Have you got a young student in your household who will need to learn the periodic table this year in science?  Why not help them learn their Periodic table while they play a fun game of Battleship!

In a recent interview with The Huffington Post, Karyn Trip, a mum who has been homeschooling her children for the past seven years, said the idea of combining Battleship and the Periodic table came from her children’s own love of the game.

“I came up with the idea because we play Battleship a lot at our house,” said Karyn. “I was studying chemistry with my kids and we were trying to think of a fun way to memorize them. So it just came to me!”

Turning the game which is normally about sinking naval ships into a learning tool took a little effort but has had great results with her children.  Her 11 year old son is now a huge fan of chemistry, all because of the game.

“He has a poster of the elements on the wall in his bedroom,” Karyn told The Huffington Post.  “He says his favourite element is Einsteinium because he thinks the name is cool.”

What to make your own Battleship Periodic table game?  Here’s how:

Kayrn explained to The Huffington Post how she constructed the game, by initially printing out four copies of the periodic table.  Since the numbers already ran horizontally across the top of the table, she started at the top left corner and vertically labelled the rows in alphabetical order.

Karyn then laminated the tables to ensure they were reusable.  Two tables were then simply glued to the inside of two different filing folders.

To play the game, each player opens the folder and places them back-to-back in the shape of an “L.” The top parts are then paper-clipped together to create a barrier.

According to The Huffington Post, Kayrn said that the rules are so simple, that even children who haven’t learned about chemistry yet can play it.

“The kids can then mark where they want to place their ships by circling rows of 2, 3, 4 and 5 elements on the lower table,” Kayrn said. “They play by calling out coordinates. If they miss they put an X on the spot they chose on the upper table. If they get a hit, they circle it.”

As well as being a busy homeschooling Mum, Kayrn has a website, Teach Beside Me.com where she shares her ideas for inspiring children to learn.  

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