Game Review: HAIKUBES {Poetry}

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Last year during Poetry Month, I reviewed Paint Chip Poetry, which is a unique and fun way to get your kids interested in the colorful world of poetry. This year, I have two new poetry games to review: Haikubes and Metaphor Dice. Of these three poetry games, Haikubes is the only one that actually teaches and reinforces HOW to write poetry. And, as the very clever name suggests, Haikubes is all about the beautiful Haiku.

Game Review: HAIKUBES {Poetry}

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥♥__This game consists of 63 one-inch cubes and one small slip of instructions packaged nicely in a box with a firm, transparent lid. Everything is high-quality and creates a result that is worthy of sitting on a coffee table. However, if the plastic lid were to break or get lost, it would be difficult to keep the top row of dice in place. ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT SCORE: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥__

FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥__ The more we played around with Haikubes, the more it seemed like an educational tool as opposed to a game. Part of that was because there are no rules, no score-keeping, and no winning and losing. But, mostly that feeling came from the fact that it is an incredibly open-ended experience…which is really how I view poetry in general. It can be fun. But, it can also be sad. It can make you laugh, but it can make you mad. It can be ridiculously funny or incredibly sad. It really depends on what the player/poet wants to make of it. FUN FACTOR SCORE: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥__

EDUCATIONAL VALUE: ♥♥♥♥♥ If you want your kids to learn how to write Haikus, this is a great way to introduce and practice the concept. As mentioned above, it is very open-ended. Very. So, if you have kiddos who struggle to get their creative juices flowing, you may need to remove some dice and/or direct them to specific topics. The directions are very slim, though, so if you want to teach your kids ABOUT Haikus, you will need to supplement with something more. Please note: There are hundreds of words included on these cubes. Some of which can result in touchy or inappropriate poems if allowed or encouraged. Unlike previous versions mentioned on Amazon, this version does not include point-blank offensive words. But, if you hand some ill-mannered, unsupervised Middle School kids 200 words from which to choose, it would be very easy to end up with something inappropriate. That being said, there are a few words that a teacher/parent could remove to help discourage the temptation including hellbent, oozy, pregnant, and jerk. EDUCATIONAL VALUE SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥ The directions are short and simple. Roll the cubes and use them to write a three-lined poem with 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Some might find the directions to be lacking, but, truthfully, what else is there to add? THAT is what makes up a Haiku. That’s it. The topic is up to the poet. The style is up to the poet. The theme is up to the poet. The only rule to a Haiku is three lines with 5, 7, and 5 syllables. So, in my opinion, that is all players need for directions. CLARITY LEVEL SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥__ Unlike most other educational games I have reviewed, Haikubes is a very specialized game/educational tool that won’t easily fill the void of most school-aged kids who find themselves with free time. However, it is a great way to introduce poetry, especially the unique Haiku. It could also serve older kids, teens, and families well. OVERALL SCORE: 90% ♥♥♥♥__

Game Review: HAIKUBES {Poetry}