Star Gazer

Explore

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
In Star Gazer, players explore the Star Tokens on the game board looking for which colors and patterns.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
There is no special parent support required. However, the longer the game goes on and the more Star Tokens on the board, parents can remind children to take their time to examine the board carefully for options.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
There is no special educator support required. However, the longer the game goes on and the more Star Tokens on the board, parents can remind children to take their time to examine the board carefully for options.

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to determine which and how many of their cards to play or discard on their turn, and whether there is a matching pattern on the board to their Gazer Card.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
There is no special parent support required. However, you can remind children to look carefully at the board before deciding which card(s) to play. Ask them to ""Wait. Look. Think."" This will help with impulsivity, considering options and looking closely. Also, using such cues can give children a model for future play. Encourage children who are learning the game to tell you what they are thinking and show your their options. This is particularly important as the board gets more complicated. You may be able to assist them in seeing more options.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Star Gazer is excellent for helping children develop pattern recognition, mental modelling and sequential thinking skills. There is no special educator support required. However, you can remind children to look carefully at the board before deciding which card(s) to play. Ask them to ""Wait. Look. Think."" This will help with impulsivity, considering options and looking closely. Also, using such cues can give children a model for future play. Encourage children who are learning the game to tell you what they are thinking and show your their options. This is particularly important as the board gets more complicated.

Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to compare the Star Tokens on the board with the pattern of the Star Gazer Card they are trying to match.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Encourage children to hold their Star Gazer Card over the game board to more easily see patterns and potential matches. Also, show them how rotating their cards 90 and 180 degrees makes it easier to find pattern matches.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Encourage children to hold their Star Gazer Card over the game board to more easily see patterns and potential matches. Also, show them how rotating their cards 90 and 180 degrees makes it easier to find pattern matches.

Predict

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players may place or swap Star Tokens they expect to use in later turns, which requires anticipating what other players will do in response.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
To be successful in Star Gazer, children will greatly benefit if they pay close attention to the moves and scores of other players. Parents can help children practice predicting by asking questions like "why would you add, remove or swap a Star Token?" or "If you going to pick a Star Gazer Card, what point value card will you pick? Why would it be better or worse to pick a high number or a low number card?"

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Predicting involves skills like analysis, observation, empathy and interpretation. Educators can prompt children practice predicting by asking questions like "why would you add, remove or swap a Star Token?" or "If you going to pick a Star Gazer Card, what point value card will you pick? Why would it be better or worse to pick a high number or a low number card?"

Plan

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
This is an essential skill of the game. Players need to look at their cards, Star Gazer card, Star Tokens on and off the board to think about and decide what move to make in order to make and match patterns. Players also need to make choices of lower or higher point value Star Gazer cards in an effort to have the most points at the end of the game.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Remind children to look at the colors on top and on bottom of the pegs. Also, to help younger players, encourage them to hold the card over Star Tokens on the board to more easily see patterns and potential matches.. Additionally, as children become more advanced, they can become increasingly strategic by sequencing moves so that the Star Tokens they place on one turn can help them play another card in their hand on the next turn.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Star Gazer is excellent for helping children develop pattern recognition, mental modelling and sequential thinking skills. On each turn, children will be looking at the Star Tokens on and off the board, as well as the cards in their hand, in order to decide on the sequence of cards to play. To help younger players, encourage them to hold their Star Gazer Card over tokens on the board to more easily see patterns and potential matches. Additionally, as children become more advanced, they can become increasingly strategic by sequencing moves so that the tokens they place or swap on one turn can help them achieve a pattern match on the next turn.

Practice

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Star Gazer allows players to practice their skills in pattern recognition, spatial thinking and strategy, similar to checkers or chess. The more you play, the better you'll be at this this game.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can encourage children to practice in order to master strategic elements of the game.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators can encourage children to practice in order to master strategic elements of the game.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
As players place, remove and move Star Tokens, others are gathering information about what might match with their Star Gazer Card and what to do in future turns to make a match. Based on this, players decide which of their cards to play and which to discard.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can help children think about a strategy to begin the game, such as start by making 1 point patterns. However, as the game progresses, new information is being learned all the time which directly effects how players approach placing, swapping or removing Star Tokens. Children may need to adapt their strategy based on the actions and cumulative scores of other players. And, even on opponent's moves, they need to be looking for pattern matches. The ability to shift strategies based on new information can help children cope with the stresses of change in other areas of their life. If a child is falling behind opponents, discuss what their strategy is. For example, are they mostly trying to make 1 point Star Gazer Card patterns each turn in an effort to make more, lower scoring matches? If their strategy is not working, help them think about and try another approach.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators can help children think about a strategy to begin the game, such as start by making 1 point patterns. However, as the game progresses, new information is being learned all the time which directly effects how players approach placing, swapping or removing Star Tokens. Children may need to adapt their strategy based on the actions and cumulative scores of other players. And, even on opponent's moves, they need to be looking for pattern matches. The ability to shift strategies based on new information can help children cope with the stresses of change in other areas of their life. If a child is falling behind opponents, discuss what their strategy is. For example, are they mostly trying to make 1 point Star Gazer Card patterns each turn in an effort to make more, lower scoring matches? If their strategy is not working, help them think about and try another approach.

Review

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Children may review if encouraged. See How Parents Can Assist Learning.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
For each pattern match, have the child hold the card near the Star Tokens and describe how the moves they made created the pattern or, if no move was needed, how they discovered the pattern. Reviewing helps embed strategies in the mind.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
For each pattern match, have the child hold the card near the Star Tokens and describe how the moves they made created the pattern or, if no move was needed, how they discovered the pattern. Reviewing helps embed strategies in the mind.

Demonstrate

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Children may demonstrate if encouraged. See How Parents Can Assist Learning.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
For each pattern match, have the child hold the card near the Star Tokens and describe how the moves they or other player's made created the pattern.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
For each pattern match, have the child hold the card near the Star Tokens and describe how the moves they or other player's made created the pattern.

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Star Gazer is a game of pattern development. It has levels of difficulty, so children with cognitive delays may be able to play the one-point patterns. Increase the difficulty as the child learns the game.
Begin by removing the swap a star and shooting star cards. This will introduce the simple elements of adding or removing a star to make a pattern. Once the child understands this process, add the shooting star cards. Finally, if the child can understand using other players stars, add the swap a star cards.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Communication is not needed for the game, so Star Gazer is a good game for children with communication difficulties. Encourage commenting on plays whenever possible to promote social interaction.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Star Gazer is not recommended for children with fine motor difficulties. The stars are small and require precise placement. Other players stars are easily shifted if care is not taken. For these reasons, the game will be difficult for children with fine motor concerns to play.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Star Gazer can be played at different levels of difficulty, making it a good game to build patience and self-control. Start with the One-Point Patterns. Children need to take time to study the board, their Gazer card, and the Star card. Encourage children to take their time to make the best decisions.
If the child becomes too frustrated, try playing in pairs, so that the child has support for ideas and patience.
Children with social-emotional and behavioral issues often have difficulty with reversal of fortunes. To help them learn to deal with this, start without the Shooting Star and Swap a Star cards. These cards allow players to remove another player's star, which can be frustrating for some children. Introduce the Shooting Star cards after the child understands the game, and finally add the Swap a Star cards. Support the child's feelings ("That was hard. He took off your star."), and encourage persistence ("Next time you can watch for your chance!")

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
This game is not recommended for visually impaired. The green and blue stars are difficult to differentiate, the stars are small, and the board becomes increasingly complex as stars are added.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
This game should not present a challenge for hearing impaired children. Play can proceed without discussion, if players do not know sign language or the hearing impaired player cannot read lips.

*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Use the Star Tiles to do a constellation activity. From memory or content (such as a star chart), try to make real constellations. Then, challenge others to see if they can guess the constellation.

Materials Needed
Requires images and names of constellations from a source such as book or child safe internet site.

Developmental Benefits
This activity may spark interest in learning about astronomy. Additionally, children may learn about different mythologies that are the sources of constellation names.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Play the game where the pattern you are trying to make is represented by the blanks spaces on a Star Card.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed

Developmental Benefits
This makes the game easier, which can be helpful with learning or playing with younger children. It is easier because the matching the star pattern requires matching 2 criteria, the shape (star) and the color (red, blue, green or yellow). Using the blanks requires matching only one criteria, the empty space. Yet, both this version and the original version of the game allow children high levels of pattern making and spatial reasoning practice and development. Seeing "blank space" also requires children to shift their perspective in terms of focus of attention.