Schoolhouse Review Crew: Birdcage Press

Wanda O'Reilly, publisher of Birdcage Press, began creating games to make learning fun for her children.  They began publishing their games in 2000.  Their games have won numerous awards and this year they"are proud to offer a range of games and other products that bring history, art and nature alive for the whole family."  As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I was thrilled to have an opportunity to use and review Wild Cards: Baby Animals Around the World.



Wild Cards: Baby Animals Around the world is recommended for ages 6 and up.  The set comes with 36 beautiful playing cards with animal facts on each card plus a 28 page companion fact book.  Directions for playing 3 card games: Silly Sloth (played like Old Maid), Animal Memory, and Go Fish For Baby Animals are included in the companion fact book.  The cards are divided into  6 different regions with 3 animals in each region (2 cards of each animal)

Africa- Cheetah, African Elephant, Giraffe

Asia-Giant Panda, Orangutan, Tiger

Australia-Emu, Kangaroo, Koala

North America-Grizzly Bear, White-tailed Deer, Wolf

South America- Capybara, Sloth, Squirrel Monkey

Polar Regions-Emperor Penguin, Harbor Seal, Polar Bear

You can purchase Wild Cards: Baby Animals Around the World for $10.95 here.  Birdcage Press has several other Animal, Art, and History games available.  Click here to see all of their available games.

I have been using Wild Cards: Baby Animals Around the World with my 4,6,7, and 9 year olds. It is so much more than a card game!  They are a fun and educational learning tool.  The images are spectacular!  The facts included on each card are fun and interesting.  Even though there are two cards for each animal, each card contains different interesting facts about the animal.  For example, on the orangutan cards one card has facts about the arms and legs of the orangutan and the other has facts about gestation time of baby orangutans.  Each of the geographical regions are color coded and numbered which makes finding the other animals in the region very easy.  At the bottom of each card it lists the other two animals in that region.

The cards are a little larger than "regular" playing cards.  So the pictures and the lettering are good sizes and easy on the eyes.  The cards are very sturdy, although I am sure they could bend and tare if one tried hard enough!  We kept these cards out of Emelia's hands as she is only two and I didn't want her to lose or do any damage to the cards.

We started off with one geographical region at a time.  First we located that region on the map.  Then we read the companion guide for the cards in that area. Next we played memory match with that set of cards, going over the fun facts about the animal as we matched them.  The children even acted out some of the animals as we learned the facts, like moving very slow like a sloth.  The memory game was pretty easy the first day with only 6 cards to work with, but each time we took the cards out, we covered a new geographical region and added more cards to the game.  Unless I am playing with Lily(4).  Then I only use 18 cards at a time, although I am not sure why.  She wins every time!

What a fun way to learn geography and baby animals!  My children loved the pictures on the cards and playing the memory match game (there are other games you can play as well but that was their favorite.)  I loved the sturdy box the cards came with as well.  It helps keep the cards safe from baby sister and makes them very easy to store and transport.  I also liked that the cards can be used by the children together, or a parent can play with a child, or your child can even play by themselves.

I would highly recommend Wild Cards: Baby Animals Around the World!

Member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed several items from Birdcage Press.  To see what my Crew Mates had to say click on the banner below.