Blaine and I are super excited to share about this free earth science game!! It's perfect to play after you finish our earth science leg.

In Atlas Run, you race around a map, attempting to get from the south pole to the north pole. You answer questions about our planet to move and of course, there are a few fun surprises along the way!

We love to play this game in our house and we are excited that we finally get to share it with you all!!

Atlas Run Game Directions

This game is a bit unique because you can choose to review earth science and geology or just one or the other, depending on the game cards you use. At the Sassafras house, we like to use them all!

Supplies Needed

• 2 to 6 Players, ages 6 years and up
• Atlas Run Game Board and Cards (Download the game packet for FREE)
• Game Tokens for each player (included in the game packet or use your own)
• Dice

Atlas Run Game Instructions

1. Set up the game by placing the game cards face down on the “Pickup Pile” box on the card placement sheet. Then, give each player a numbered game token according to the order the player will take his or her turn. (The youngest player goes first in our house.) Finally, have each player place his or her marker on the “Start” square at the South Pole.
2. Next, have the person immediately to the right of the youngest player pick a card from the pile and ask the question on the card to the youngest player.  If he or she gets the question right, he or she rolls the dice and then moves his or her token the number on the dice.  If the player gets the question wrong, his or her turn is over.
3. The gameplay moves around the circle to the next player on the right, in the same manner.

We have to also mention the special squares, which is where the game really gets interesting!! I always land on these, which is how I beat Blaine every time - that and my stellar intellect!

• The Portal Square: If a player lands on a portal square, the player automatically moves to the next opening for the portal. The player does not need to answer a question from an Atlas Run card to move through the portal.
• The Equator and Prime Meridian: If a player lands on a square within the band surrounding the Equator or Prime Meridian, he or she will double the number of spaces moved (i.e., if the dice says, “move 3 spaces,” the player will move 6 spaces).

How To Win Atlas Run

It's super simple to win Atlas Run. All you have to do is be the first player to arrive at the “Finish” square at the North Pole!

Additional Game For The Atlas Run Cards

You can use the Atlas Run Cards for a game of trivia. Simply have a caller choose the card and read the question. You can ask the question to a specific player or to a specific team. Each correct answer earns a point. The player or team that has the most points once the stack of cards has been gone through wins the game.

Additional Resources

Well, we hope you enjoy this super fun, free, earth science game! Before you play this game, you can use the following resources to learn more about our planet.

• Read through our fourth leg in the following living book, The Sassafras Science Adventures Volume 4: Earth Science.
• Teach your children about our planet with our full earth science curriculum.

*Note - Atlas Run originally had questions for both earth science and geology. It was updated in August 2018 to only contain earth science questions. If you are looking for a game for geology review, we recommend Rocks Slides and Arrows.