Dino Meal

Dino Meal - The dinosaur leaps forward unexpectedly as you play. Don't get caught!

I received a game referral from a reader and I would like to give credit where credit is due. Deann Moser-Jens, MS, OTR/L recently introduced me to Dino Meal. Deann stated in an email that she was "pleasantly surprised by the many things this game is good for". Of course I had to check it out! You can't tell from the picture (above), but this whole side of the box is a cool holographic image. As the story goes, Dino has stolen the eggs from another dinosaur and put them into his nest. If you are a fan of games with tweezers, you may like this one.

All pieces but the tweezers are hard plastic. The dinosaur snaps onto the nest and will lurch forward randomly and unexpectedly as you play. The game requires 2 AA batteries and when turned on it plays noises and a loud roar when the dinosaur lurches forward. However, if you want to skip the noise, you can leave the batteries out and the dinosaur will still leap forward. The die has four single color sides (red, green, blue, yellow), one white side with an X over the dinosaur and one side with all four colors (see image below).

Object:
Rescue the dinosaur eggs without getting caught by Dino. 

Set up:
Add the batteries to the bottom of the nest and turn it on. Snap Dino onto his nest, facing the leaf, and push him back into a sitting position. Lift the green leaf and pour the small plastic dinosaur eggs into the nest. The leaf only lifts up about an inch to an inch and a half (see image below).

Play:
Players take turns. Start your turn by throwing the die to see what you will be doing. Here are the options: 

• Throw a single color and rescue that color egg from the nest (using the tweezers to pick it up). 
• Throw the X and lose your turn.
• Throw the four-color side and rescue an egg of your color choice. 

The tweezers were not open wide enough to rescue an egg from any angle, but they are a softer plastic and I was able to just stretch them open. After a random number of lifts of the leaf, Dino will lurch forward, mouth open, teeth showing. You have been caught! From here you can go one of two ways:

• The round ends and everyone records the number of eggs they have rescued. Play several rounds, add the scores together, and the person with the highest score wins the game.
• You are out of the game. One at a time players will be eliminated and the last person in the game wins. 

Deann made a point that I had not thought of before. The anticipatory aspect (waiting for the dinosaur to attack) can help individuals work through surprise issues. Thank you for sharing your insights on Dino Meal Deann.

UPDATE: It can be difficult for some to grasp the hard plastic marble in the limited space you have to lift the leaf. Some kids have tried to just push them out the side if they can't get a hold of them.

If you would like to see a list of games with tweezers and tongs, click here.

Try this:

• Introduce the game by lifting the green leaf until the dino lunges to give the player an idea of what to expect. 
• Place the dino eggs randomly on the tabletop and pick up a few with the tweezers to give practice of what will be required.
• Cup one hand and pick up the dino eggs with the other hand, placing them one at a time into the cupped hand. Place the eggs into the nest by handfuls to set up. 
• Cup the hand to throw the die and ask the individual to shake the die for a few seconds to keep the hand in the cupped position. Or ask him to shake the die while singing a dinosaur song. If you are working with younger kids they often love singing and you don't have to have a great voice. KidSparkz.com has a lot of short dinosaur songs that are easy to sing because they have set them to the tunes of well known kid songs. Click on this link to check them out. Dinosaur Songs
• Place a small ball into the palm and ask the individual to cup his hand around the ball if he has trouble cupping the hand. Ask him to hold his hand in that position as you remove the ball and add the die.
• Place the dino eggs on the tabletop and pick up a big handful. Can you collect them all in one handful?
• Randomly scatter the dino eggs onto the tabletop. Call a color and ask the individual to pick up those five eggs, squirreling them into the palm one at a time. Repeat for each color as you put the dino eggs away, or keep going if the individual can hold more than five.
• Work on visual discrimination, manual dexterity, tool use, in-hand manipulation, palmar arch development, separating the two sides of the hand, shoulder stability, bilateral integration, eye-hand coordination, executive functioning skills, modifying startle response, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: Dino, Dino nest, pair of tweezers, die, 20 small plastic dinosaur eggs (5 green, 5 red, 5 yellow, 5 blue)
 
If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.