Sunshine Rescue

Explore

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Sunshine Rescue involves a little exploration as players observe the movement of Children Tokens and the Sun.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents may need to remind children that the Sun and their Children Tokens can move forward and backwards. This will help younger players explore the game board more carefully.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Sunshine Rescue helps children develop directionality, situational analysis and risk assessment.

Educators can encourage children to think about whether to take the Rainbow Shortcut or not, and when in the game is it better to take or avoid the Shortcut.

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
On their turn, players determine where to move the Sun or one of their Children Tokens based on the role of the die.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents may need to remind children that the Sun and their Children Tokens can move forward and backwards. This will help younger players explore the game board more carefully.

Encourage children to think about whether to take the Rainbow Shortcut or not. Ask this at different times in the game, as the answer may change based on the circumstances.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Sunshine Rescue helps children develop directionality, situational analysis and risk assessment.

Educators can encourage children to think about whether to take the Rainbow Shortcut or not, and when it the game is it better to take or avoid the Shortcut. Also, you may need to remind children that the Sun and their Children Tokens can move forward and backwards. This will help younger players explore the game board more carefully.

Remember

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
There is a little short term memory in Sunshine Rescue as players need to remember which Umbrella is covering their Children Token(s).

How Parents Can Assist Learning
For young players, encourage them to place their Umbrella in the same location on any path area. For example, place it close to the storm area or at the very edge of the game board.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
For young players, encourage them to place their Umbrella in the same location on any path area. For example, place it close to the storm area or at the very edge of the game board.

Predict

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to make a risk and determination whether to move a Children Token across the Rainbow Shortcut. This involves predicting whether they think the token can move across the Shortcut before Storm Cloud Spinner lands on it.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
After they role the die, encourage children to "Wait. Look. Think."

Help them think about whether to take the Rainbow Shortcut or not by asking questions like "Who is currently winning the game? How likely is it that you will make it across safely? Can you take the risk of not making it across?"

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Sunshine Rescue is a good game for introducing basic predicting, probability and risk-reward analysis as children consider whether to take the Rainbow Shortcut or not.

Educators can help children think about whether to take the Rainbow Shortcut by asking questions like "Who is currently winning the game? How likely is it that you will make it across safely? Can you take the risk of not making it across?"

Plan

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players may try to plan their path to collecting Pieces of Sunshine. However, the Storm Cloud adds significant randomness that limits planning.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Adaptability, resilience and persistence are important life skills that are enhanced playing Sunshine Rescue.

If a player's Children Token is affected by the Storm Cloud, encourage them to stay positive and think about what they can do on future turns to get their Children Token turned right side up or move other Tokens to secure a Piece of Sunshine.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Adaptability, resilience and persistence are important life skills that are enhanced playing Sunshine Rescue.

If a player's Children Token is affected by the Storm Cloud, encourage them to stay positive and think about what they can do on future turns to get their Children Token turned right side up or move other Tokens to secure a Piece of Sunshine.

Experiment

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players may experiment with moving Children Tokens across the Rainbow Shortcut.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
If a child tries moving their Children Tokens across both the Rainbow Shortcut and the Field, discuss the results of each approach. This will help you understand what they are learning by experimenting with different approaches.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
If a child tries moving their Children Tokens across both the Rainbow Shortcut and the Field, discuss the results of each approach. This will help you understand what they are learning by experimenting with different approaches.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to adapt to their Children Tokens being turned over if the Storm Cloud lands on their space or the Rainbow Shortcut. Also, they are changing strategies and decisions based on where their opponent's tokens are located.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Children may need to be reminded that their tokens and the Sun can move forwards and backwards. Additionally, encourage them to keep track of where their opponent's tokens are and how many Pieces of Sunshine they have collected or are carrying.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Sunshine Rescue involves directionality, if/then problem solving, risk and reward problem solving, and adaptability.

Children may need to be reminded that their tokens and the Sun can move forwards and backwards. Additionally, encourage them to keep track of where their opponent's tokens are and how many Pieces of Sunshine they have collected or are carrying.

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with cognitive challenges may need the game to be simplified. One way to simplify is to allow the players to go back with sunshine through the Rainbow Shortcut. This carries the risk of loss of the sunshine, but it is a faster path with a quicker reward.

To simplify the game and make choice of moves less complicated, eliminate the use of the umbrella side of the Children tokens. When the Storm Cloud points to the player's Child, the player must either go back two spaces or dump their Piece of Sunshine if carrying one. This eliminates the need for the Sun piece and makes the game more straight forward.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
No discussion is required to play Sunshine Rescue, but players will comment on each others' moves of the Sun and Children Tokens, as well as spinning of the Storm Cloud. Encourage the child with communication issues to make comments after each turn. For example, "Jordan just brought home a Piece of Sunshine. How many more does he need to rescue to have 3 pieces?"

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Sunshine Rescue requires moving tokens, turning tokens over, spinning the Storm Cloud spinner, picking up small Pieces of Sunshine and placing them on tokens, and dumping these Sunshine Pieces. Children with fine motor difficulties may struggle with manipulating the pieces. Allow the child to do what they can do independently, for instance, slide their Children Tokens along the spaces. Then have the child instruct other players what to do to help them with the moves that are difficult. For example, "Can you spin the Storm Cloud for me, please?"

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Sunshine Rescue is straight forward and moves quickly. This may make it a good game for children who are impulsive or have difficulty attending.

For children who have low frustration tolerance or get angry easily, losing a Piece of Sunshine they have worked hard to obtain may be difficult. Help the child learn how to build resilience by helping them plan the next moves to recover their position in the game. For example, "It made you mad to lose that Piece of Sunshine. Let's think about what we can do to get it back! How far away is the Sun? The Sun can rescue you and then you can retrieve your Sunshine!" Helping children review and plan in games teaches them to manage emotions.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Depending on the child's level of vision, Sunshine Rescue can be played by some children with low vision. The orange and red, and blue and green Children Tokens may be difficult to differentiate. If this is the case, use a black marker to outline the edge of two tokens. These will always be the tokens used by the child with vision issues. Also use a black marker or a bright contrasting marker color to trace over the lines on the board demarking the spaces on the board.

Encourage children with low vision to move their tokens on the outer edges of the board. These parts of the spaces have more contrast and are thus easier to see.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with hearing impairments may be encouraged to participate in discussions during play by using sign language or other assistive devices.

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

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Allow the players to bring the Pieces of Sunshine back through the rainbow.

Materials Needed
No additional materials required.

Developmental Benefits
This option increases the risk-reward potential of the game. Children may be able to win more quickly, but theyincrease the risk losing their Sunshine.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Play the game with partners. Each team gets two rolls of the die per turn. They must decide together what move to make with each Children Token.

Materials Needed
No additional materials required.

Developmental Benefits
Playing with a partner encourages children to talk, share opinions, and negotiate a decision about how to play. This teaches cooperation and seeing another's perspective.