Croquet Animal Game

Animal Croquet Game - Six colorful animals to go through.

 

This Croquet Animal Game brings back the memories! Croquet was one of my grandma's favorite outdoor games. I was never very good at it, so it's funny that I have chosen to play it again. Must be the nostalgia factor.

The comments on amazon for Animal Croquet were that there was not enough room for the balls to clear the holes when played in the grass. I measured, and there is between 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch clearance between the top of the ball and the hole it goes through, depending on the animal. So playing it on a flat carpet, tile floor, or flat cement surface, it should be OK. However, on those surfaces, there may be nothing to keep the ball from rolling and rolling and rolling. There are no metal pieces to drive into the ground as the animals have stands that hold them up.

Animal with removable stand.

The animals appear to be pressed wood with a very heavy duty decal on the front and back. They are printed on both sides. They are also all numbered, so you can pass through them in sequence. There is a monkey, giraffe, koala, zebra, lion, and elephant. The mallets are each two pieces and you have to screw them together to get the full length, about 20 inches long. The balls are also made of wood and much smaller than a typical croquet ball.

Two-piece mallet and ball.

Object:
Be the first to hit your ball through all six animals, in numerical order.

Set up:
Stand the six animals in any orientation you want on the playing surface. Leave room between them.

Play:
Players take turns. You get to hit your ball once per turn, trying to hit it through the opening on an animal. If you know you can't get it through on a turn, try to hit it into a better position for your next turn. Start with animal number one and make your way up to number six. Play until someone hits their ball through number six and wins the game. 

Try this:

• Set up an animal and practice hitting the back and forth through the hole with another player before playing a game, to get the feel for it.
• Act like the animal you are going to shoot for instead of following the number sequence. Can anyone figure out where you are headed?
• Angle the animals so that you can shoot through one and be set up to shoot right through the next. Do this for all six animals. Can you make it through all six in only six shots? Five shots? Four?
  
• Make a line on the floor (chalk, tape, whatever is appropriate for the surface). Line the animals up on one side of the tape. The higher the number, the further away from the line. Standing behind the line, how many points (number on the animal) can you make in six shots?
• Set the animals up on the table at different angles and distances. Sitting down, can you roll a ball through each animal? Have a ball catcher on the other side.
• Color one of the balls so that you can tell them apart in case you end up close to the other ball.
  
• Work on eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, spatial relations, visual discrimination, coordinated use of both hands, aim, graded force, socialization skills, process skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 6 animals, 6 stands, 2 croquet balls, 2 mallets
Ages 3+, 2 players

If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.