Krypto Original Arithmetic Game - Card Game of Multiplication Division, Addition, Subtraction

We were introduced to this game at a STEM event hosted for kids by an engineering college. It was a fun challenge for the family. It even made my non math loving teenager jump in to try to be first.

This is a great math teaching tool and a fun game to play. It can be played by one person of several people. The game is the same just the dynamics of the game change. Fun way to help keep the mind sharp. Four stars because the cards could have been placed in a normal card holder rather than loose. The increased cost of packaging would have been trivial.

I was introduced to Krypto by my 5th grade math teacher. What was ostensibly for teaching problem solving and reinforcing basic arithmetic skills was just plain fun! I remember him cutting blank cards out of posterboard for every member of the class so we could all make our own decks with markers and practice at home. Krypto games in class became Krypto tournaments with other schools, which became evening activities at scout camp (both as a youth and years later as a leader) and something I've taught to and played with my own kids (the youngest of which is now in 5th grade).The premise is easy: deal 5 cards (which are each be numbered 1-25) face up in the center of the group, and then a 6th. You must use each of the 5 cards once (and only once) in combinations of add, subtract, multiply, and/or divide to get the 6th number. Everyone looks at the same 5 cards, and the first one who figures out a solution calls 'Krypto!', and then has 30 seconds to explain to the rest of the players how they arrived at the answer. Figuring it out in your head and then remembering the steps to explain it all is part of the challenge! If you're playing with younger kids or just starting out, an easier variant removes all of the cards over 10.Most hands have multiple solutions, and occasionally you get a stumper. If no one has figured it out in 3 minutes you clear the cards and deal again. An 'official' game (if you use the included score pad, which I think I have once in all these years) is 10 rounds. The kids and I usually play through a couple of shuffles of the deck. I would say they enjoy it on its own merits, but it's also a way of earning additional screen time :-).In a world that seems to be losing basic math literacy and everyone is tethered to their phones, I've found Krypto good for (re)sharpening mental acuity and problem-solving skills (and not just the math kind) and disrupting the somnolence of social media-induced stupor. In-person interaction around the card table is good for that in general; Krypto just seems to be particularly effective, while also being fun.(And for those who have read this far, here's one possible solution to the hand pictured: 10 - 7= 3. 12 - 11 = 1. 3 - 1 = 2. 17 - 2 = 15.)