Enjoying Outside, Inside - Board Games about Nature

Amy Boyer • December 7, 2022

Whether you're thinking about gift-giving or indoor time with family and friends, games about nature are seasonally appropriate! Many have some science behind them. Here are 6 table games that have made a number of best-of lists. (Disclaimer: I have yet to play any of these; but I'm looking forward to trying them!) All of these are competitive, but some can be played as solitaire. Most are for ages 10 and up but I've included a couple that younger players can enjoy.


Wingspan


Players: 1-5, ages 10+


Approximate time: 40-70 minutes


This scientifically-accurate game seems to be on everyone's list, and it's won plenty of awards for its beautiful art, actions drawn from real bird behavior, and game play that appeals to bird lovers and gamers alike. You draw from over 100 cards featuring real-life birds and try to attract them to your habitat, feed them, and get them to lay eggs. Each bird has an effect on the potential of the habitat, so strategy is important, and it can be played over and over again.


Cascadia


Players: 1-4, ages 10+


Approximate time: 30-45 minutes.


Based on the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, this 2022 Game of the Year involves creating your own habitats using tiles and placing animals in your landscape, trying to balance your ecosystem. Playing cards and tiles are beautiful and there's plenty of flexibility in the game.


Photosynthesis


Players: 2-4, ages 8+ (players recommend 10+)


Approximate time: 30-60 minutes.


Plant trees on the gameboard and watch them grow. The older and bigger they get, the more light points they get—but they also overshadow other trees. The rules of the game are faithful to how photosynthesis works—even to how sun direction changes—and again, strategy is important. 


Parks


Players: 1-5, ages 10+


Approximate time: 40-70 minutes.


With art from the 59 Parks Print Series, this game invites you to traverse trail tiles with your two hikers to visit U.S. National Parks. Game play is easy enough to be accessible and challenging enough to be fun, especially as you decide which hiker is most advantageous to move. Purchases support the National Parks Service.


Arboretum


Players: 2-4, ages 8+ (players recommend 10+)


Approximate time: 30 minutes


Collect cards to create a pathway through a colorful, beautiful arboretum. How you connect your cards is as important as which ones you have in your hand. Rules are simple enough for younger players, but possible choices are complex. The artist, Beth Sobel, also worked on Wingspan.


Planet


Players: 2-4, ages 8 and up (players recommend 6+)



Approximate time: 30 minutes


Planet has won numerous awards for being a good family game that conveys some basics about habitat, and players say it's easy to pick up—literally. You get a blank, 3-D planet core that is fun to play around with and place magnetic tiles on it to create large, connected wildlife habitat.


-Amy Boyer

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