Thumpin' Thingdoodles

Thumpin' Thingdoodles

 

Thumpin' Thingdoodles is an odd game. When I saw the box I opened it and looked inside. After viewing the contents I was just getting ready to dismiss it when a small voice said "what about those mallets?". Yeah, what about those mallets? Do you work with anybody that is always banging things together? That needs proprioceptive input to facilitate attention and learning? Maybe playing games like this could help. And although I think $18 (Amazon) is too steep for what you get, for $1.50 (second hand), I was willing to take a chance.

The four foam mallets are about 9.5" in length. The handle is made of plastic and the head of the mallet is a solid foam piece shaped like a marshmallow (only bigger). Each mallet is a different color and the colors are orange, blue, purple and greenish-yellow.

 

The Thingdoodles are a little hard to explain. Have you ever seen those slap bracelets? They are a long piece of thin metal covered with plastic or fabric. You can straighten them out, but when you hit them on something, like your wrist, they will curl around it. That is what the Thingdoodles are. You straighten one out and then hit it with the mallet and it wraps around the mallet head. If you keep slapping they will keep wrapping, so you can pick up more than one in one turn. 

 

There are 12 Thingdoodles, 6 of a larger size and 6 smaller. There is also a heavy-duty spinner with a free moving arrow. The spinner will tell you what to thump: thump orange, thump blue, thump green, thump purple or thump all.

Game contents.

Never blog about something before actually trying it. We had to hit the Thingdoodle over and over before it would wrap, even when hitting it very hard. You are able to wrap 4 large Thingdoodles, one on top of each other, on one mallet head. However, the small Thingdoodle does not wrap all the way around the head of the mallet and, after wrapping one, when you go to hit another the wrapped one flies off. After doing this twice and watching them fly right toward another player's face, we quit. If playing with the small Thingdoodles, take them off each time you wrap one. 

Object:
Be the first player to thump 20 Thingdoodles.

Set up:
Give each player a colored mallet. Straighten the Thingdoodles so they are flat and scatter them face-up on the playing surface.

Play:
The first player will spin the spinner. Depending on what the spinner indicates, he will start thumping the Thingdoodles. They will stay wrapped on the mallet until he either picks them all up or can't pick up any more and his turn ends. Count the number of Thingdoodles that are successfully wrapped around the head and record the score. Play passes to the next player. Play until someone reaches a score of 20 and wins the game.

Try this:

• Play alone and use each mallet to pick up the Thingdoodles of that color.
• Call a color of Thingdoodle for the player to pick up. Keep calling the colors one at a time.
• Let the player straighten out the Thingdoodles between games for a two-handed activity.
• Instead of just putting a slash through each box on the score card, practice writing a single letter or symbol in each box. Can you write them small enough to fit inside the box?
• Work on visual discrimination, manual dexterity, tool use, eye-hand coordination, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  
  
  In the box: 4 foam mallets, 12 Thingdoodles, spinner, score pad
  

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