TEACHBLUE

Funding programme

Erasmus+ KA220-SCH – Cooperation Partnerships in School Education

Project reference

2023-1-PL01-KA220-SCH-000152792

Period

2023–2025

Coordinating organisation

Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Poland)

Participating countries

Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal

Official project website

Visit official website

TEACHBLUE aimed to strengthen marine and ocean literacy in early childhood education by providing teachers with innovative educational resources that make scientific concepts accessible to children aged 4–8.

The project addressed the limited presence of ocean-related knowledge in early childhood curricula and sought to help educators introduce marine ecosystems, biodiversity, ocean conservation and the relationship between human activities and the marine environment.

Its educational framework is aligned with the seven Essential Principles of Ocean Literacy and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water.

Specific learning objectives

• Ocean literacy: Introduce the fundamental idea that the Earth has one interconnected ocean, which influences life, the environment and human societies.
• Marine biodiversity: Familiarise children with marine organisms, their characteristics and the diversity of life found in different aquatic environments.
• Marine ecosystems: Develop an introductory understanding of habitats, ecological relationships and the importance of maintaining healthy marine environments.
• Geographical awareness: Help learners recognise the distribution of continents, seas and oceans and explore the connections between terrestrial and marine environments.
• Environmental sustainability: Encourage awareness of the importance of protecting marine environments and using ocean resources responsibly.
• Human impacts on the ocean: Introduce age-appropriate examples of how human activities can affect marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Environmental responsibility: Encourage children to consider practical actions that can contribute to protecting oceans and reducing environmental damage.
• Scientific curiosity: Stimulate interest in marine organisms, ocean exploration, natural processes and environmental questions through playful discovery.
• Critical thinking: Encourage participants to consider alternatives, interpret clues and make informed decisions within a structured game environment.
• Collaborative problem-solving: Develop opportunities for children to discuss possible actions, coordinate their efforts and contribute to a shared objective.
• Communication: Support verbal interaction, listening and the explanation of decisions through cooperative gameplay and facilitator-guided discussion.
• Strategic reasoning: Provide age-appropriate opportunities to plan movement, interpret information and anticipate possible consequences.
• Social interaction: Encourage turn-taking, shared decisions, mutual assistance and constructive participation in small groups.
• Multisensory learning: Combine visual, physical, digital and narrative experiences to introduce scientific information in ways appropriate to young children’s developmental characteristics.
• Teacher professional development: Equip early childhood educators with marine science knowledge, practical teaching strategies and accessible resources for integrating ocean literacy into classroom activities.
• Curriculum integration: Support the incorporation of ocean-related topics into science, geography, language, creative activities and early education for sustainability.

The project combines these objectives through a broader educational toolkit containing a curriculum, classroom and outdoor activities, an original board game, immersive videos and professional development resources.

The intended educational contribution of the board game should be distinguished from the broader outcomes of the complete toolkit, since different resources address ocean literacy through different learning processes.

TEACHBLUE developed an original educational board game entitled Blue Mission, designed by Dracon Rules Design Studio to introduce ocean literacy through cooperative exploration, deduction and storytelling.

The game is intended for children aged 4–8 and forms part of a wider educational toolkit that includes scientific resources, teacher training and experiential activities.

Game developed

1. Blue Mission – A TeachBlue Erasmus+ Project Game

Blue Mission is a cooperative treasure-hunting game in which players explore a map of the world, coordinate the movements of characters with different abilities and attempt to discover a hidden ocean treasure before a pirate reaches it.

The educator assumes the role of the Pirate Player and controls the hidden treasure and an opposing character, providing a flexible system for introducing suspense, guidance and marine science content.

Main game characteristics

• Recommended age: 4–8 years.
• Number of players: Flexible. The rulebook allows participants to be organised into up to four teams, with a two-team adaptation. Each team makes decisions as one player.
• Playing time: Approximately 20–30 minutes, depending on the children’s age and group size.
• Game type: Cooperative exploration and deduction with an educator-controlled adversary.
• Shared objective: Find the hidden ocean treasure before Captain Pimpas discovers it.
• World map: An illustrated board representing the Earth’s continents and oceans, divided into interconnected areas.
• Player Cards: A deck of 35 cards providing actions such as character movement, treasure searching and requesting information.
• Event Cards: A deck of 36 cards used by the Pirate Player to move Captain Pimpas, alter the treasure’s location and introduce uncertainty.
• Character Cards: Cards describing the available characters and their distinctive actions.
• Character Tokens: Physical markers representing the characters’ positions on the map.
• Treasure Token: A marker placed secretly on a smaller map controlled by the educator.
• Hidden information: The children know that the treasure is located somewhere on the map but must discover its position through movement, clues and searching.
• Variable difficulty: The educator can modify the rules, the movement of the treasure, the information provided and the available challenges.

Characters and abilities

Captain Pimpas: A pirate swordfish who acts as the game’s antagonist. Captain Pimpas moves through water areas and attempts to discover the treasure. The educator controls the pirate’s behaviour through Event Cards.

Luna & Kiko: Explorers who move across land areas. Their movement may depend on the support provided by Caretta when separated areas require crossing water.

Caretta: A friendly turtle who moves through water areas, helps other characters cross between land regions and can request information about the hidden treasure.

Splash: A friendly dolphin who moves through water areas and can search for the treasure.

Shared character control

Unlike games in which each player owns a separate character, Blue Mission allows different teams to activate the same characters using their available action cards.

This creates opportunities to coordinate strategies and discuss which actions will contribute most effectively to the shared objective.

Gameplay structure

Game preparation

1. The educator prepares the main game board, character cards, character tokens, Player Cards and Event Cards.
2. The participating children position the characters in legal starting areas.
3. The educator takes a smaller map and secretly positions the Treasure Token in a water area.
4. Participants are organised into individual playing groups or teams according to the number of children.
5. A starting team is selected and gameplay begins.

Player turn

1. The active team reveals the top two cards from the Player Deck.
2. Team members discuss the alternatives and select one card to play.
3. The unused card is returned to the bottom of the deck.
4. The team activates the character shown on the selected card and resolves the associated actions.
5. The played card is placed face-up and the next team takes its turn.

End of round

After all teams have completed their turns, the educator draws an Event Card and applies its instructions.

The Event Card may change the position of Captain Pimpas or the hidden treasure, introduce uncertainty and create new strategic challenges.

Winning conditions

The children win if they successfully search the area containing the hidden treasure.

The Pirate Player wins if Captain Pimpas discovers the treasure first.

Educational integration

The world map provides a geographical context for discussing oceans, continents, marine habitats and the connections between land and water.

Characters associated with different environments can introduce age-appropriate discussions about marine life and movement between habitats.

Actions involving clues and searching create natural opportunities for the educator to introduce ocean facts, ask questions and encourage scientific curiosity.

However, much of the specific marine science content is delivered through facilitator prompts rather than through mandatory printed questions or environmental consequences embedded directly in the game mechanics.

Alternative game modes

The Trainer’s Guide describes several optional adaptations, including adjustable difficulty, controlled card sequences, movement-based challenges, multilingual participation, time pressure and narrative role-playing.

These variations allow educators to modify the game according to the children’s age, previous knowledge, attention span and educational objectives.

Digital adaptation

Blue Mission is also available as a digital tabletop game through Tabletopia, using the same board, characters and principal mechanics.

This digital version should be regarded as an adaptation of the physical board game rather than a separate original educational title.

Game approach: Custom-designed educational board game with a digital tabletop adaptation.

Current availability: Printable board, cards and tokens, rulebook, Trainer’s Guide, instructional video and Tabletopia version publicly linked through the project website.

Official resources:

• Blue Mission – Game Resources and Downloads
• Blue Mission – English Rulebook
• Blue Mission – English Trainer’s Guide
• Blue Mission – Digital Tabletopia Version

TEACHBLUE adopts an experiential and teacher-mediated Board Game-Based Learning methodology in which young children explore ocean-related concepts through cooperative treasure hunting, shared decision-making and guided discussion.

Blue Mission is designed to function as a flexible educational game that can be adapted to different classroom needs while remaining connected to the wider TeachBlue curriculum and its environmental learning objectives.

Methodological approach

1. Curriculum alignment: The educator selects relevant marine and ocean literacy objectives from the TeachBlue curriculum, such as marine biodiversity, geographical relationships, ocean habitats or human impacts on the environment.
2. Game preparation: The teacher prepares the printed board and components, reviews the rules and identifies suitable prompts or scientific examples to introduce during gameplay.
3. Introduction to the narrative: Children are introduced to a treasure-hunting adventure in which they must cooperate to protect a hidden ocean treasure from Captain Pimpas.
4. Team organisation: Participants are organised into small groups or teams, each responsible for agreeing on the actions to be taken during its turn.
5. Card selection: The active team examines two available action cards and chooses which one to play.
6. Collaborative decision-making: Children consider the possible consequences of the available actions, discuss alternatives and coordinate character movement or searching.
7. Exploration of the world map: The characters move through land and water areas, creating opportunities to discuss geography, marine environments and the relationships between ocean and terrestrial ecosystems.
8. Clue-seeking and deduction: Participants use clues and searching actions to identify the possible location of the hidden treasure.
9. Educator-controlled uncertainty: The teacher uses Event Cards and the Pirate Player role to introduce new challenges, move the opposing character and modify the treasure’s location.
10. Contextualised scientific discussion: Relevant events and decisions are connected with age-appropriate ocean literacy questions, explanations and stories.
11. Game conclusion: The session ends when the children or Captain Pimpas find the treasure.
12. Reflection and follow-up: The educator can revisit concepts introduced during the game and connect them with complementary activities from the TeachBlue Educational Activities Guide.

Session structure

The published rulebook indicates an expected game duration of approximately 20–30 minutes.

Preparing the materials, introducing scientific concepts and extending the activity through discussion may increase the total educational session duration.

The project does not prescribe a single mandatory session structure applicable to all classrooms, and the game can be incorporated into different modules of the wider curriculum.

Facilitator’s role

The Trainer’s Guide explicitly identifies the teacher as a central component of the educational process.

The educator fulfils two roles simultaneously: managing the Pirate Player and facilitating scientific discussion.

Responsibilities include:

• Explaining the rules and narrative.
• Maintaining an age-appropriate playing pace.
• Helping children interpret the available actions.
• Encouraging all team members to contribute to decisions.
• Introducing relevant information about marine environments.
• Providing clues and questions when appropriate.
• Adapting difficulty to children’s knowledge and abilities.
• Modifying rules or producing additional cards for specific educational purposes.
• Supporting participation and preventing individual children from dominating team decisions.

Advanced facilitation techniques

The Trainer’s Guide provides several optional modifications intended to increase flexibility.

• Custom Difficulty: The educator can simplify the challenge through clearer clues or helpful card selection, or increase the difficulty by modifying the map and movement conditions.
• Fixed Cards: Card decks may be arranged in advance or controlled directly by the teacher to produce a particular sequence of challenges.
• Mot(ivat)ion: Movement-based activities may be introduced to provide opportunities for physical participation.
• Babel: Children may express themselves in their preferred language, with assistance from peers. This can support multilingual participation.
• Doomsday Clock: Additional limits may be introduced to increase urgency or modify the duration of the activity.
• Stress Galore: The educator can increase or reduce the sense of danger associated with the pirate, depending on the children’s emotional responses.
• Role Playing: Character voices and narrative interaction can be used to increase immersion and encourage children to engage with the story.
• Fate Weaver: The educator may control the treasure’s movement rather than relying entirely on the Event Deck, allowing the activity to be adapted to the group’s educational needs.

Reflection and debriefing

The guide emphasises discussion during gameplay, particularly when participants request clues, search for the treasure or select between different actions.

These moments allow educators to connect game decisions with marine science concepts and encourage children to explain their reasoning.

However, the reviewed game-specific documentation does not establish a mandatory, standardised post-game debriefing protocol or a defined set of learning assessment questions to be administered after each session.

Follow-up discussion can therefore be supported by the wider TeachBlue curriculum and Educational Activities Guide, but its implementation should not be assumed to have been identical across pilot classrooms.

Inclusive implementation

The possibility of forming teams enables children with different knowledge levels or language abilities to participate collectively.

The use of symbols on the cards reduces dependence on reading skills, which is particularly relevant for children aged 4–8.

The optional multilingual and difficulty adaptations provide additional flexibility.

Nevertheless, such design provisions should be distinguished from independently evaluated accessibility outcomes for particular groups of children.

Distinctive methodological feature

Blue Mission combines a functional cooperative game system with educator-controlled narrative and scientific explanations.

Its rules create opportunities for discussion, planning and collaboration, while the trainer is responsible for connecting those experiences with specific ocean literacy concepts.

TEACHBLUE was implemented through an Erasmus+ cooperation partnership involving six organisations from Poland, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal.

The project combined research into early childhood ocean literacy, educational resource development, teacher training, pilot implementation and international dissemination.

Implementation

• European consortium: The project was coordinated by Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Poland), with Democritus University of Thrace and Dracon Rules Design Studio (Greece), Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute and STANDO Ltd (Cyprus), and the Centre of Marine Sciences of the University of Algarve (Portugal).
• Project funding: Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute reports a total project budget and Erasmus+ funding of EUR 250,000.
• Desk research: The consortium examined the state of marine and ocean literacy in early childhood education, including educational policies, existing curricula, teaching resources and relevant scientific literature.
• Field research: Children aged 4–8 participated in age-appropriate research activities using drawings, storytelling, photographs and interviews to explore their existing knowledge, ideas and misconceptions about the marine environment.
• Educational framework: The partners developed a Teacher’s Curriculum and Handbook based on Ocean Literacy principles and Sustainable Development Goal 14.
• Educational Activities Guide: A collection of classroom and outdoor activities was developed, covering ocean geography, biodiversity, marine habitats, human impacts, ocean exploration and related environmental topics.
• Board game development: Dracon Rules Design Studio developed Blue Mission, an original cooperative treasure-hunting game using a world map, character abilities, action cards and an educator-controlled opponent.
• Game materials: The partnership produced printable boards, cards, tokens, a rulebook, a Trainer’s Guide and an instructional video.
• Digital adaptation: Blue Mission was also made available on Tabletopia, extending access beyond physical classroom settings.
• Immersive video production: Five 360-degree underwater videos were developed to introduce marine biodiversity, ecosystems, exploration, human uses of the ocean and human impacts on the marine environment.
• International teacher training: A five-day professional development workshop took place in Larnaca, Cyprus, on 3–7 September 2025, coordinated by the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute.
• Teacher training participants: CCMAR reports that 25 educators and teacher trainers participated in the international training activity.
• Training content: The workshop introduced the TeachBlue curriculum, educational activities, board game, online learning platform and immersive videos. Participants also engaged in practical activities and field visits.
• Field experiences: Training activities in Cyprus included visits to the Thalassa Museum, Cape Greko Environmental and Educational Centre and Ammos tou Kampouri Beach.
• First pilot-testing phase: The project methodology included educator familiarisation with the toolkit and the collection of professional feedback to support revisions before classroom implementation.
• Second pilot-testing phase: The resources were subsequently implemented with children in the partner countries. According to CCMAR, this phase involved at least 50 children in each participating country.
• Portuguese pilot: Approximately 50 preschool and primary school children participated in educational activities in the Algarve, using hands-on, experimental, artistic and inquiry-based approaches to ocean literacy.
• Scientific dissemination: The project was presented at the European Marine Science Educators Association (EMSEA) Conference 2025.
• Final dissemination: The project held a final conference in Wrocław, Poland, in February 2026, presenting Blue Mission, the curriculum, educational activities, immersive videos and online resources.
• Resource preservation: The project website and partner institutions continue to provide access to the educational materials following project completion.

Evaluation approach

TEACHBLUE adopted a development and piloting process combining preliminary needs assessment, educator feedback and practical implementation with children.

The initial desk and field research informed the educational content by identifying gaps in ocean literacy and documenting children’s existing knowledge and perceptions.

Teacher training activities provided opportunities to familiarise educators with the toolkit and gather feedback regarding its suitability for early childhood education.

The second pilot-testing phase supported the practical application of project resources in educational settings across the partner countries.

Documented evaluation evidence

• Needs assessment: Desk and field research documented to inform curriculum and resource development.
• Professional development: International teacher training involving 25 educators and trainers documented.
• Educational implementation: At least 50 children per partner country participated in the second pilot phase, according to the project’s Portuguese research partner.
• Classroom activities: The Portuguese partner describes practical scientific, artistic and inquiry-based activities involving approximately 50 children.
• Board game production: A completed physical game, rulebook, Trainer’s Guide and digital adaptation publicly documented.
• Learning outcomes: No sufficiently detailed controlled evaluation demonstrating improvements in children’s ocean literacy attributable specifically to Blue Mission was identified in the reviewed sources.
• Behavioural outcomes: No longitudinal evidence was identified demonstrating that participation in Blue Mission led to sustained changes in environmental attitudes or conservation behaviours.

Important distinction between programme and game evaluation

The reported teacher training and child pilot activities concern the wider TeachBlue toolkit, which includes the board game, scientific activities, teacher resources and immersive videos.

The available evidence does not establish how many of the children in the second pilot phase played Blue Mission, how frequently they played or whether their experiences were evaluated separately from other teaching activities.

Therefore, the overall number of children reached by the toolkit should not be presented as the sample size of a board game effectiveness study.

Evidence classification

Educational development: Completed ocean literacy toolkit, original board game, multilingual resources, instructional guides and digital materials.

Implementation: International educator training and classroom piloting documented across four countries.

Formative evaluation: Research, professional feedback and pilot-oriented development documented.

Specific board game evaluation: No independently identifiable controlled learning-outcome study of Blue Mission found.

Long-term impact: Sustained improvements in ocean literacy or environmental behaviour have not been established through the reviewed public evidence.

Methodological limitations

The publicly available reporting focuses mainly on project activities, resource development and the implementation of the complete educational toolkit.

Detailed child-level assessment results, validated outcome instruments, comparison groups and statistical analyses were not identified for the board game itself.

The available sources do not sufficiently distinguish the educational effects of Blue Mission from those of the accompanying teacher-led lessons, hands-on activities and immersive videos.

Furthermore, the reported participation in the second pilot phase does not establish the number of completed Blue Mission sessions, their duration or whether standardised facilitation procedures were followed.

Evidence status: Strong documentation of game development and educational resource availability; teacher training and wider toolkit piloting confirmed; direct learning outcomes attributable to the board game remain unverified.

TEACHBLUE provides an extensive collection of open educational resources designed to support marine and ocean literacy in early childhood education.

The resources combine a complete physical board game, pedagogical guidance, scientific curriculum materials, classroom activities, immersive digital experiences and professional development tools.

Available educational resources

• Blue Mission Board Game: An original cooperative game in which children explore a world map, use characters with differentiated abilities and work together to find a hidden treasure before the educator-controlled pirate.
• Game Board: A printable illustrated map representing the Earth’s continents and oceans, divided into areas used for movement, exploration and searching.
• Character Cards: Cards describing the available characters and the actions they can perform.
• Player Cards: A deck of 35 action cards allowing players to move characters, search for treasure and request clues.
• Event Cards: A deck of 36 cards supporting the educator in managing the pirate, moving the hidden treasure and introducing uncertainty.
• Character Tokens: Printable pieces representing the characters’ positions on the map.
• Treasure Token and Secret Map: Components allowing the educator to maintain hidden information during gameplay.
• Blue Mission Rulebook: A comprehensive manual explaining the game’s narrative, components, setup, character abilities, turn structure, Event Cards, winning conditions and advanced rules.
• Blue Mission Trainer’s Guide: A dedicated document addressing game preparation, educational objectives, facilitator responsibilities, practical implementation, accessibility considerations and alternative gameplay modes.
• How-to-Play Video: A tutorial demonstrating game setup, rules, example turns and the educator’s role.
• Tabletopia Version: A digital adaptation containing the game’s main board, cards and mechanics for online play.
• Teacher’s Curriculum and Handbook: An educational framework connecting ocean literacy with early childhood learning objectives, teaching strategies and scientific knowledge.
• Teacher’s Educational Activities Guide: A collection of classroom and outdoor lesson plans organised around the seven Essential Principles of Ocean Literacy.
• Desk Research Report: An analysis of the situation of ocean literacy in early childhood education, including curricular needs, policy contexts and existing educational practices.
• Field Research Report: Research exploring children’s understanding, perceptions and misconceptions concerning marine and ocean environments.
• 360-Degree Underwater Videos: Five immersive videos covering diversity of life, marine habitats and ecosystems, ocean exploration and restoration, human uses of the ocean, and human impacts.
• eLearning Platform: An online environment providing digital educational content and professional development opportunities for teachers.
• Multilingual Resources: Principal educational materials are available in English, Polish, Greek and Portuguese.
• Dissemination Documentation: Newsletters, press releases and reports describing the project’s training, resource development, pilot activities and final conference.

Open licensing

The Blue Mission Rulebook and Trainer’s Guide explicitly identify the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-SA 4.0).

This licence permits sharing and adaptation under its conditions, including appropriate attribution and the application of compatible ShareAlike licensing to adaptations.

The licence attached to each individual resource should be checked before redistribution, particularly where files contain external photographs or other third-party material.

Transferability

The game is designed for low-cost physical reproduction using ordinary printing materials, cardboard and simple tokens.

The Trainer’s Guide recommends printing the cards at an appropriate size and quality and suggests using recycled cardboard or other readily available materials to improve durability.

The card format is compatible with common board game sleeves, which may facilitate practical preparation and repeated classroom use.

The game does not require children to read long written instructions because action cards rely substantially on symbols.

The educator can modify difficulty, replace the map, create additional cards and introduce different narratives or scientific examples according to the intended learning objectives.

These characteristics make the game adaptable to different classroom contexts and, potentially, to other subject areas.

Relationship with the wider toolkit

Blue Mission can be used as an introductory or reinforcing activity within marine and ocean literacy lessons.

The curriculum and Educational Activities Guide provide additional opportunities for children to investigate topics introduced during gameplay through observation, creative activities, discussion, scientific exploration and outdoor learning.

The immersive videos support the visual presentation of marine environments that many children may not have the opportunity to visit directly.

Replicability assessment

TEACHBLUE provides a high level of practical game-level replicability because the rules, printable components, facilitator guidance and digital version remain publicly linked through operational institutional and project websites.

The existence of supporting curriculum materials also increases the opportunities for integrating Blue Mission into structured educational programmes.

However, independent replication of the project’s educational evaluation would require more detailed information about the implementation of the board game during pilot sessions, participant samples, assessment instruments and quantitative results.

Replicability status: High for game reproduction and pedagogical adaptation; partial for replication of the educational evaluation.

Official resources:

• Blue Mission – Physical Game Components and Downloads
• Blue Mission – English Rulebook
• Blue Mission – English Trainer’s Guide
• Blue Mission – Tabletopia Digital Version
• TEACHBLUE – All Project Results

TEACHBLUE represents a valuable example of Board Game-Based Learning in early childhood education, combining a functional cooperative game system with teacher-mediated scientific learning about the ocean and marine environments.

Its main methodological contribution lies in developing an original game that can be played independently as a treasure-hunting experience while allowing educators to introduce ocean literacy concepts through narrative prompts, exploration and discussion.

Blue Mission provides a particularly interesting case for examining the relationship between intrinsic game mechanics and facilitator-dependent educational content.

Methodological strengths

1. Development of a functional board game system. Blue Mission includes differentiated character abilities, hidden information, card selection, movement, searching, cooperative decisions and an opposing character. These elements establish a recognisable game system rather than merely presenting educational questions on a board.
2. Cooperation integrated into the mechanics. Players share control of the characters and must coordinate their actions to find the hidden treasure. This creates opportunities to practise communication, collective planning and collaborative decision-making.
3. Meaningful decisions adapted to young children. Selecting one of two action cards introduces a simple decision-making process in which players must consider the available alternatives and their possible consequences.
4. Differentiated character abilities. The different movement and action capabilities of Luna and Kiko, Caretta and Splash create a reason for players to choose between characters according to the current situation.
5. Hidden information and deduction. The unknown location of the treasure provides a clear objective and creates opportunities for participants to interpret clues, discuss hypotheses and coordinate searching actions.
6. Dynamic opposition. Captain Pimpas introduces uncertainty and tension, while the educator’s ability to influence the opposing character can help adapt the experience to participants’ ages and abilities.
7. Appropriate session duration. The estimated playing time of 20–30 minutes is relatively manageable for young learners, particularly when the activity is supported by age-appropriate explanations and breaks.
8. Accessible visual communication. The use of symbols rather than extensive written instructions reduces dependence on reading skills and facilitates participation by children at different stages of literacy development.
9. Integration into a scientific educational framework. The board game is supported by a curriculum, activities guide, research reports and immersive videos. This provides educators with resources for connecting gameplay with broader scientific learning.
10. Explicit facilitator guidance. The Trainer’s Guide explains the educator’s responsibilities, preparation procedures, optional adaptations and opportunities for introducing educational content during the game.
11. Adaptable challenge. The game allows teachers to modify difficulty through the control of cards, clues, character movements and narrative elements.
12. Multilingual and inclusive possibilities. The optional Babel adaptation permits children to use familiar languages, while group-based participation creates opportunities for peer assistance and shared decisions.
13. Open and reproducible resources. The publication of printable components, rulebooks, trainer documentation and a digital version facilitates access beyond the original consortium.
14. Collaboration between scientists and game designers. The partnership combines expertise in marine sciences, early childhood education and professional board game development, providing a useful interdisciplinary model for educational game creation.

Methodological limitations

1. Partial separation between educational content and game mechanics. The most important limitation is that many of the game’s core decisions concern character movement, card selection and the location of a hidden treasure rather than marine science concepts themselves.

For example, players may need to decide which character can reach a particular region, but successful gameplay does not necessarily require them to understand marine biodiversity, ecological relationships or human impacts on the ocean.

The educational relevance of these actions depends substantially on the explanations and questions introduced by the facilitator.

2. Ocean literacy introduced through external prompts. The project explicitly recommends that teachers introduce scientific facts and questions when players request clues or search for the treasure.

This approach creates useful opportunities for contextualised learning, but the scientific content remains largely supplementary to the game’s principal decision-making structure.

The distinction is important because a game can provide a motivating context for scientific instruction without necessarily requiring scientific knowledge to make successful decisions.

3. High dependence on the educator. The Trainer’s Guide acknowledges that the educator is central to achieving the intended educational outcomes.

Differences in scientific knowledge, facilitation experience and classroom management may therefore substantially influence the quality of the learning experience.

4. Need for scientific quality control. Examples of scientific prompts appearing in the partner’s online description require careful checking before classroom use.

For instance, a universal statement that all rivers eventually reach the sea would overlook endorheic drainage systems. Similarly, explanations of food sources in the deep ocean should distinguish photosynthetic production in illuminated waters from the energy sources sustaining deeper ecosystems.

Educational materials intended for very young children may appropriately simplify complex ideas, but simplification should not introduce scientific inaccuracies.

5. Educator-controlled outcomes and perceived fairness. The ability of the educator to influence the treasure’s movement, the opposing character and the available cards provides flexibility, but could also affect players’ perceptions of fairness.

Adaptations should be transparent and developmentally appropriate, avoiding situations in which children feel that their decisions do not meaningfully influence the outcome.

6. Potentially uneven participation. Cooperative games can allow more confident participants to dominate collective decisions.

The Trainer’s Guide acknowledges this possibility and recommends encouraging all team members to explain their choices.

Nevertheless, the actual distribution of participation during pilot sessions has not been independently documented.

7. Limited representation of ecological consequences. Although the board depicts oceans and continents, the core rules do not appear to model ecological processes, biodiversity loss, pollution, conservation choices or environmental sustainability as interconnected game systems.

Consequently, the game’s potential for teaching these concepts may depend more on accompanying discussion and supplementary activities than on the intrinsic mechanics.

8. Limited game-specific learning evidence. TEACHBLUE documents international teacher training and piloting of its educational toolkit with children in four countries.

However, the available reports do not sufficiently isolate the educational effects of Blue Mission from those of the accompanying curriculum, classroom activities and immersive videos.

9. Lack of controlled outcome assessment. No independently verified controlled evaluation was identified demonstrating improvements in children’s ocean literacy attributable specifically to gameplay.

Future studies should use developmentally appropriate instruments capable of assessing conceptual understanding, knowledge retention and potentially relevant environmental attitudes.

10. Evaluation of long-term transfer. The project aims to encourage environmental responsibility from an early age, but the reviewed sources do not establish that playing Blue Mission produces sustained changes in children’s environmental behaviour.

11. Standardisation versus flexibility. The game’s extensive adaptability is valuable for classroom use but may complicate research evaluation.

If educators change card sequences, clues, rules and the movement of the treasure, different groups may experience substantially different interventions.

Comparative studies would therefore require clearly documented implementation protocols and records of adaptations.

12. Documentation consistency. Some examples in the advanced Trainer’s Guide refer to personal growth and well-being rather than marine literacy, suggesting that portions of the general facilitation advice were reused from other educational game contexts.

Although this does not invalidate the game, careful editorial review would improve the coherence and reliability of the methodological documentation.

Ludus Magnus assessment

TEACHBLUE is particularly interesting because Blue Mission demonstrates that it is possible to develop an educational game for very young children without relying entirely on trivia, factual questions or conventional roll-and-move mechanics.

The game introduces a clear recreational objective, differentiated character abilities, cooperation, hidden information and an opposing force.

These mechanics provide authentic opportunities for collective planning, communication and decision-making.

From a Board Game-Based Learning perspective, its strongest intrinsic educational contribution appears to concern cooperation, spatial reasoning, shared decisions and the interpretation of incomplete information.

However, the relationship between these mechanics and the project’s main disciplinary objective, ocean literacy, is less direct.

The game places the treasure-hunting adventure within a geographical and marine narrative, but scientific understanding is not necessarily required to win.

Instead, the teacher introduces ocean-related knowledge through prompts, questions and discussion during gameplay.

This is a legitimate educational approach, but it differs from games in which the scientific relationships themselves determine the success or failure of player actions.

For example, a game in which players must balance marine biodiversity, pollution, fishing pressure and ecosystem recovery would incorporate ecological concepts directly into the decisions required for success.

Blue Mission adopts a different strategy: it uses a relatively accessible recreational system to generate engagement and create opportunities for guided scientific learning.

The distinction does not imply that one design is necessarily more educationally effective than the other. Their relative benefits would need to be investigated empirically.

One advantage of the TEACHBLUE approach is that the same game framework can be adapted to different learning objectives, provided that educators select appropriate prompts and supporting activities.

However, this flexibility also raises the question of whether the educational value comes primarily from the game mechanics, the quality of the teacher’s explanations or their combination.

A useful research design would compare Blue Mission with an equivalent non-game ocean literacy lesson using similar content, duration and teacher interaction.

A second comparison could investigate whether playing the game with scientific prompts produces different outcomes from playing the same game without those prompts.

Such an approach could help distinguish the motivational and collaborative benefits of gameplay from the specific contribution of guided science instruction.

The project also illustrates the value of integrating educational games into a broader learning programme rather than treating a single game as a complete teaching solution.

The curriculum, practical activities and immersive videos may reinforce and extend the concepts introduced through gameplay, creating opportunities for repeated exposure and exploration.

Finally, TEACHBLUE provides a positive example of resource sustainability. The preservation of printable components, methodological documentation and digital adaptations increases the likelihood that educators can continue using the results after the Erasmus+ funding period.

Transferable methodological lesson: An educational board game can provide a meaningful recreational system while using facilitator prompts to connect gameplay with disciplinary learning. However, the presence of scientific themes and narrative elements should not be confused with intrinsic integration of educational concepts into game mechanics. Evaluating such games requires distinguishing the contribution of gameplay, teacher mediation and accompanying educational activities.