Whenever my husband and I sit down and play a board game with our kids, they love the feeling of family unity and the fact that we are not distracted by other things like cleaning or the telephone. We have a few games that are worth mentioning but the one I want to review today is ‘Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game’.
My son received Wildcraft! for his birthday and we have found that although though it says from ages 4 and up, even our adult friends who visit enjoy playing it and learn from it.
The description on the box says ‘a cooperative board game that teaches edible and medicinal plants’. It was created by the Gallagher family, who make most of their own remedies from plants they grow themselves or harvest in the wild. They created the game to introduce children and their friends to the joys of herbalism.
The object of the game is for everyone to get from Grandma’s house to the top of the mountain and back before nightfall. Along the way, players collect various herb cards, cooperation cards, and remedy cards.
There is a twist to the game which I love as a parent. Instead of competing to be the first one back to win, EVERYOME has to make it back to win, so it really inspries working together and helping each other. It is so nice to hear my son saying “come on, Tany, move up to where I am” instead of getting all riled up about being the winner or loser.
On the way up the mountain, players get various ailments like poison ivy, hunger, bug bites, and other common things. They also collect herb cards en route to cure themselves and to help others. My children now recognize quite a lot of plants from this game.
The first time we played, my four year old cried because she got a bleeding nose, the sniffles, and a sun burn all at once. But I consoled her and we found the appropriate remedies and she now understands and loves to play the game.
I recommend Wildcraft! because of the unique cooperation factor involved as opposed to the usual competiviteness of other games. It is a lovely game for children and teaches good lessons for children and adults alike.
