Peaceable Kingdom’s mission is to make good, do good, and be good. What does that mean? Here are the standards by which Peaceable Kingdom operates: (taken from their website)
*we create fresh, fun, award-winning products that educate, inspire, and tickle funny bones
*we donate frequently to charitable organizations that support the well-being of children
*we are committed to working only with socially-conscious manufacturers
*we use sustainable and eco-friendly materials like FSC and recycled papers, soy-based inks, and corn-based plastics whenever we can
*we maintain integrity in all business relationships
*we have fun while we work!
I’d say that all qualifies as making good, doing good and being good. In this effort they also make cooperative games for children. A while back I wrote about one cooperative game called Hoot Owl Hoot. I mentioned how I was not thrilled with the whole cooperative idea but realized that playing a game solely to win omitted valuable lessons we need to teach our children. A child needs to learn how to take turns and work cooperatively when the situation calls for it. A game is the perfect venue to teach such values. Peaceable Kingdom has developed several games to develop these values.
One such game is Count Your Chickens. Count Your Chickens is a game for children ages three and up. The object is to get all the little chicks back to their coop before Mother Hen gets to the coop. This is accomplished by spinning the spinner and moving as many chicks as Mother Hen moves spaces back to the coop. There are plenty of fun obstacles along the way. My preschooler loved this game. It was fun to work together for a common goal. I also feel that playing a cooperative game with a little one teaches how to play games in general. Competitive games can be confusing and stressful for a little one. They are just learning how to play and on top of that they most likely will lose the first few times. How discouraging. With a cooperative game your child and you work together and have fun together. If you both lose then your child sees how you react and realizes quicker that it is only a game and nothing to cry about. So many learning experiences make these games a wise investment. Don’t worry you have plenty of time to beat them at checkers in a few more years.
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