Phantom Seas

Explore

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Phantom Seas involves a little exploration as players examine the navigation cards to see options for moving their Ship pawn towards treasures on the game board.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Suggest to children that they pick up the different Navigation cards and hold them over their Ship pawn. This can help children learn directionality and more easily see where their Ship can move.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Phantom Seas involves spatial reasoning, sequencing and some strategic thinking. It also requires a high degree of adaptability since the entire game board will be rotated several times during the game, which changes every players' perspective and plans for moving their Ships.
Encourage children to take their time to think through all the options prior to deciding what Navigation card to select. The child can even walk around the game board to help see different possibilities. This will help reduce impulsivity and increase their ability to consider the risk-reward of different moves.

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
On each turn of Phantom Seas, players need to decide on which Navigation card to select in order to move their ship towards a treasure or away from the Phantom ship.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
After children make a move, ask them to explain why they decided to select the particular Navigation card. This helps all player learn by hearing what others think and then observe the consequences.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Phantom Seas involves spatial reasoning, sequencing and some strategic thinking. It also requires a high degree of adaptability since the entire game board will be rotated several times during the game, which changes every players' perspective and plans for moving their Ships.
After children make a move, ask them to explain why they decided to select the particular Navigation card. If needed, ask open-ended questions to help the child think more thoroughly about the consequences of their choice, and how they may consider different options next time.

Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Based on the Navigation cards showing, players need to compare options for moving their ship towards a desired location, which is usually a treasure or away from the Phantom ship.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Suggest to children that they pick up the different Navigation cards and hold them over their Ship pawn. This can help children more easily see where their Ship can move.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Phantom Seas involves spatial reasoning, sequencing and some strategic thinking.
Encourage children to take their time to think through all the options prior to deciding what Navigation card to select. The child can even walk around the game board to help see different possibilities. This will help reduce impulsivity and increase their ability to consider the risk-reward of different moves.

Remember

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
While not a memory game, players who remember the numbers revealed after Treasure tokens are turned over will have an advantage in assessing risk and reward of future moves.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
If children are able to remember numbers of Treasure tokens, suggest that they just remember the high numbers to start. This will help them assess the risk and reward of trying to land on a particular Treasure tile based on the tiles proximity to the Phantom ship.
For example, if all the 7s and 6s are already turned over, and the Phantom ship is 7 spaces away from a Treasure token, the child can know that the Phantom ship cannot reach the Treasure token when it is turned over.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Phantom Seas involves light strategic thinking. If children can remember the numbers revealed when Treasure tokens are turned over, this will allow them to play more strategically. In particular, they will be able to assess the risk and reward of trying to land on a particular Treasure tile based on the tiles proximity to the Phantom ship.
For example, if all the 7s and 6s are already turned over, and the Phantom ship is 7 spaces away from a Treasure token, the child can know that the Phantom ship cannot reach the Treasure token when it is turned over.

Predict

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Phantom Seas involves a little predicting as players consider how others may react to their moves, and the probability of a low or high number being revealed under a particular Treasure token.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Since children cannot see what is under the Treasure tokens, it is difficult to predict accurately. Moreover, the game board will turn several times during the game which typically thwarts plans.
However, as the game goes on, children will notice how others are moving to collect treasures and which numbers under the treasures have been revealed. This information helps to make more accurate predictions of where others are trying to go and when landing on a Treasure token may avoid the Phantom ship.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Phantom Seas involves risk and reward analysis, some based on chance and others based on strategic thinking that increases as the game progresses. Children will notice how others are moving to collect treasures and which numbers under the treasures have been revealed. This information helps to make more accurate predictions of where others are trying to go and when landing on a Treasure token may avoid the Phantom ship.

Plan

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players can think about several moves ahead, but the moves of other players and the rotation of the game board means that typically Phantom Seas does not involve planning.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Encourage children to look for multiple move options so that they can pick the best one on their turn, while considering the prior moves of others.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Encourage children to look for multiple move options so that they can pick the best one on their turn, while considering the prior moves of others.

Practice

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Phantom Seas is good game for learning directionality and basic navigation.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
No special parent support required.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators may want to incorporate Phantom Seas into classroom or in home discussions regarding geography, globes, maps, and the use of compasses to determine location and directionality.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players adapt to the moves of other players and Phantom ship in order to pick Navigation cards they help them move towards treasures.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can ask questions like "What treasures do you think the other players are trying to get?" or "How likely would it be for the Phantom ship to catch you if you move to that Treasure token?" Questions like these can help children think carefully to select the best option based on all the information available to them on their turn.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Phantom Seas is a good game for teaching adaptability, perspective changing and spatial reasoning as children adjust their targeted Treasure tokens based on the rotation of the game board and movements of other ships.

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with cognitive challenges may benefit from playing with a partner. The partner can then help the child learn the symbols on the compass and Navigation cards, and what those mean in terms of directionality. They can practice by turning their bodies in the different directions depicted on the compass.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Communication can be encouraged by commenting on the Navigation cards (e.g., "Tell me what direction you want to go. How are you going to decide which cards to choose?").
Use open-ended questions to encourage talk.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
The squares on the board are fairly large and the ship Pawns are easy to hold. Fine motor problems should not be an issue. If the Pawns are too small, substitute a small toy ship that is easier to hold.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
For children who are easily frustrated or overwhelmed, have them play with a partner. This enables them to work together to make decisions.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Some of the treasure chests may be difficult to see against the blue ocean background. Use a bright neon highlighter to outline each of the Treasure Tiles so they are more easily visible.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Hearing should not be an issue in playing the game. To enjoy the social interaction, players may want to learn some simple signs (e.g., "Good for you!" "Bad!" "Oh, No!")

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

Extra Ways to Play the Game
To make the game more challenging, reduce the number of Navigation tiles to 4 and eliminate option of passing.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
This modification forces players to make a decision in play among limited options. This means they may need to go in a different direction than they desire. They will need to use a more complex navigation strategy to reach the desired higher value treasure chests.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
To add additional strategy, allow players to rotate the board either clockwise or counterclockwise if they turn over a Turbulent Waters treasure tile.

Materials Needed
No additional materials are needed.

Developmental Benefits
The original directions add an element of chance with the Turbulent Waters feature. With this modification, the game still retains the unpredictability while now providing the player who turns over the Turbulent Waters tile the opportunity to analyze and assess whether it would be more beneficial for them to rotate that board to the left or the right.