Maintenant Diversity Deck - Magnetosphere

Play nine fun card games with this pack of cards and learn more about the Lithosphere, one of the Earth's seven spheres.  The Lithosphere is about the Magnetosphere, the magnetic field around the Earth that protects us from cosmic rays. So we cover topics such as electricity, geomagnetism and magnetoreception.

 

This is one of the 16 different packs of Diversity Decks that the maker, 'Maintenant - Sustaining now', has put together to teach children about Science and the Environment.

The cards all have an science/sustainability theme, so most  feature the seven Earth's Spheres whereas others are about animals, bacteria and inspirational people, the aim being to educate children as they play the games.  Players and their parents can go onto the website and learn more about the subject on each card (highly recommended).  

Each Diversity Deck has seven themes: in this, the Magnetosphere, one, there are cards entitled Electricity, Light Bulbs, Power Stations, Magnetism, Electromagnets, Geomagnetism, Pole Reversal.  There are six cards in each theme, each with the same illustration, plus two 'Parry' (' Magnetoreception' and 'Geomagnetic Shield') and one 'Calamity' (Rare Earths Extraction) cards (good and bad chance cards to spice up the games), so 45 cards in the handy tin.

The cards are cleverly designed so that you can play a wide range of games with them.  These games vary in complexity from Rock, Paper, Scissors (suitable for 4 year olds) through to 17 Goals (a form of Black Jack suitable for 8 year olds).

The games are :

Rock Paper Scissors (4+),

Calamity Game (4+) - like Old Maid,

Be an Elephant (5+), a memory matching game,

Free from (5+), be the first to get rid of your cards by matching pictures or numbers,

Snaffle It (6+), win the most points by playing cards with the same picture but with different points,

Happy Diversity (6+) - like Happy Families,

Double Snap (7+),

17 Goals (8+) - like Black Jack

Pyramid Solitaire (8+)

The games are the same for each tin.

Please note that although the games are designed to be played by children 4 years old and upwards, the pictures and the messages behind them may be way too heavy and not  appreciated by four or five year-olds.  So for younger children it might be sensible to choose one of the animal-themed sets.