What is Tree Bingo?
Well sometimes a game does exactly what it states on the box; Tree Bingo is bingo, with trees. Instead of the numbers 1-99, we have trees from Alder to Yoshino Cherry. Each player takes a board of 25 randomly assorted trees.
One player draws tree tiles one at a time from a cloth bag, reveals them to the players, then places them on a large foldable board that shows all 64 trees in the game. If you have the revealed tree in front of you, you place a bright red counter over it – the winner is the first person who fills their board and shouts “bingo!”
Is it fun?
We have reviewed lots of games that are beautifully made, and this is certainly one example. All the components and illustrations are exceptional, which really adds something to the experience. The good thing about bingo is that the rules are very simple, meaning all ages and abilities can easily play along, making this a great game for family occasions. The game is remarkably balanced and on all the times we played, every participant was down to the last one or two trees as the game climaxed. It also includes a quick variant where the winner is the first to mark off five trees in a line (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) on their card. We combined this with the full house to make things even more fun.
Is it educational?
This game feels very educational; to start with, there are 65 different trees with close ups of their associated fruit, nuts, or leaves – just learning the names of these is enlightening. The game also comes with a beautiful book full of information about each tree: did you know that the Monkey Puzzle is Chile’s national tree? …That the Quiver’s roots are used in traditional medicine as a treatment for asthma and tuberculosis or that 80 million tons of oranges are harvested annually? With such a large sample of trees and a fact book, there are multiple ways this could be applied in an educational environment.
Conclusion
A lovely, simple, and beautifully designed game suitable for all ages. The great thing about this is if you love it, or love the concept but not trees, the designers also have equally beautiful birds, cats, dogs, endangered animals, insects and ocean variants you can play as well.
Details
- 2-8 players
- 10-20 minutes
- Laurence King
- Dr Louise Robinson is Lecturer in Forensic Biology and Dr Ian Turner an Associate Professor in Learning and Teaching, both work at the University of Derby.
