Kerplunk! Toy Story Alien Freefall

Kerplunk! Alien Freefall - Keep the aliens in the spaceship as long as possible!

Don't let the aliens fall out of the spaceship! The original Kerplunk game came with marbles. Kerplunk Alien Freefall comes with small green aliens (more fun than marbles any day).

The game takes as much time to set up as it does to play and both tasks have therapeutic value. Start by snapping together the rocket (two clear body pieces, one red base). Leave the lid off for now. The rocket has holes all the way around it. Stand the rocket on the table and push the sticks in one at a time. Sticks will be pushed in one hole and will ome out a hole across from it, so that they end up as pictured. Place them anywhere you want them. Once all the sticks are in place, drop all the green aliens into the top and put the red cap on. They will fall onto the sticks, but at this point none of them will probably fall all the way down because of the crisscrossed sticks.

The sticks come in three colors, blue, purple, and green, and the die has the same color aliens on it. 

NOTE: I had the opportunity to play the GIANT Kerplunk! game. It was the original game with the sticks and the balls. Who doesn't like to play either a giant or a mini version of a well-known game? I was very surprised that the vast majority of the balls would not fall until the last stick was pulled. That's right, 40 some balls being held up by only 1 stick. I think it had to do with the lightweight balls, the material the balls were made of and the material of the tube. As each stick was pulled maybe they adjusted a tiny bit more so that they were lodged together firmer and up against the walls. Still, one stick? It's true. When I googled this game I saw it for sale anywhere from $20 to $200, since it is not made any more. I also saw many other versions. Let me also say that the tube pieces do not stay snapped together very well, but you could fix that by putting a little piece of duct tape over each place it connects.

Object:
Have the fewest aliens after they have all fallen out of the spaceship.

Set up:
Assemble the rocket, push the sticks through and drop the aliens on top.

Play:
In turn, each player will throw the die. The color that comes up is the color stick that he must remove from the spaceship. The goal is to remove sticks that will not let any, or at least lets the least amount of aliens fall. Eventually you will end up pulling sticks that will release aliens, but go for the sticks that will dislodge the fewest amount of aliens. Once all aliens have fallen out of the spaceship, the game is over. The person with the fewest aliens wins.

This game is similar to Honey Bee Tree and Tumblin' Monkeys.

Try this:.

• After your aliens fall, pick them up one at a time, turn it in-hand into a standing position, and stand your aliens on the table top.
• Place two or three aliens in the player's hand and ask them to bring the aliens to the fingertips, one at a time, and rotate to stand upright on the table. Make an army of aliens.
• Forget the die, just take turns pulling out a stick of your choice.
• Hold the rocket with a stabilizing hand while placing the sticks.
• Cup the hand and throw the die to determine what color stick to place while setting up the game.
• Cup the hand and watch the die "dance" for a few seconds before throwing. If the player has trouble cupping the hand, place a small ball in the hand and ask the player to curl their fingers around the ball and hold their hand in that position as you remove the ball.
• Put the game away by picking up one alien at a time and squirreling it into the palm. How many can you hold without dropping any? Put them into the box by handfuls.
• Set up by placing several aliens into the player's hand, or ask the individual to grab a few off the table. Ask them to bring the aliens to the fingertips and drop them one at a time into the top of the spaceship.
• Skip the die and each player tells an opponent which color stick to pull.
• Work on manual dexterity, pincer grasp, palmar arch support, in-hand manipulation, coordinated use of both hands, eye-hand coordination, visual discrimination, visual memory, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation 
  
  
  In the box: Plastic spaceship with removable red top, 30 aliens, 30 sticks, one die