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Ages 8–10 · Est. 35–50 minutes · 2–6 players

Observatory Night Chart

Observers must choose a quiet garden shelter using the night chart and field records. Work together to design the observatory moth shelter.

6 clues, gradual hints and a complete paper finish. Choose a reader, a recorder and a checker, then work through the mission together.

See every player clue ↓

Observatory Night Chart: Use only the fictional food-web rules printed here. Start with the food available now. A creature becomes available when its food rule is met. Find which named visitor can live here; a loop cannot create its own first food.

Your mission

Work together to design the observatory moth shelter.

Welcome to the observatory garden. Observers must choose a quiet garden shelter using the night chart and field records. Your team has the original records on the table. First recover five pieces of information, then use the final plan to design the observatory moth shelter. Keep every result beside its badge so another teammate can check your reasoning.

How your team will think

Use fictional field observations, resource needs and food-web relationships.

Use the game’s printed relationship rules. Keep each clue result with its label, then check how the chosen elements fit together on the final sheet.

Set up in one room

  1. Print the six player sheets and two record sheets for each team. Keep answers and hints with the host.
  2. Lay out Fictional food-web rules, Fictional field cards, the remaining clue sheets and the final plan. All task records are printed inside the sheets; no extra prop is needed.
  3. After each clue, pass roles one seat clockwise. With two players, combine Reader with Recorder and Checker with Builder. With five or six, add a second checker and a source finder; everyone explains one decision.

Bring to the table

  • One complete player set and record set per team
  • One pencil per child
  • One adult host with the answer and hint pages

Print and sorting checklist · Plan the player roles

Ages and durations are design estimates. Choose the pace and reading support that suit your group.

Look before you print

See all 6 player clues

These are the actual figures and instructions from the player pack. Read the final page’s rule along with the earlier clues.

Clue 1 of 6

Food

Use only the fictional food-web rules printed here. Start with the food available now. A creature becomes available when its food rule is met. Find which named visitor can live here; a loop cannot create its own first food.

Observatory Night Chart: Use only the fictional food-web rules printed here. Start with the food available now. A creature becomes available when its food rule is met. Find which named visitor can live here; a loop cannot create its own first food.
Read this clue in text

Fictional food-web rules NIB needs LEAF PEEP needs SEED MOTH needs NIB OR PEEP GLIM needs NIB AND PEEP LOOP needs TWIN TWIN needs LOOP Starting conditions Available now: SEED. A result becomes available when its needs are met. Which of MOTH, GLIM, LOOP becomes available?

Clue 2 of 6

Habitat

These are fictional field cards for a paper model. Compare all the recorded conditions with the habitat requirements. A card that passes only one rule is not enough. Report the one card that meets every rule.

Observatory Night Chart: These are fictional field cards for a paper model. Compare all the recorded conditions with the habitat requirements. A card that passes only one rule is not enough. Report the one card that meets every rule.
Read this clue in text

Fictional field cards FERN: light=shade; floor=dry; entry=wide MOSS: light=sun; floor=damp; entry=narrow REED: light=shade; floor=damp; entry=wide Required features light must be shade. floor must be damp. Report the one matching card ID.

Clue 3 of 6

Keeper

Keeper desk: Each person has ONE different item. Use all four NOT rules. Find Rigel's item and copy its digit.

Observatory Night Chart: Keeper desk: Each person has ONE different item. Use all four NOT rules. Find Rigel's item and copy its digit.
Read this clue in text

Scope digit 3 Chart digit 6 Pen digit 9 People: Vega, Rigel, Deneb Vega does NOT have Pen. Rigel does NOT have Scope. Rigel does NOT have Chart. Deneb does NOT have Scope. Find Rigel's item. Each item is used once.

Clue 4 of 6

Read

Read desk: Combine every BEFORE rule to order the four actions. Write positions on the whole-sheet cards. Read position 4.

Observatory Night Chart: Read desk: Combine every BEFORE rule to order the four actions. Write positions on the whole-sheet cards. Read position 4.
Read this clue in text

Cards: Set scope [8]; Record sky [2]; Read chart [0]; Open roof [6]. Rules: Open roof BEFORE Read chart; Set scope BEFORE Record sky; Read chart BEFORE Record sky; Open roof BEFORE Set scope; Set scope BEFORE Read chart. Read card position 4.

Clue 5 of 6

Point

Point desk: Start at S. Follow EVERY arrow one square, including revisited cells. Record only the endpoint digit.

Observatory Night Chart: Point desk: Start at S. Follow EVERY arrow one square, including revisited cells. Record only the endpoint digit.
Read this clue in text

Grid rows: 7, 9, 1, 3 / 0, 2, 4, 6 / 3, 5, 7, 9. Start row 1, column 1. Moves: right, down, right, up, right, down, down; one square per move.

Clue 6 of 6

Final

Recover one requirement for each habitat layer from its named result. Choose a matching roof, floor, water source, food and entry. Write the five part IDs in the printed layer order, then point to the evidence supporting each choice.

Observatory Night Chart: Recover one requirement for each habitat layer from its named result. Choose a matching roof, floor, water source, food and entry. Write the five part IDs in the printed layer order, then point to the evidence supporting each choice.
Read this clue in text

Habitat construction key Roof (Food): GLIM=shade; MOTH=sun Floor (Habitat): REED=dry; FERN=damp Water (Keeper): 3=still; 9=flow Food (Read): 2=leaf; 8=seed Entry (Point): 7=wide; 9=narrow Parts (one per layer, top to bottom) Roof: R2=sun; R1=shade Floor: F1=dry; F2=damp Water: W2=flow; W1=still Food: D1=leaf; D2=seed Entry: E2=narrow; E1=wide Build rule Choose each part meeting its recovered requirement. Report five part IDs top to bottom, with hyphens.

Start after: Food, Habitat, Keeper, Read, Point

A different kind of mystery next

Keep the habit of sharing evidence and try a new reasoning task.