Saturday, January 01, 2000

Games


Heritage Memo Game
A memory game showing 36 pictures of outstanding sites worldwide.
1992, Piatnik, 72 cards, Made in Austria

While looking for something fun to add to this year's curriculum purchases, I discovered this memory game in the Montessori Services catalog. I can't tell you how much fun we've had with it. The whole family down to the 2 1/2 year old have enjoyed rowsing games of memory while learning about important historical, cultural and religious sites from around the world. The cards are approximately 2 inches square with full color pictures of famous sites. There are a high percentage of Catholic sites:

Cathedral of Aachen, Germany
Palace of the Pope, Avignon France
Chartres Cathedral, France
Cathedral of Cordoba, Spain
Cathedral and Monastery "Victorious Holy Maria" in Portugal
Cathedral of Cefalu in Sicily
Church of Sagrada Familia, Spain
Reims Cathedral, France
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Spain

Other sites are:

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
Stonehenge, Great Britain
St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow
Cathedral of Canterbury, Great Britain
Nemrut dagi, Turkey
Easter Island, South America
Temple of Katmandu, Nepal
Schwe-Dagon-Pagode, Birma
Stupa of Borobudur, Indonesia
Todaidshi-Temple, Japan
Amun-Temple, Karnak Egypt
Uxmal, Mexico
Madrese Schir-Dar, Russia
Tula, Mexico
Taj Mahal, India
Temple of Abu Simbel, Egypt
Hagia-Sofia, Turkey
Maccu Picchu, Peru
Acropolis, Athens
Sphinx and Great Pyramid
Wailing Wall, Jerusalem
Menhirs of Carnac, France
Temple of Hera, Italy
Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
Athos-Monasteries, Greece
Malawiya Minaret, Iraq
Schah-Mosque, Iran

Included with the game is a fold-out sheet with black and white images of each of the sites along with a brief description and location.

Reviewed by Alicia Van Hecke (9-20-02)
Available from Montessori Services


Cover Image - Lord of History Card GameLord of History Card Game
2001, Lord of History, 25 glossy cards (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches), Catholic

These playing card-sized history supplements portray 24 important figures in Catholic history (the remaining card is a cover card with instructions for games that can be played with the set). There is one card for each of the following people: Alfred the Great, St. Joan of Arc, Prince Henry the Navigator, Christopher Columbus, Mary Queen of Scots, Marco Polo, John Henry Cardinal Newman, Fr. Jacques Marquette, King St. Louis IX, Queen Isabel of Castile, Charlemagne, St. Francis Xavier, Dante Aleghieri, Emperor Constantine the Great, St. Thomas More, G.K. Chesterton, Junipero Serra, St. Benedict, Francisco Franco, Hernando Cortez, Michelangelo, St. Augustine of Hippo, King Philip II of Spain and Mother Teresa. The back of each card offers a brief biographical sketch highlighting key events and accomplishments of each figure. The views expressed regarding these historical figures (particularly some of the more controversial ones) are consistent with the historical writings of Anne and Warren Carroll. The game involves learning the key facts and gaining points for identifying different levels of information (from simply recognizing the figure on the card to identifying the Christian significance of the individual). The cards are very professional in appearance and come in a small clear plastic case with a hinged lid.

It's nice to find a colorful Catholic history supplement of this nature that includes both saints and other figures of importance. I'm sure that many children will enjoy this fun way of learning about key Catholic figures from history. It should also serve to inspire them to learn more about their favorite ones. Even though I've read a great deal about History, simply reading these brief sketches helped me make some interesting connections that I hadn't yet made. My only complaint is that the writing style in some portions of the biographical sketches is rather poor.

Reviewed by Alicia Van Hecke (11-30-01)
Click here to view a sample card Available from By Way of the Family or Catholic Heritage Curricula


Perspective: The Time Line Game

This is a fun game which helps players become more familiar with important or interesting dates in history. The game consists of a large deck of cards, a playing board and a special die. The cards are color-coded into four sets representing four large groupings of history - Ancient (up to 476 AD), Middle (up to 1588), Modern (up to 1900) and 20th Century to Present. This coding gives players a staring point in trying to place their cards on an appropriate spot on the board. As the board fills up, it gets more challenging to decide before and after which other cards your particular card belongs. Cards are played face-up. The backs contain the date at which the person or event happened. The dates are only looked at when someone challenges the placement of a cards. Whoever loses the challenge has to pick up an additional card. Play continues until everyone has disposed of all of their cards. Play is determined by a roll of the six-sided die, which offers the possibilities of : Play, Draw 1 Card from the Deck, Give 1 Card to Any Other Player or Lose Your Turn (some of them come up on more than one side).

We've found this game to be a lot of fun as everyone is in the process of learning. Because all of the content is on individual cards, these can easily be adjusted (or even edited) according to your family's current needs or interests. Though it's not by any means a designed to be a Catholic game, I was pleased to find a number of Catholic-related history included, such as Joan of Arc, Thomas Aquinas, Charlemagne, Gregorian Calendar (with an image of Pope St. Gregory the Great) Francis of Assisi, The Book of Kells, Constantine legalizing Christianity, the Construction of Notre Dame Cathedral, Mother Teresa, Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel and numerous Biblical figures.

Reviewed by Alicia Van Hecke (1-16-07)
For more information and to order, visit the Perspective website.

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