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Shape Whiz is available from Simply Fun Games here.
{I purchased Shape Whiz with my own money. As always, all opinions are my own!}
Read on for a detailed REVIEW.
There are lots of shape-sorting activities for little ones. And there are loads of cool tangram-type things for early elementary kids, but there is not much in the way for older kids to work on their geometry skills. So, I was very happy to come across Shape Whiz! The targeted age is listed as 10+ but I would caution you not to hone in on that “10”. This is a great game for teens who are about to embark on, or are in the middle of, their high school geometry class!
In addition to reviewing the
FUN FACTOR
and the EDUCATIONAL VALUE,
I will also include info on the
ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT,
SKILLS USED,
CLARITY LEVEL
and an OVERALL SCORE.
Game Review: SHAPE WHIZ {Geometry}
NAME: Shape Whiz
PUBLISHER: Simply Fun
TIME COMMITMENT: Minimal {10-15 minutes}
PLAYERS: 2-4
AGES: 10+
CATEGORY: Math
SUB CATEGORY: Geometry
SKILLS FOCUSED ON:
- area
- sides
- parallel lines
- symmetry
- perimeter
- angles
- length
SKILLS PRACTICED:
- mathematical symbols
- approximation
HOW TO WIN: Be the first player to correctly match up five Whiz Cards with Shape Cards.
HOW TO PLAY IN ONE SENTENCE: Look at the Whiz Card’s defining characteristics and find a Shape Card that fits within those characteristics.
ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥♥♥ This game consists of 80 normal-sized cards, 40 double-sided longer cards, and one instruction booklet. Just like every Simply Fun game I have encountered, the quality is top-notch! The cards are thick with vibrant colors, a sleek coating, and a ton of valuable information. The storage box is very sturdy and perfectly sized at only 7.5″x6″. ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥♥ A couple of weeks ago, I asked my teenager to select a game for us to play so I could write a new review. I gave him the choice of Math Rush Volume 2 or Shape Whiz. He took one look at the amount of detailed geometry information included in Shape Whiz and immediately decided against it. But this week he had no choice. It was time for Shape Whiz! But, still, his expectations of enjoying the game were not high, to say the least. So, imagine our surprise when it turned out to be super fun! Its focus on geometry is very different than most educational math games and seems to make it extra interesting. And the variety of defining characteristics players have to find are not nearly as complicated as they first appear and are actually fun to figure out. We both enjoyed it immensely and look forward to playing it again! FUN FACTOR SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
EDUCATIONAL VALUE: ♥♥♥♥♥ Unlike some games, such as Miss Bernard is a Wild Card and Fraction Formula, there is no hiding the fact that this is an educational game. The entire focus is geometry and the game is filled with loads of mathematical signs and colorful grids. The cards ask players to find shapes with specific characteristics including total area, number of parallel sides, identifiable lines of symmetry and more. But, the game also provides excellent practice in reading mathematical signs with cards that ask players to find a shape with “two angles ≥ 90°=” and “total perimeter ≈ 10 to 12.” Additionally, the game offers a stack of more challenging cards which can be included in or removed from play. EDUCATIONAL VALUE SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥ With all of the mathematical signs and colorful grids, this game definitely looks a wee bit intimidating at first glance, at least to my son’s non-geometry-loving eye. But, the instruction booklet lays things out very clearly and includes images to make understanding how to play a breeze. In addition to showing the correct steps of how to play, the instruction booklet also includes two pages on the “principles of geometry.” It’s imperative that players have a base knowledge of these principles, and the instruction booklet does a nice, simple job of providing what is needed. After a couple of rounds, we were able to stop referencing the instruction booklet and were able to interpret each card on our own. My only caution would be that some cards require the player to estimate certain information. Though this is a great skill to learn and certainly one older students need to possess, younger kids may struggle with this abstract concept. However, the cards are self-checking which comes in very handy for the inexperienced child and also should cut down on the potential for players to argue and disagree. CLARITY LEVEL SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥♥ Shape Whiz was a total surprise to both my teenager and me! He was surprised that he enjoyed the game, I was surprised at the level of educational value it offered and we were both surprised that we wanted to play it again! We would both highly recommend this game for nearly anyone, including those who love geometry, those who are embarking on a geometry course, and those who just enjoy a different sort of challenge. OVERALL SCORE: 100% ♥♥♥♥♥
Game Review: SHAPE WHIZ {Geometry}
