www.constitutionquest.com
27475 Ynez Road, Suite 354
Temecula, CA 92591
Phone: 951-587-5425

Email: info@constitutionquest.com

By Michael Leppert

Over the past several months, a game called Constitution Quest has been creating quite a buzz. From talk radio shows to homeschool conventions, I have been hearing more and more people talk about this great board game and its goal of enhancing the Constitutional IQ of the American people. Produced by a family of teachers, the creators used research-based learning strategies to design a game that is both fun and educationally engaging. Despite a lack of marketing funds, the popularity of the board game took off through word of mouth and demand skyrocketed. This high-quality game, made in the USA, can now be found in several presidential libraries and in booths at educational conventions across the country. As people in all 50 states have discovered, once you play, you are hooked!

The gameboard is a wonderful graphic organizer. It provides players a visual representation of the U.S. government, including how all of its pieces fit together. The result is both beautiful and memorable, allowing students to engage with the content in a way they never thought possible. Students often report increased confidence on civics exams and in general civics knowledge. Using 223 game cards packed with Constitutional information, players learn about the 3 branches of government, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights, all the Articles and Amendments of the Constitution, and so much more. And each game includes a complimentary copy of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to aid in your quest of civic discovery.

The game can be played with as little as 2 people, but becomes an engaging constitutional party when you partner up into teams. However, Constitution Quest is not for students alone; the entire family will love to play this game. The fun starts before you even start playing: choose your game piece from 10 of the 39 signers of the Constitution. This is a great learning opportunity for everyone to learn more about the founders of our country. Try it on Family Game Night, or at your next celebration for the Fourth of July. Students of basic government, average adults, even that one guy you know who is a civics genius – everyone will love exploring our U.S. Constitution in this fun game.

The game is played with 5 decks of cards: The Executive Branch, The Legislative Branch, The Judicial Branch, Founders & Facts, and the Quest Cards. The game also includes an answer key, scoring pad, and the necessary dice. Each card also includes a code that corresponds to the answer key, enabling for quick and easy answer verification. Most of the cards offer multiple choice questions, while the Quest Cards are true/false questions. This familiar question format helps with player-intimidation; allowing everyone to select an answer means no one person has to offer an answer, thus being singled out for the imagined ridicule.

While most government classes are for teens, the Constitution Quest has been successfully field tested on players aged 10 – 84. The game creators also offer some suggestions for playing with varying ability levels. For families with younger students, try using the “novice cards” (marked with a star) first, allowing students to gain confidence and mastery over the simpler content before moving on to more difficult areas. Teachers can also reuse the cards played in one game for the next time – providing repetition and increased confidence as they become familiar with the same questions.

Constitution Quest, both in content and in design, is perfect for homeschool classrooms. The content is engaging for a variety of levels, covers a wide range of topics, and is completely self-contained with re-sealable baggies for cards and game pieces. And the game is fast-paced, constantly satisfying that need for instant gratification that we love in our board games. An entire game can be completed in less than an hour; a great treat in between lessons, or to enhance scheduled lesson plans. Engaging gameplay, multiple levels of difficulty, and fast-paced fun make Constitution Quest a wonderful addition for any busy (and often cluttered!) homeschool classroom.

For more information, including pricing and ordering information, please visit their website at www.constitutionquest.com.

MjL