Greedy Granny

 

Greedy Granny - Watch out, she's a light sleeper.

Try to swipe the snacks off of Granny's tray without waking her up and getting caught. If she wakes up and catches you, she will lunge forward and everything, including her teeth, will go flying. Now that I'm retirement age, I'm wondering if I should be a little offended by this game. Nah, it's all in fun.

Granny, her chair, and tray are two pieces of hard plastic that easily snap together to make a single unit. There is a purple button on the small table next to her chair (see image above). This button will take minimal strength to push.

There are 12 snacks total - 3 pretzels, 3 blue cookies, 3 red biscuits, and 3 yellow crackers. Also included is a treat wheel (spinner) that will dictate what each person will do on each of their turns. The arrow on the spinner moves freely. See more about the spinner under rules (below).

Here is an image of Granny and her snacks, so you can get a little perspective. 

 

CAUTION: These pieces are the sizes and shapes of real food. Closely monitor those who may mistake them for food.

Ready to risk it for a biscuit? Here are the rules:

Object:

Be the first player to get one of each of the four snacks - one pretzel, one cookie, one biscuit and one cracker.

Set up:

Assemble Granny and her chair. Put Granny's dentures in her mouth. Push the top half of the chair back and Granny will lean back with it. As Granny leans back, her mouth and eyes will close and she will appear to be sleeping. Stack all 12 snacks onto her tray. If you can't fit them all, just put some in her lap. Place the spinner near by.

Play:

Players take turns. Each player will start their turn by spinning the treat wheel. This will tell you what you will do on your turn. Here are the different options on the wheel:

Orange 1, orange 2, orange 3 - Take a snack off the tray and press the purple button that many times.

Purple 1, purple 2, purple 3 - Return a snack to the tray (if you have one) and press the purple button that many times.

Circle with a line through it - You lose a turn.

2 peg people - Take one treat from any other player.

Unless you lose a turn on the spinner, follow the directions on the spinner. If you have to push the button on your turn and Granny wakes up and lunges forward, you must return to her tray all of the pieces you have collected, as well as all the pieces that were scattered. If she doesn't wake up you got away with it. Keep the piece and the next person plays. Keep playing until someone gets one of each different treat and wins the game.

Don't forget to also retrieve her teeth when they fly out. They may land on the floor and you may forget all about them and then lose the teeth, since they are not really any part of the game. The front of the box shows two plates, but I only got one.

Try this:

• Let the individual examine the Granny unit before playing. Push her back into the sleeping position and then punch the button until she lurches forward so the player knows what to expect while playing. 
• When putting the game away, pick the treats up one at a time and squirrel them into the palm. See if you can hold them all. Drop them into the box by handfuls.
  
• When setting up the tray, pick up one piece in the dominant hand and transfer it to the palm. Then pick up a second piece and do the same. Then place them in the tray one at a time, bringing each piece to the finger tips first before dropping it into the tray.
• Sort the treats into categories, design a pattern with them on the table top, have snacks standing nearby and compare them to the real thing.
  
• Put all the snacks into a see-proof bag and pull them out one at a time by category. For instance, find all the pretzels by feel, then all the cookies, etc. Or pick them up one at a time and by feel only, tell if it is a biscuit, cookie, pretzel, or cracker. Then pull it out and see if you are right. Can you get more right than wrong? Kudos if you can also remember the color without seeing it.
  
• Don't place the treats on the tray while playing if the individual does not like to see them flying. Pile them to the side of Granny's chair and pick them up from there.
  
• Work on manual dexterity, finger strength, finger isolation, planning, creating an O in web space with index finger to thumb and flicking the finger (spinner), visual discrimination, inhibiting startle response, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation.
  

In the box: 2 piece Granny/chair unit, 12 snack pieces, spinner