Last Updated on May 23, 2020 by ellen
Have you ever heard of a cooperative board game? The Baby Beluga Game is a board game where kids win by working together rather than by competing with each other. In a sea of board games where you try to beat others to win, this is an awesome concept.
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The Baby Beluga Game – A Cooperative Board Game
Most children have lots of opportunities to play competitive games where someone wins and naturally, someone loses. Whether it’s a soccer match, video game or racing to be first, competitive games are quite the norm. CooperativeGames.com, a California-based company, offers another option—cooperative play. Kids get together for fun collaboration, sharing, and kindness to win as a group while playing these games. Their newest offering is The Baby Beluga Game ($34.95). If it sounds familiar, then you must be a fan of Raffi’s signature song of the same name.
The catchy sing-along tune was introduced in 1980. Now four decades later, the lovable whale is back, but in a board game. The Baby Beluga Game was created, cooperatively, by Raffi and fair-trade, indie game developer Suzanne Lyons of CooperativeGames.com. It features paintings by Ashley Wolff, who illustrated Raffi’s Baby Beluga book, and comes with a free download of the Baby Beluga song and a 32-page illustrated booklet.
Why a whale and why now? “I designed The Baby Beluga Game,” explains Lyons, “to support the loving, pro-social nature of children. I’m concerned that competitive games send the message that winning only happens when we out-do others. Cooperative games show we can play together so we all win at the same time. Whales, like Baby Beluga, are intelligent animals that have happy social lives based on cooperation. There’s no better role model for cooperative play than Baby Beluga in my opinion.”
The Baby Beluga Game • Ages 3+ • $34.95
The board game’s goal is simple — players win by helping Baby Beluga and Friends swim wild and free. As they ponder the next move, children from ages 3 to 10 do a little STEM learning, finding out about whales and ocean science in a fun way. Plenty of thought went into every aspect of the game and its contents. There’s even a little canoe to hold game pieces and keep them organized between play times!
Can players help Baby Beluga and his Friends complete the journey to swim wild and free? There could be trouble along the way. But players can win if they work together. This fun cooperative board game teaches children all about Baby Beluga and his Arctic friends as well as the ocean environment and the joys of playing together. The game is lovingly made with fair-trade practices and Earth-friendly materials in California.
My thoughts:
This game has so many things going for it that it really does need to be part of your gift giving list this year. I love the fact that it encourages children to work together for a common goal. And, the environmental good behind the game is awesome as well. The sturdy wooden pieces will definitely help this game last a long time and the beautiful design will encourage kids to come back again and again to play.
Use the coupon code Blog10 to save on your purchase of the game at The Baby Beluga Game website.
You may want to check out these preschool workbooks.
One of my readers will win this game.
I am not responsible for prizes that do not arrive.
Ellen is a mom of a 25-year-old son and 30-year-old daughter. She is Grandma to one adorable toddler. In what little spare time she has, she loves to read, watch movies, and check out the latest toys and games.