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Experience life in Colonial America with Made for Trade

July 12, 2013 Ticia 14 Comments

We are all fascinated by colonial America, and we wonder what life would be like during that time.  Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown are both filled with visitors every day.  But unless you are on the East coast you won’t get the chance to experience colonial America truly, until now.

life in colonial america made for trade

Now you can spend an hour in colonial America as you play this great history game.

Made for Trade, a great colonial America history game

 

I first heard about Made for Trade when Phyllis from All Things Beautiful mentioned it in one of her weekly wrap ups.  I noted it, and thought to keep an eye out for Made for Trade.  Then we saw it in Williamsburg, and I snatched it up.

Made for Trade US history game

 

Made for Trade* has three different levels of play, so far we’ve only done the easiest level, but I’m thinking next time we’ll head up to the next level.

 

Made for Trade premise:

You’re one of 5 (notice enough for my whole family to play) people from a colonial town going about life, buying, selling, working, and more.  Each level of play becomes more complex, the easiest version you are trying to buy 5 items and have 5 pounds (I could be off on amounts).  The harder levels have you buying specific items and trying to achieve goals, these require ability to read.

 

Made For Trade colonial America

What I like about Made for Trade:

  1. It’s a great depiction of colonial life.  Which makes it a fun way to learn about history.
  2. The cards for the game are big and easy to handle.
  3. There are different levels of play, so my kids can play the easiest level that doesn’t require reading, but someone with strong readers can try harder levels.
  4. Games last about 30 minutes at the easy level, I’m assuming harder levels take longer.
  5. There is some amount of strategy, but not much.  It’s like a more fun version of Monopoly.
  6. I love the illustrations on the board and for the figures.

 

 

What I don’t like about Made for Trade:

  1. About those figures.  The figures are cardboard and plastic.  Very flimsy. I’m not a big fan of this type of figure.
  2. Okay, that’s my only real complaint.
  3. Jeff’s complaint: high chance, it depends on your die roll, and what you draw at the stores.

Made for Trade history game

 

Final thoughts on Made for Trade:

We pulled this out a lot while studying American history, the kiddos really enjoyed being the different people and going shopping.  They enjoyed deciding if they wanted to get the expensive 5 shilling item, or wait and see if they could get a cheaper item.

 

To see all of the games I’ve collected check out my pinterest board, or check out my Using Games in school series.

games, history colonial America, history games, modern history, US history

Comments

  1. Phyllis at All Things Beautiful says

    July 12, 2013 at 9:35 am

    The boys thought that the game ran a little too long, but then they are a bit ADHD. 🙂 Thanks for the mention.

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      July 12, 2013 at 9:54 am

      Mine are too for everything but games. Something about it keeps them focused better, I don’t know why.

  2. Natalie says

    July 12, 2013 at 12:49 pm

    Thanks for the review. I am adding this game to my “wish list” 🙂

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      July 12, 2013 at 4:51 pm

      Ha! My wish list is impressively long……

  3. maryanne @ mama smiles says

    July 12, 2013 at 7:32 pm

    This game sounds interesting! Will add it to my “if I ever start investing in games” list.

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      July 12, 2013 at 11:45 pm

      I’ll convert you someday 🙂

  4. Lindsay @ BytesofMemory says

    July 13, 2013 at 1:29 pm

    Great fun! This will be one I keep in mind when we study that time period in history! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Almost Unschoolers says

    July 13, 2013 at 6:55 pm

    That looks like fun…but I’m not sure we can squeeze another game into the cupboard 🙂 Maybe I’ll have to take your advice and loose the boxes.

    Reply
    • Almost Unschoolers says

      July 13, 2013 at 6:57 pm

      Or maybe lose the the boxes…now I’m picturing game boxes running loose across the plains of Montana…it might be time for nap.

    • Ticia says

      July 13, 2013 at 10:20 pm

      That gave me a giggle as I pictured boxes roaming also.

  6. Linda Morris says

    November 20, 2016 at 5:36 am

    I bought this game at a thrift store but there were no directions. How can I get directions?

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      November 20, 2016 at 7:37 am

      You might try googling the company and looking for their email. Often times companies will send you replacement instructions if you have lost the instructions.

  7. Bri says

    April 7, 2018 at 3:10 pm

    My sister and I had this game as kids (feels longer ago than it was, me being a mommy myself now and her getting married next month,) not, mind you, that we actually played the game itself more than a few times – just made up stories with the characters, board, shillings, and items. I was reminded of it today by my sister and am on a quest to recall all their names…

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      April 8, 2018 at 6:38 pm

      What a cool way to use the game to extend the playability.

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Ticia Adventures in Mommydom Hi, I'm Ticia! This is the adventures of my family in life and learning. Follow along with us as we share our adventures. We're having a lot of fun and learning as we go.

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