Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Un-Scramble Your State Knowledge, June 7, 2005
Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars
The Scrambled States of America has been in full tilt use in the home for at least a year. It was one of those impulse purchases made from an "educational" toy store (term used loosely as often times "educational toy store" just means everything costs more money). The box was smaller than the typical game, the colors far more vibrant, and the subject matter relevant in a home with young children trying to find their place in America (let alone the world).
Though the states are advertised as being 'scrambled', rest assured each state is in its proper continental US place with the exception of Hawaii and Alaska which are placed in their proper ocean though boxed in thanks to our American-centered interest here. (In other words, Canada just did not fit on the game board.)
Each state is given not only its own color but also its own personality. Some have goofy eyes, others have big toothy grins, still others wear hats and frowns. Not to worry, frowns, teeth, and goofy eyes are evenly distributed among "red" and "blue" states - this is strictly a non-partisan game.
Playing
Inside this colorful box is found:
(4)four folded maps of the United States, labeled with state name, each state in its own color. Folded maps are slick paper.
(2)two decks of cards - one for each of the fifty states containing the state name, capital name, and state nickname
The second deck of cards includes the gears for game play with various tasks each player will work at completing first. For instance, one card may say "state is east of Kansas", another "state is brown", yet again "state name has three syllables". Each deck is of typical card-stock paper, equal in size to a typical deck of playing cards.
Players begin with their own cache of states and take turns flipping over a playing card, competing to find a state in their own pile which meets the requirements laid out. First player to announce their state wins the round. Play continues until all state cards have been played with the victor having the most won state cards in his or her possession.
State Savvy
The playing objective having been shared in a nutshell, the learning objectives may now be rather clear. Play this game a few times and you'll know the names of the fifty states, play a few more times and you'll have a general feel for state location. Play this game a few times a week for a year (sigh) and you'll know name, location, capital and nickname of fifty states as well as possess a very good idea of which states are "neighbors" to one another.
While the manufacturer recommends this game for ages 8 and up - an appropriate age if independent reading is required - game play can be slightly adjusted to allow for a much younger player. Certainly going down to age 7 is fine, we've played younger so that our preschooler can play if she has a reader assisting her.
Our family strongly recommends this game - from this mommy down to the youngest player. It's fun, can get quite loud (always a good selling feature around here), and unscrambles the fifty states into easily remembered (and quite unique) pieces of America. The only downside involves paper maps which may start to tear at the folds after repeated folding and unfolding, certainly a downside worth overlooking
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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who knew geography could be so much fun?, January 29, 2005
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars
I wish this game had existed when I was in school and trying to learn about the states. I have to admit that I never did learn all the capitals & information about my own country that I should have. But that is changing now that I play this game with my own children. We are all learning together now and having a blast doing it!
The game is simple to play yet doesn't get old or repetitive no matter how many times we get it out. It seems that we always learn new facts and have a great time while playing.
I also highly recommend that you purchase the book The Scrambled States of America for your collection because it is really a good one.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Educational Fun for all, January 31, 2005
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars
My 10 and 6 year old kids love this game. It's easy enough for younger kids to enjoy, but interesting enough for adults to play as well. Kids get a good lesson in American Geography while trying to be the fastest one to spot one of their cards with a certain characteristic. While the 6 year old enjoys the game, I will say that reading skills are necessary to prevent frustration. It's a colorful, sturdy (aside from the paper maps that are used to determine which state is closest during the "go the distance" cards that might come up as one of the challenges) colorful, fun game. I highly recommend it to anyone with kids of reading age.
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