Catan Seafarers

"If you have men who only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."  - David Livingstone 

As many are undoubtedly aware, the game Settlers of Catan has captured the interest of many within our program, children and leader alike. While it may not be for everyone, it encapsulates a fun dynamic between discovery, settlement and trade between its participants. As passion for this game grew amongst our young explorers, I've decided to further discover variations of the game and have come upon the Catan Seafarers edition. While maintaining the core game play of the original, it expands the game by providing sea exploration and its subsequent rewards. Our young explorers, Logan, Adrian, Alden, Nathan and Ivan could not wait to immerse themselves in this game of chance and trade. Thus, their adventure begins...

Background Story
After a long voyage, the settlers have reached Catan and built their first settlements. Harbours are built and new, seaworthy ships are being developed. Daring Catanians sail across the ocean. Before long, rumours surface that many smaller islands are out there at sea, not too far away -- it is even said that gold has been found on some of them. Gold is highly appreciated in Catan. Ships are fitted out, and soon Catanian ships set sail to find the gold of the islands. 

As our explorers establish themselves in the new found world, they find themselves surrounded by the sea, robbers, pirates, and resources for the taking. The challenge, of course, is to figure out how to utilise the resources already at hand to produce more of the spoils of the trade.

Team red (Adrian and Ivan) and team blue (Logan and Alden) were the first victims of the infamous robber. While harmless, he certainly poses a hurdle to the ambitions of our tradesmen by stifling the resource income of the occupied land. 

The robber's presence, however, is no match for Adrian and Ivan's thirst for exploration. Using their resources and cunning skills in trade, they were able to build their first boat and settlement to the adjacent island. What's more, they settled on a gold mine!

Not to be outdone, team white (Nathan and Hillwood) quickly built their own boat to settle on the only other known gold mine. The isolated island and its riches are there for the taking!

Realising the trade power of team red, Logan and Alden quickly directed the robber AND the pirates their way, rendering Adrian and Ivan's precious gold mine useless!

Team blue quickly claimed the "Longest Road," allowing them to monopolise the northern portion of the main island. Will Logan and Alden be able to utilise this to their advantage?

Alas, team blue's preoccupation with the main island was their undoing, as teams red and white further explore and settle on the other islands, solidifying their income and trade power. It is now a race to victory!

Despite the barrage of interference by the robber and pirates, team red was able to further expand their empire to the southern isle, effectively stunting team white's chances of further expansion. Furthermore, their long supply line between roads and boat routes wrested the "Longest Road" title from team blue, declaring them victors of the new islands!

It was quite an adventure, and one that I doubt any of us would soon forget. The changes in the dynamics of the game forced its participants to rethink their strategies and articulate their thinking in terms of balancing between trading and building. The fact that these boys immersed themselves for 2 hours is a testament to their enjoyment of Settlers of Catan. And while we've put the game to rest for now, I`m sure that it will not be long before another adventure begins on the cardboard tiles.

Hillwood

Anti Bullying Art

In support of the upcoming Anti-Bullying Day, we decided to make our own pink t-shirts during one of our art sessions. The children were very excited and enthusiastic in designing their own t-shirts. By designing our own t-shirts, the children were able to showcase their own messages regarding anti-bullying. Using fabric paints and plain t-shirts, I was amazed at what the children came up with in their designs.

During our art session, we discussed the meaning and forms of bullying. The children came up with ideas on how they can identify what bullying looks and feels like. The children came up with strategies to deal with bullying, such as talking to a trusted adult, standing up to kids who bully, and treating each other with respect and kindness.

So, please show your support for Anti-Bullying Day by wearing PINK on Wednesday, February 27^th! Thank you.


Karen

The Settlers of Catan

Kevin came into work a couple weeks ago super excited about a new game he had discovered over the weekend. This game involved copious amounts of strategy, cunning and the ability to spot a good trade. At first, I figured this game would be geared more towards older children, but to test it out, we borrowed the game from Sr. OSC for a couple of days.

The kids took a little while to learn the game rules but once they caught on, they refused to play anything else. We quickly went out and bought our own copy and have since been asked daily to play.

The game starts with up to 4 players staking their claim to different parts of the island of Catan. These players build settlements around resources they wish to have access to. Players use those resources to build more settlements, roads, cities and development cards. Some of these items are worth victory points and the first player to have 10 points wins.

Resources are acquired by rolling the dice; however, trading is necessary to get right combinations. Often, smart trades are the key to victory, but care should be taken- some actions may affect other players and make it hard to trade with them in the future.

This tricky board game keeps the children constantly involved and on their toes. Even when it isn’t their turn, they can still collect resources on other players’ rolls.

So, when will you settle into Catan?

Emmett

Laptops

For an art project last week, Dustin came up with the idea of making laptops out of folders. Children love playing with adult 'toys' so it sounded like a great idea. And it was. We started by cutting the folder out into the shape of a laptop with its rounded edges. Afterwards, the kids cut keys and a screen out of construction paper. To add a realistic feel to the laptop, we glued magnets to the top and bottom. The clicking sound it makes when it closes is surprisingly satisfying. Finally, we added string to the inside corners to allow the laptop to stay open. While most of the kids were satisfied with their creation the way it was, some tech enthusiasts continued on to add a CD drive under the laptop and made mini CDs to go into them. All in all, it was a successful art activity.

Peter