Ask Toy Tech

Toy Tech - The ToysPeriod Blog: Q and A, Guides, How To's and News, Covering LEGO, Model Railroading and Gadgets

Classic Klondike Baseball

I was recently introduced by a friend to a young man, an inventor, who has developed an exciting game, Classic Klondike Baseball, aimed at assisting learning challenged students and adults to function at top efficiency. As I watched, I was fascinated not only by the beauty of the game design, but also by the deep wisdom its inventor has somehow acquired so early in life. After the demonstration, I suggested to my friend that he write an introductory piece describing Classic Klondike Baseball. The story below delivers the goose bump producing kinds of thoughts I was left with during and after seeing both Classic Klondike Baseball and its inventor in action. Ben - Toy Tech

Classic Klondike Baseball is, as the name would suggest, a game based on the rules of professional baseball.

The official sets in the final stages of development contain two beautifully done traditional decks of 52 playing cards with baseball-themed backs, as well as unique scorecards, all in an attractive gift box. Most importantly, however, the sets feature customized rules depending on the version purchased (more about that below).

Classic Klondike Baseball makes exciting play of authentic baseball games available to a family lounging on the floor of their living room on a rainy Saturday afternoon, or to a mother and son sitting at the kitchen table during a January blizzard, or to a student on a cold February morning wishing to practice scoring cards in the privacy of his or her room, or..... well, you get the idea.

The game is the creation of a 20-year-old Senior currently completing his Bachelor's Degree at Linda Christas College. The degree is a unique one, Bachelor of Science in Business with a major in Entrepreneurship.

This particular inventor was diagnosed early on in life with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), accompanied by three other so-labeled learning disabilities. These experiences have made him aware firsthand of the kinds of challenges facing children who find themselves uncomfortable in a traditional classroom setting. As such, each official Classic Klondike Baseball set contains coaching suggestions for using the game differently depending on the formally identified learning disadvantage(s) involved. For example, the coaching suggestions for dyscalculia are quite different from the instructions for students with Asperger's, which in turn differ from the version provided to the baseball enthusiast like my dad, suffering from simple depression because the World Series is over.

Stated a bit differently, Classic Klondike Baseball was designed not only for the average baseball fanatic, but also to provide parents and special education instructors alike with excellent tools for restoring to full learner status students with formally identified learning disadvantages, variously labeled ADD, ADHD, Asperger's, autism, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and a variety of others. The game encourages long-term attention to task, social integration, a variety of manipulation skills, practice with counting and practical mathematics, and a veritable deluge of other skills-practicing opportunities.

I found Classic Klondike Baseball to be less daunting than most new games to learn because the only set of rules I had to master were those bridging Klondike and Baseball. I was, therefore, home free and playing a full game within twenty minutes. However, not to worry. Even folks who know none of the rules are ready to begin play in less than an hour. After that, months and years of enjoyment and impressive skills development are available to all players. All rules are included with the gorgeous upcoming official sets. One merely needs specify which set to send. The box itself need not label the condition(s) intended to be addressed, even if the person is just like my dad. All arrangements can be made prior to the game being shipped. For all this attention, the set I purchased for dad was modestly priced.

As we know, United States public schools, even though they work hard to provide needed services, still maintain the highest expulsion and suspension rates of any public school system in the world. Many of these expulsions and suspensions are no one's fault. They result from the mismatch between the requirement for students to sit in chairs for several hours per day, and the need of many people to engage in nearly constant motion to remain comfortable.

For many students, being asked on queue to remain physically inactive is simply not an option for them. For others, the forced interactions required in a standard public school classroom "to do well" again present serious accommodative problems.

Happily, Classic Klondike Baseball can be used in a wide variety of ways to accommodate almost any kind of student/teacher/parent interface.

I am confident of this, not because I am an expert, but rather because the game was designed by an individual who suffered through school suspensions and expulsions, was treated with Ritalin, and finally, after much struggle and searching, found Linda Christas Academy and later, Linda Christas College.

It will be a proud business degree holder and business owner who will, in June, begin marketing Classic Klondike Baseball full-time. His plan, as I understand it, is not only to offer the game to major league baseball (I can envision it now: YANKEES Classic Klondike Baseball or DODGERS Classic Klondike Baseball or REDS Classic Klondike Baseball), but also continue to offer the game to the general public. There are tens of thousands of average baseball fanatics like my dad who will love this game, not to mention tens of millions of parents who are just seeking to assist their very above average children with learning by offering something to break TV habits currently hurting American scholarship.

For example, the US in 2009 has again won the international competition for most television watched per week in the average home -- 28 hours. The societies watching the least TV per week in 2009 were Norway and Sweden, not so coincidently among the top academic achievers worldwide at the secondary level, as opposed to the US, near the bottom.

Considering all the important "themes" of this essay, I do wish our twenty-year-old Linda Christas College inventor God speed. In the meantime, my dad is at home in his den having a grand old (young) time with the pre-release official set I presented him as a gift. It was the only time in memory he opened one of my presents to him and didn't get that polite, but definite, "what were you thinking" look. You would have to know dad to appreciate what I am saying.

Oh yes, if you are interested in ordering a set, although ToysPeriod doesn't as yet carry the product, if you will click here and leave your contact information, they will send the information to the appropriate office. I'm sure our inventor will appreciate your interest. (Information shared with ToysPeriod is always confidential.)

In the meantime, for my dad, and for all those who wish to keep the spirit of baseball alive until next Spring, and the Spring after that, we can all enthusiastically encourage our Classic Klondike Baseball inventor by shouting a hardy "PLAY BALL!"

Thursday, 9:52 pm | October 15th, 2009

Comments

Smantha and Gaston on Sunday, 7:00 pm | October 18th, 2009

We would be interested in being put on a list for this game.

Samantha and Gaston xxxxxxx@xxxxx.com [email removed - Ed.]