Learn more about our solar system while having fun! Planet Voyagers is a board game that is not only fun but educational, as well. 

Children tend to learn best through play. Whether it is stacking blocks, building bricks, or kicking a ball, learning is taking place. I am a firm believer in allowing kids--both young and old--to play. Our family has a tradition of game schooling. For many years, we have set aside the second Tuesday of every month for board games. We spend the day playing! There is no conventional schoolwork that day, only practicing both social and educational skills through games. Because of this, I am always looking for new games to add to our collection. Planet Voyagers was an obvious choice since my son loves learning about space.

This game from SimplyFun comes with rocket pawns and data cards for each player, planet and sun disks, research tokens, and playing cards. The objective is to journey through the solar system from planet to planet while learning interesting facts. 

To set up, place the sun and eight planet disks in order with the matching research token on top. Each player puts a rocket pawn on the sun and a data board in front of himself. Shuffle the cards, deal five to each player, and place the remaining in a draw pile. The game is played in rounds. Each person chooses a card from his hand and puts it facedown. Everyone reveals the chosen cards at the same time. The cards are played in order of priority, starting with the lowest number. The cards have actions such as moving to the next planet, swapping out cards from hand, researching a planet, and more. Many of the cards require the player to reference the data board. For example, one card reads, "If your next planet has a temperature above -297° (oxygen's boiling point), move your rocket to that planet." Another reads, "If your next planet has a full rotation (day) that is equal to or more than 24 hours, move your rocket to that planet." These types of cards teach facts about diameter, gravity, moons, atmosphere, and more. The first person to arrive at Neptune or acquire twelve points wins. 

The game is for 2-5 players and ages eight and up.  All components are sturdy and beautiful. A round can easily be played in less than thirty minutes, so it is a good option when there is not much time available. My kids are enjoying this game. Even my six-year-old likes it, though he does need help at times. The diversity of the cards ensures that the gameplay is different with each round. Everyone likes checking the data board and finding the best card to play. Best of all, everyone is learning while having fun!  

Planet Voyagers is a good strategy game that teaches detailed facts about the planets in our solar system. 

Product review by Erika Leaf, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, July 2021