Lite Brite Oval HD

 

 

If you've been around for very long, you know how much I LOVE Lite Brite. The original Lite Brite, the one I had as a kid, continues to be my favorite.  It has a wide base of support, allows for working on a slanted surface while holding the arm in space, and requires a stabilizing hand to hold the unit still as you pierce the paper with the pegs. As a therapist, BINGO! But you can't buy them any more unless you stumble onto one on eBay, at a rummage sale, or in a thrift store. You can read my previous post about it here. The Lite Brite Cube - hate it. The Lite Brite Flat Screen - don't like it. The Lite Brite Magic Screen - I have used this one with success. You can read my previous post about that one here.

Lite Brite has been around for almost 60 years, and like Oreos and Lay's Potato Chips, Lite Brite keeps remaking itself in an effort to hit on a new version that will be as popular as the original. Well, like Watermelon Oreos and Cappuccino Lay's Potato Chips, Lite Brite Oval HD is NOT it! I'll tell you why from a therapist's point of view.

The unit is lightweight plastic and does have a fold-out stand on the back, which is a plus. If you're careful, it should last a while. This particular version comes with 12 paper templates, each with a different picture, including a turtle, T-rex head, panda, dump truck, some kind of a monster, a skull, and something that, after looking at it for quite a while, I decided to call a "bug". (After checking the box I see it's a cuttlefish).

And here comes the big surprise for me - the pegs! They are tiny, maybe half as wide as the originals and only 2/3 as long. And VERY thin. 

 

CRAZY TINY

 

Because of this, each picture will require you to place hundreds of pegs. And because you are going to have to grip tight something so tiny while you push it in, the job will become tedious and your fingers will become sore long before you finish it. And when you line up the template on the unit, you better get it spot on. Because the pegs are so tiny and the holes are so tiny, if the letters on the template are not right on top of the circles below, you may have to jab repeatedly, pushing against solid plastic before you cut through the paper. And there's only one way to find that out... ugh. 

So, if you want to know more about Lite Brite, I recommend that you check out my two posts above. Other than that, I would not recommend Lite Brite Oval HD for kids or therapists.

  

Games with Pegs and Peg Board

Using pegs and pegboards are a good way to work on fine motor skills. Add pattern cards and you can incorporate a number of visual perceptual skills also. These activities can be a great workout. Below are pegboard activities that I have blogged about. Click on a name to go to that post.

Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog - 14 large pegs serve as quills to insert into the hedgehogs back. 

Geoboard Design Center - 20 kid-themed pictures that increase in difficulty as you go. Stretch the rubber bands around the pegs on the 11 x 11 peg grid.

Subtrax - A 1-person, logic game. 15 pegs, 40 challenges.

Peg Friends Around the Town - Nine community helpers and a play map/mat of their offices/work locations.

5ive Straight - A numbered pegboard (0-99) game. Get 5 in a row to win.

Lite Brite Magic Screen - A Lite-Brite unit with six reusable templates.

Design & Drill - A pegboard with bolts and a power drill with 3 drill bits. 20 Patterns.

Creative Pegboard - A wooden peg board with 3 pattern cards and 2 sizes of pegs.

Fanta Color Daisy Pegboard Set - Not your typical pegboard. 240 pegs and a pattern book.
 
Peg Dominos - A circular domino game with mini clothespins.Not pegs in my opinion, but they think so. And it's a fun game.

Picture Peg - A plastic pegboard with six pictures and 200 pegs. A favorite of mine.
 
Fantacolor Junior Pegboard - 8 pattern cards and 48 buttons.

Jumbo Pegs & Pegboards - Foams pegboards with large, colorful pegs.

Lauri Tall Stacker Number Express - A five car train with stackable pegs.

Number Puzzle Boards & Pegs -10 small pegboards for numbers 1 - 10 and stackable pegs.

Brain Builder Peg Set - 18 blocks, 20 pattern cards in three levels of difficulty. Not sure why they call it a peg set except that two of the pieces are peg heads.

Lite-Brite

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The original Lite-Brite

  

As long as I am blogging about the newest version of Lite-Brite, Lite-Brite Magic Screen (worth checking out), I might as well talk about my favorite Lite-Brite version - the original. I had it as a kid and it's still fun to use it today.

I particularly like Lite-Brite in general for finger strength and dexterity (so you need the paper piercing) and working on a slanted surface. The original unit (see image above) has a wide base of support and allows one to work on a slanted surface without having to hold an entire heavy unit upright. In addition, it requires the use of a stabilizer hand so that it does not move as you pierce the paper. The down side of the original is that the pegs sometimes fall out while you are working (not often). Later pegs were designed with a slight bump on opposite sides to better stay in the unit. Hasbro does not sell the originals anymore, and you will have to stumble onto this one at a rummage sale, thrift store or go on eBay if you want one. I found mine at thrift stores and have been lucky enough to find the paper templates also.

Here are my thought on the different Lite-Brite versions:

• Lite-Brite Cube - I don't use the Lite-Brite cube because working on a totally vertical surface can be difficult the closer you get to the bottom.
• Lite-Brite flat screen - I don't like it because it is heavy and difficult to hold vertically while breaking through the paper with a peg. In addition, if working on a flat surface you almost have to start at the top and work down, as pegs placed at the bottom first can obscure the view of the letters above those pegs and make it harder to place them. Placing this unit on a slanted surface will bring the unit into a better view and promote better posture than leaning over a flat screen.
• Lite-Brite Magic Screen - I do like this one. It is also flat, but it is lightweight and it has something no other Lite-Brite version before has had - reusable templates.

If you are buying refill templates for Lite-Brites, I would recommend buying them flat if you can find them that way. Sometimes they come in a tube, curled. I got the templates that are curled in the package with extra pegs and it took me a couple of weeks to flatten them wedged under a stack of phone books.

Just an aside - why is it that no matter how innocent a topic you Google for images, there is often vulgar stuff that comes up? Sheesh. I make it a habit to never Google for images in front of kids as you never know what you will see.

As I mentioned on my Lite-Brite Magic Screen post, Hasbro has an awesome online tool for making and printing your own picture templates, and you can also print 19 free pre-made templates, like the one below, at this site. Yes, they will work with this unit :) To check it out go to the Hasbro website or click here. http://www.hasbro.com/litebrite/en_US/

Try this:

Work on finger strength and dexterity, in-hand manipulation, visual discrimination, figure ground, spatial relations, visual closure, coordinated use of both hands, process skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

Lite-Brite Magic Screen

Lite-Brite Magic Screen - Comes with reusable templates

Lite-Brite Magic Screen is Lite-Brite's first unit with reusable templates! I have always liked Lite-Brite (even as a kid), but I admit my favorite unit is the original white unit with the wide base of support. It stands on its own and allows you to work on a vertical surface. You can still find them in places like eBay, if you are curious and want to check them out.

The newer Lite-Brite units are flat screens and have to either be held up, and can be heavy and hard to hold still while breaking through the paper, or used flat. This Lite-Brite Magic Screen unit is the same in that aspect, use flat or hold up, but it is made of a much more flexible plastic and is quite light, especially without the green box of pegs attached to the side (see image on box, above). 

The templates are card stock, white on the back and black on the front, with the peg shapes printed in colors and the holes already punched out. And unlike the original Lite-Brite, these pegs come in multiple shapes. Another plus. Since the holes are already neatly cut into the templates, they can be used over and over and you will be able to continue to see the colors needed.

   

       

Because of the pegs, this is an all around great activity for working on hand skills (see ideas below under Try This). The peg shapes include round, square, triangle, curve, and large specialty pieces, like a sun, bird, fish, and car wheel. They include just enough pieces to complete some of the puzzles so don't lose any. Peg colors are yellow, green, blue, pink, orange, white.

The working surface of this unit is black with small round holes.The holes are covered with a flexible material that you push the pegs through and it does not require much force to push through because it is already open for up. You can see the holes on the unit in the image, above. The pegs stay in place very well. Once a peg is pulled back out of the hole, the hole closes back up. Part of the appeal of the original Lite-Brite is that the templates are made of a black construction-type paper and it requires more strength to break through the paper to push the peg in. They created the picture on the unit (image above) without a template behind it. Once you put down a template card to work, anywhere that is not a peg hole that you need for your pattern will be covered by the template card and solid black (see images of templates above). So even if the individual does not match the colors as he is working, he will still have a picture because he cannot put a peg into a hole that is not part of the picture. The green box is removable from the unit and is where you store your pegs. It snaps closed but it is not secure enough to trust that it will not come open when being jostled in my cart. Like everything else, I just rubber band it.

By pushing the button below the image, the light inside the unit will turn on and illuminate your pegs (the brite part of the name). Illuminate as you go for a nice glow (my preference), or turn it on at the end for a nice surprise. You will actually get a light show of types, because each time you push the button the light will change from steady to all flash to flashing one area of the screen at a time. Kids have liked it and I like it a lot as a tool to work on in-hand manipulation skills. You can also buy a couple of different refill sets that include extra templates and pegs. I got mine at the Walmart online store, which was considerably cheaper than Amazon this time. The copyright date on the box is 2014, but I could not find this product anywhere on the Hasbro site. However, when I was there I did find an awesome online tool that allows you to create your own picture templates to print on your own computer. I think they will work for all versions of Lite-Brite. Also available to print on your computer are 19 free pre-made templates. At the time of this writing, their address is this: http://www.hasbro.com/litebrite/en_US/

If you would like to read more about peg board type activities, check out my post on What's in Your Therapy Box? Peg Board Edition.

Try this:

• Put two or three pegs in the child's hand, between the base of the fingers and the fingertips. Ask him to push them out to the fingertips one at a time, rotate to position and place in the unit without dropping any.
• Leave the pieces needed in the green box so that the individual will have to find what he needs in the crowded box.
• Ask the child to pick up two or three pieces, such as three square blues, and squirrel in the palm without dropping. Start from flat on the table and then move to the crowded box to increase the difficulty. Then bring to the fingertips one at a time for placement as above.
• Stand the pieces upside down on the table as the individual needs them. This will require him to pick up each piece and turn it in-hand to position it correctly for placement. Leave room between the pegs because they are easy to knock over if you bump them.
• Sort the pegs by color into a muffin tin before starting. Pick up several pieces at a time and bring them to the fingertips, one at a time, to sort.
• Push pegs into Theraputty or Play-doh. Make animals or designs.
• Flatten a mound of Theraputty or Play-doh and drag the pointed end of the peg through to draw letters or pictures.
• Ask the individual to cup one hand and hold it in that position as you drop the pegs in one at a time. How many can he hold? Cup the other hand and try again, trying to hold at least one more.
• Call out a color and the individual adds some of those pegs, then call out another color and keep working.
• Finish the picture one color at a time. For example, place all blue pegs, then place all green pegs, etc.
• Put the pegs away by pulling them out one at a time and squirreling them into the hand (you will have to hold the unit still with one hand as you pull out the pegs with the other). Put them back into the box by handfuls.
• Make your own image on the unit without a pattern card. 
• Use the unit without a pattern card. Make a line of pegs in a pattern and the ask the individual to make the same pattern under yours. Or, you start a pattern and ask the individual to complete it. For example you could start a pattern such as green, blue, pink, green, blue, pink, and then let them keep going to the edge of the unit. 
• Work on manual dexterity, pincer grasp, fine motor precision, separation of two sides of the hand, in-hand manipulation, coordinated use of both hands, tactile perception, visual discrimination, visual closure, figure ground, spatial relations, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

In the box: 1 unit, 200 pegs, 6 reusable templates, 1 green removable storage tray

 For more information, click on the image below.

Road Trip Games



Over the river and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go. Wondering how you will survive the long ride? Here are lots of suggestions for games and toys that can help pass the time in the car.

Magnetibook - Books with magnetic pieces to create your own designs or follow the pattern cards. Comes in lot of different themes.

Find It! Tubes -  Turn them, shake them, twist them to find the 40 hidden objects inside. Comes with additional search cards and comes in many themes.

Travel Bingo - Search for a traffic signal, a bird on a wire, or a cow in a field to win this old fashioned bingo game.

Spot It! On the Road - All you need is a flat space to set a deck of cards that all can see. A fun game with several versions of play.

IQ Twist - A definite brainteaser. Comes with challenges that increase in difficulty.

Ned's Head - The goal is to look at a card, put your hand into the head, and pull out that object just by feel. A multi-sensory guessing game, I have liked this game from the start. Skip the cards and add your own holiday surprises or small holiday treats. Guess by feel alone.

Melissa & Doug Stretch and Match Geoboard - Stretch the rubber bands around the different shapes on the pictures, staying on the dotted lines. Another favorite, the cards include kid-appealing pictures and the colors are bright.

Imaginets - Create 3D models from 2D picture cards. The wooden pieces have a magnetic layer on the back and stick to the white board.

Kidsbook Giant Scavenger Hunt - If you like the novelty of a BIG book, this is for you. Each page/picture is full color and has 20 items listed at the bottom to search and find.

Lite Brite Magic Screen - Something like the old fashioned Lite Brite, but runs on batteries and has reusable templates.

Chocolate Fix - This game would be perfect for the high functioning individual who has basic problem solving skills and would like to build on that. The puzzle book has 40 puzzles that range from Beginner to Expert. 

Angry Birds Playground Under Construction - A four piece puzzle with 48 challenges.

Pictoria Disney - A Disney trivia game. Choose the correct answer from four pictures.

Pictureka Disney - Pictureka is a well known game that challenges you to find comical images in busy backgrounds. If you are looking for a fun activity that will challenge your visual perceptual skills, this could be it.

Thanksgiving Box of Questions - A good way to include everyone in the fun.

It's a Charlie Brown Christmas Android app - Based on the TV special, features original voices and characters. Lots of interactive fun.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Android app - Based on the TV special, features original voices and characters. Lots of interactive fun.

You can have as much fun on the journey as at the destination. Enjoy the ride!