Blockbeard's Balance Boat Balancing Game

Blockbeard's Balance Boat Balancing Game

The ship is about to set sail. It's your job to get everything on board. On Blockbeard's Balance Boat it's not cheating if you stack the deck!

There are 16 stacking pieces including people, a treasure chest, compass, steering wheel and anchor. All of the 16 pieces are different and you can see them all in the image at the top of the page. The pieces are all solid wood and brightly painted. It seems like good quality. The ship will rock so you have to keep the two sides balanced as you are loading it. There are two flags that pop into holes on the sides of the ship.

I was surprised and disappointed when I saw the size and thickness of the Blockbeard's Balance Boat Balancing Game box when it arrived. It appeared much larger to me online. Here is a picture of a boy with this game, the picture I looked at when I ordered. It is not that big. The ship measures just under 7.5" across at the longest point and maybe 3.75" at the tallest point. Buying online without seeing something first does have its risks. 

I was able to stack all but one piece on the ship, first time out, without even coming close to it collapsing. I say all but one because as I was putting it back in the box I saw a piece that I had not unwrapped. But there is no doubt in my mind that I would have been able to stack it. This might seem too easy, so I added a few suggestions below under TRY THIS to make it more challenging. If you are working with someone that has difficulty grading a release, or a much younger child, you could try stacking pieces together that are stable together.

Try this:

• Let the individual play with the boat and see how the pieces balance on it before extending the challenge to play.
• Go for just one more piece each time if it is challenging, instead of expecting all at once and moving to frustration. Just one more piece each time you stack.
• Call pieces out by color to place. You call color for them and they call for you. Challenge them by calling shapes you think will be difficult to balance on their turn.
• Try placing two pieces at a time, one in each hand. Keep it balanced.
• Stack the whole thing, then take the pieces off one at a time without toppling it. Or two at a time.
• Put the pieces in a bag that you cannot see through. Each turn a person will pick one piece, without looking, and load it.
• Stack by order of importance. It might be more challenging since you are not trying to stack pieces by shapes that will go together. Should the life preserver go on first? Or the people? How about the steering wheel and the map? Maybe the treasure chest is your first priority. What is second? There is sure to be discussion.

If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.