First Orchard

 

Ah... what better day to blog about an autumn themed game than the first day of fall. First Orchard plots the players against the hungry raven. To win the game, work as a team to harvest the fruit from the trees before the raven reaches the end of the trail. Cooperation is key.  

First Orchard is the junior version of the game Orchard, which I blogged about a few years ago. Made by Haba, one of my favorite game manufacturers, I don't even have to open the box to know this is a quality game made to last. Haba never disappoints. Let's check it out.

In the box you will find a wooden raven, a fruit basket, 4 wooden green apples, 4 wooden yellow pears, 4 wooden blue plums, 4 wooden red apples, 5 path cards, 4 trees, a wooden color/symbol die. The 6 sides of the die are green, blue, yellow, red, raven, and basket. All wooden pieces are large, brightly painted, and sealed. To give you an idea of the size, the apple is 2" tall and 1.5" across.

 

Object:

Pick the fruit before the raven reaches the end of the path. 

Set-up:

Place the trees in the middle of the table and place the fruit on top of each tree (see above). Line up the 5 path cards and place the raven facing the first card on the path. Place the die and the fruit basket near by. 

Play:

Players take turns. The first player rolls the die. On the die appears:

• One of the colors - pick the same color piece of fruit off a tree and place it in the basket. If there are no pieces of fruit that color left, nothing happens. Pass the dye to the next person.
• The fruit basket - pick any fruit off any tree and place it in the basket.
• The raven - oh no. Move the raven up one card on the path.

The next player takes a turn. 

If the players together gather all the fruit into the basket before the raven gets to the end of the path, the players win. If the raven moves down the path and reaches the trees first, the players together have lost. The raven wins.

Try this:

• Roll the dies in the fingers of one hand, without dropping, until you have seen all sides. Now do it with the other hand. The die is too big and chunky for most to roll it in the palm, but go ahead if you can.
• Play alone, just you against the raven. You don't really need other players.
• Use this as an opportunity to try different fruits. Cut small pieces and place them on the trees instead of the wooden fruit, and then eat the pieces instead of putting them into the basket. You will have to put the trees   in a sandwich bag or something like that to have a clean surface to put the fruit on.
• Play the game and follow with a fruit activity, like making a fruit salad or 
•  Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, spatial relations, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation, socialization skills.

 

 

Graphic by Mason from MKE Mason clipart store on Teachers Pay Teachers

 

The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Card Game - This slapping, color-matching card game is based on the whimsical squirrel from The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Board Game.

Back to School JINGO - A school-themed bingo game that will make you think.

Alphabet Acorns - Acorns falling, a sure sign of fall. This set include 26 plastic acorns, each printed with a letter of the alphabet on the outside and a surprise object hiding inside that begins with the same letter.

Go Nuts! - Squirrels and acorns, a game made for fall. A quick playing dice game.

Apples to Apples - A game of comparisons for the whole family. 

Carnival Table Tennis Toss Game - Having a fall festival or fun fair? This is a simple table top tossing game.

LEGO Thanksgiving Turkey - Lego puts out limited edition sets for different seasons and holidays. They go fast.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving app - Another charming Charlie Brown android app from Loud Crow. Based on the TV special, Charlie Brown and Snoopy whip up a last minute meal of jelly beans, popcorn, and toast. See how his guests react. Lots of chances to interact with the app. Features the original music and character voices.

The Orchard - Harvest the fruit before the raven has a chance to help himself. Lots of small pieces to manipulate.

Fall Lacing Cards - A great way to work on the coordinated use of both hands. Includes scarecrow, fall leaves, straw bale, pumpkin, wheat stalks, and more.

The Thanksgiving Box of Questions - Serve up before or after the big meal. Thought provoking questions based on Thanksgiving themes. 

Holiday Fluxx Card Game - This edition covers Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Looking for a game to work on executive functioning? This might be it.

Granny Apples - What says fall like apples? Help Granny pick the apples for her famous apple pie, but watch out for the worms.

Fall Sticker Scenes - I have used them a lot over the years. Oriental Trading changes their pictures from one year to the next, but I have always found Halloween, fall, and Thanksgiving themes.

HiHo Cherry Oh! - The updated version has four kinds of fruit, including fall-friendly apples.

Sneaky Snacky Squirrel - It's time for squirrels to start collecting acorns and time for your to bring out your Sneaky Snacky Squirrel.

Thanksgiving J-I-N-G-O  - A Thanksgiving themed bingo.

Acrobats - Bats aren't technically Halloween, but somehow I always put them together.

Squirrel Popper - Use the squirrel popper to launch the acorns at your targets.

Candy Memory - Halloween and candy, a perfect match. This game has all kinds of candy, including seasonal, like candy corn, caramels, wax lips, and smarties.

String Along Lacing Kit - Even though only one of the patterns in this game is Halloween related (Jack-o-Lantern), if you happen to already have the game, now is a good time to pull it out.

Monster Match - A matching game that relies heavily on spatial skills.

Scaventure Kids - Flip through the cards and find things that seem fall or related to costumes, then add your own to the list. Here are some examples I found:

• Make a mask with paper.
• Find something gooey (make everyone stick their hand in it without looking).
• Make a mermaid with whatever materials you like.
• Make one of your teammates look like a hula dancer.
• Draw a holiday symbol.
• At Halloween these seeds are roasted, salted and eaten as a snack. Find some. Of course you would have had to hide some beforehand.

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown UNO - Another kid pleaser. A regular UNO game that features pictures from It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. There is even an unique Trick or Treat card, with special rules.

Ned's Head - Already loaded with gross stuff that you can use for tricks, like fake vomit, a dirty Q tip, a worm in bird poop, and a dirty diaper, this one can be as open as your imagination. Add your own fall or weird items.

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown Look and Find Book - Another figure ground gem, this book features pictures from the actual It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown cartoon.

It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown app - Kids still watch! This is an awesome android app that features the original music and character voices and is narrated by the original voice of Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins). Many interactive features.