My second grade boys absolutely loved playing the Life on the Farm Family Board Game, by We R Fun, Inc. Our family is now in its second year of farming in eastern Tennessee, and I was so excited to have the opportunity to preview a game that truly parallels the life we are living.

This award-winning board game was created by an American farm family to share the mishaps and joys of Life on the Farm. Keith Gohl, a midwest-3^rd generation dairy farmer, came up with the idea after a fun evening of trying to explain the ups and downs of farm life to his city cousins.

Designed for kids ages eight and up, this game can be played with anywhere from two to six players and is intended to help kids develop business, money management, and critical thinking skills.

I have two sons who are eight-years-old, and while I played the game with them a number of times, they really fell in love with playing it with my mother-in-law. I’d hear them in the other room hooting and hollering for long periods of time as they bought and sold cows and faced a series of ups and downs as they maneuvered around the board. My five-year-old daughter also tried to play, and while she didn’t catch on quite as quickly, she definitely followed along.

And you don’t just have to take our word for it. “Life on the Farm” has received multiple other awards which are listed on their website.

The basic plot of the game involves buying cows to bring in large “milk-checks.” However, with the increased checks comes higher expenses. In addition, players face a combination of hard times and prosperity as they maneuver throughout the board.

However, here’s the best part of the game: it’s easy! After just a few minutes of reading the directions, we were ready to play. We have a myriad of volunteers here on our farm, and they can easily jump into the game without spending an inordinate amount of time having it explained to them.

One of my eight-year-old sons said: “I really like how you need a certain amount of stuff to win.” He’s referring to the fact that you need 60 cows and $10,000 to win. My other son could not come up with just one thing he liked. He just kept saying: “Mom, I just like the whole thing. It’s just a really fun game that we like to play with grandma.”

This game is well worth your money. It is just pure family fun!

-Product review by Wendi Kitsteiner, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, May, 2017