder game of strategy and card management for third through twelfth grades. The Rule Book includes an introduction, a description of the components, and directions on setup, phases, units, action cards, the environment, and how to win or end the game. The War to End All Wars also includes a section on this history of the war with some background on trenches, weapons on and off the field, and protection that was used during the war. All this information expands upon the action cards and tokens available for play during the game.

The information for printing the necessary game pieces for The War to End All Wars was very helpful. I admit to having some difficulties when printing things double sided but the instructions were clear as to what page was printed on the back of which one. I chose to print the black and white copy to color in myself. If your older children are so inclined, they could help you color out the pieces for The War to End All Wars game. It provides the perfect opportunity to color, discuss the history of World War I – which the game provides via some background information, and watch documentaries or movies about the Great War. 

It is a very complex game with lots of information to retain during play. While my stepson and I played, my husband helped ‘referee’ the game – providing information as we needed it. For example, when playing your cards, there are multiple (thirteen to be exact) options for what to do with your soldiers. And depending on which side you are playing, you may have a tank card or a French rifle (if you play as France) or you might play a stick grenade card or a flamethrower card (if you play as Germany). All of the information is outlined in the directions, but it is helpful to have someone (who is outside of the game) read it during game play. However, I do not think this is a flaw of the game (it's a feature!). There are many board and card games that I have played where the directions are quite lengthy and complicated. And in reality trench warfare, which the game seeks to imitate, is quite complex and lengthy.

I would recommend both of these products to families – homeschooling and non-homeschooling alike. They provide an excellent extension to lessons about the topics at hand (Pirates and World War I) and are just plain fun. 

I have also looked into other Á La Carte Projects from Home School in the Woods for our family. In the future, we may add several other projects to our home, including the Taxation Frustration! Game which allows two to four players to “learn about the pressures and drama of paying taxes in the American colonies before the Revolutionary War” and the Tomb Dash! File Folder Game in which “players work together against the timer to answer questions from the era in an attempt to gather artifacts and then escape the pyramid complex.”  

Personally, I am also interested in The Art of Quilling, the art of paper rolling, as a possible new hobby. And the final project that catches my eye currently is WWII: On the Home Front LapBook/Notebook Project. My teenage stepson is very interested in World War II history, so this would be a perfect summer project for him. He already knows a lot about the war itself, so this would introduce him to the struggle “in the homes of ordinary Americans” during World War II. 

You can read more about Taxation Frustration!, Tomb Dash!, and The Art of Quilling Á La Carte Projects and others by checking out the Homeschool Review Crew Reviews.

You can learn more about Home School in the Woods by visiting the following places:

Home School in the Woods Website - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest