Description

From the rules book:

Family kit contains five engaging games that combine U.S. geography with the math of numbers, data, logic, and strategy. The games are ideal for children 7 to 13 to play with parents, siblings, or friends. Children a little younger can play them with an adult or older child. The directions include ways to adjust the games to fit the age and experience of the players.

Games included are: (1) Guess my state; (2) Take a trip; (3) Guess my rule; (4) Capture states; and (5) Closest match.

(1) Guess my state - In this game, similar to "Twenty Questions," players ask questions to try to identify a secret state that one player has chosen. At the start of the game, the state cards are laid out face up. Players take turns tryin to identify the secret state by asking yes-or-no questions (e.g., Did it become a state in the 1800s? Does your state border Canada?). After each question is answered, the states that have been ruled out are removed from the layout. The player who narrows the layout down to the secret state is the winner. Use either the East or West cards, or for more of a challenge, play with all 50 state cards.

(2) Take a trip - In this game, players navigate around the U.S. by finding states that border one another. At the start of the game, one state card is turned up. On the first turn, a player puts down a state card that borders it from their hand of 3 cards. The next player puts down a card that borders that state, and so on. For example, if Texas is turned up at the start of the game, on the first turn a player could put down Oklahoma, since it borders Texas. On the second turn, a player could put down Kansas, since it borders Oklahoma. The game is over when one player plays all of their cards or no more cards can be placed. Use either the East or West cards, or for more of a challenge, play with all 50 state cards. May also be played cooperatively with all players' cards face up.

(3) Guess my rule - In this game,players try to discover a secret rule that one player is using to sort the states into two groups. For instance, a secret rule could be "borders on an ocean." States that border an ocean would go in one group; states that do not border an ocean would go in the other group. the Rule Maker selects about six states form the layout ans sorts them into two groups according to the rule. Players take turns trying to figure out the rule by choosing a state that has not yet been sorted and saying which group they think it belongs in. After three turns in a row in which players sort states correctly, they may begin to guess the rule. The first player to guess the rule wins. Use either the East or West cards, or for more of a challenge, play with all 50 state cards.

(4) Capture states - In this game, similar to "War,"players compare the states according to a certain feature. At the start of the game, players choose a state feature, such as year of statehood. On each round, all players put out a state card at the same time from their stack of face down cards. The player with the state that has the biggest number for the chosen feature (e.g., became a state most recently) captures all the cards played in the round. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

(5) Closest match - In this game, players use math to find states that are most alike. At the start of the game, players choose a state feature, such as number of libraries. In each round, they compare the states in their hand to a Goal state. For instance, if the Goal is Colorado, which has 253 libraries, they find the card in their hand of five cards that has closest to 253 libraries. They compare their chosen states, and the player with the closest of all takes the cards played in the round. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

Contents:
- large map of U.S. for reference
- 26 Blue fact cards, one for each of
the states in the Eastern U.S.
(sorry, no Washington, D.C.)
- 24 Red fact cards, one for each of
the states in the Western U.S.
- 10 Wild cards
- 10 sample rules/question cards