By Sara Zeglin

This week’s game is Reach for the Sun, from Filament Games. Big thanks to Elaine, one of our favorite instructional designers, for giving us the heads-up on this game! You can’t actually play this one without an account with Filament, although you can sign up for a preview account to try.

Why It’s Cool
You would never think that a game about growing plants would be fast-paced, but this game moves along at a speedy clip—forcing you to pay attention to your plant’s leaves and root structures to be sure you’re capturing energy, employing passing bees to distribute pollen, and scaring away bugs that might damage your plant’s structures. It’s easy to get into that elusive flow state while you’re playing—time moves FAST.

Am I Learning?
Quite a bit, actually! You’re learning about plant structures and how they harness sunlight and take up water. You’re learning how much energy it takes for a plant to generate seeds. You’re learning about the yearly cycles of plants. Oh, and you’re honing your resource management skills, too.

Bonus Level
Thanks to Elizabeth, another one of our favorite instructional designers, for sharing an article by Filament Games cofounder Dan Norton on what makes a good learning game.

Sara Zeglin is our senior games producer here at National Geographic Education and Children’s Media. If you’ve discovered Pluto’s Secret, been stumped by a Quiz Whiz, or participated in a Dung Beetle Derby, you can thank Sara.