Fiddlestix

A wooden construction set similar to Tinkertoys.

Fiddlestix is a basic construction set. This set so closely resembles Tinkertoys that I did a little research to see if Tinkertoys were bought out by Ideal, but no, it looks like Tinkertoys are now owned by Hasbro. With that being said, if you are familiar with Tinkertoys, you will be familiar with Fiddlestix.

64 connectors, 70 rods and 10 flags make up this set. All are wooden except the plastic, triangular flags. The six different connector pieces are not painted. The round connector pieces each have holes (to connect to rods) and a groove around them (in case you want to add a string for motion). The rods come in five different lengths and are brightly painted. The rods fit into holes in the round pieces for building and also have slits on both ends so that you can insert a flag if you choose. All wooden pieces are very smooth.

UPDATE: These can be VERY hard to push together. I was building a ladder and a couple of the pieces slipped into place but most of the sticks took a lot of hand strength for even me to push into the connectors. Don't think I would recommend them for therapy unless that was your goal.

There is an instruction sheet included. On it are pictured 18 projects. You will need to be able to work from a picture of a completed model as there are no step-by-step instructions. 

Try this:

• Point to each piece and/or hand each piece to the individual as the individual should add it if they are not able to work from a finished model.
• Look at the diagram and gather the pieces that you need for the project ahead of time. Count all the blues, all the reds, etc. When you are finished building, did you have too many, not enough or just right?
• Talk about the model before you build. Discuss how you could build it, in what order, and why.
• Place a piece for the individual if he gets stuck. Then take it off, hand the piece to the individual, and let him put it back on.
• Talk about the spatial orientation of pieces or sections of the model you choose. 
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, figure ground, visual closure, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 64 connectors, 70 rods, 10 flags, instruction sheet

If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below. The box below is for 104 pieces, my blog is about 144 but I couldn't find one to link to.

 

Tetra

Tetra - Plays similar to Yahtzee, fun-shaped pieces to manipulate.

In the box: 1 score pad, 8 plastic tetra pieces

I had never heard of Tetra before today. I picked it up second-hand and my mother-in-law promptly beat me at two games, after which I excused myself to "go blog about it".

Tetra is a fun game that is similar to Yahtzee, except that it uses different pieces to throw than dice. As the name implies, each piece has four sides and four colored balls that look like a group of atoms. The pieces are identical and the four colors are red, green, blue and yellow. They are made of plastic and on each turn you will throw all eight of them. It is a handful for me and I usually held them in one hand and cupped the other hand over the top to shake.

  
The score pad is very similar to the Yahtzee score pad with a few unique differences. 
 

Score pad.

Object:
Have the highest score at the end of the game.
 
Set Up:
Place the eight tetras in the playing area. Give each person a sheet from a score pad.

Play:
You will play one column per game. At the top of the score pad you will see game 1, game 2, etc. Each player gets up to three throws per turn. Throw all eight pieces. Sort the pieces by color, depending on the top circle of each Tetra that is thrown. For instance, in the picture above, there are two greens, two blues, two yellows and two reds. Look at the score pad and decide what you will try for (four of one color, two of each color, etc.). Throw up to three times to try and get what you are looking for. Leave out any of the pieces that are already what you want and throw the rest. Change your mind if you want and try for something else depending what comes up on subsequent throws. At the end of your three throws (or sooner if you get what you want) you must either enter a score on the pad for a level that you have achieved, or cross off one of the boxes if you were not able to throw a combination that you needed. All players will end the game on the same round. The person with the largest score is the winner.

If you would like to read more about games that require writing or drawing in some form, check out my post Games That Require a Writing Tool.

Try this:

• Make a copy of an unused score sheet before you run out them. I don't think you can buy just the score pads and it is different from Yahtzee (which you can buy separately).
• Hold the number of pieces in one hand that you need for a challenge, such as a full house. See if you can bring them to your fingertips, one at a time, and place them upright how you need them on the table top. If eight is too many, start with fewer and work your way up.
• Pick them off the table to throw by picking them up one at a time and squirreling them in the palm. Then shake and throw.
• Cup your hand and separate your fingers so you can hold them all in one hand. Carefully shake without dropping any. Continue to cup your hand each time you pick up the pieces and shake to throw.
• Cup both hands, one on top of the other while shaking.
• Set a timer for a half minute and throw as many times as you want instead of stopping at three throws. 
• Keep a calculator handy if you are not good at mental math.
• Work on visual discrimination, manual dexterity, palmar arch development, in-hand manipulation, writing tool use, practice writing in limited area, socialization skills, process skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure participation and exploration