The Christmas Game

Not really a game.

In the box: 1 booklet, 100 cards

Every year that we have company for the holidays I go shopping for a new Christmas game. They are really getting few and far between, so I was excited when I discovered this one. "Have your best Christmas ever" sounded real promising!

The game includes a booklet (in the middle above) and 2 decks of large, laminated cards. The cards fall into nine different categories: presents, traditions, togetherness, kindness, projects, learning, challenges, games and memories. The box states that whether you play for an hour or a day, this game would make the holiday more meaningful and memorable. Still on board after reading the box, I eagerly opened the first set of cards. I am picturing our little group gathered in the family room for an afternoon of fun, the fireplace going and warm cocoa in hand, as I start reading the cards. Here are a few examples:

• Togetherness - Clean up your room. Make your home a nicer place for everyone by tidying your living space or another room
• Learning - Thriftiness. Discover three good new ways to save money.
• Memories - Looking forward. All players write in the memory book something they are looking forward to next year.
• Kindness - Feed the birds. Install a bird feeder, bird house, or bird bath.
• Kindness - Love your library. Support your local library by visiting it and using your library card (if the library isn't open now, commit to a time to go).
• Tradition - Home made bread. Start a loaf of home made bread.
• Games - Play charades and Guess the song. They can both be adapted to Christmas but you will have to either buy your own games for these or make them up. Nothing is supplied but the suggestions. 
• Kindness - Forgiveness. All players forgive someone for a mistake, even if it was a serious mistake.

First of all, nothing would bring a party to a quicker end than by my family dredging up old offenses. Even if the reasoning behind it is a good one, is a party really the right time and place for that? I kept turning the cards over and looking at the back, printed with the game name surrounded by pretty snowflakes, to reassure myself this was in reality being billed as a Christmas game. Because nothing in it said Christmas to me. In addition, who gathers the family together for fun and then presents them with a cart full of cleaning supplies and tells them to pick a room, or announces "In the car, we're going to the library" or gives assignments for writing in a memory book (not included). 

So finally I decided to read the enclosed booklet. It turns out the game was created to take the focus off the commercialism of Christmas and put it on the real values that matter. My take after reading the booklet is that the cards are meant for a family that lives together. Many of the activities would be done over the course of time, for instance a week for everyone to get to the library. Baking bread could be done as family members are gathered to prepare a meal which includes a loaf of bread.

While the idea behind the game is good, why bill it as a game? Or at least make it clear on the outside of the box or in the description that this is not a game for a casual group of Christmas party goers. 

That's my opinion. You can make up your own mind. Merry Christmas either way. 

Sequence States & Capitals

Sequence States & Capitals - Learn states and capitals in this fun game of strategy

Sequence States & Capitals is a geography-themed, 5-in-a-row strategy game. If you're looking for a way to reinforce the 50 state names and capitals, this game covers them all. Each state is pictured in two different random places on the board (100 spaces in all). The states are printed in color, but the color doesn't mean anything, it just helps you locate the state quickly.

The cards each picture one colored state with a star where the capital is located. Each card names the capital but not the state. You may already know the state or you can find it by looking for the same shaped state/color on the board. There are also 4 ADD cards and 4 REMOVE cards. The chips are plastic and have the name of the game on one side and the name of the game in white on the other side. 

Get 5 in a row (horizontally, vertically, diagonally) anywhere on the board to win a sequence, make 2 sequences to win the game. Half the states face the player at the bottom of the board and the top half of the states will face the person at that end of the board. Therefore, if you are looking for a state on the opposite end of the board, it will be upside-down to you. There are only a few states of each color, so just look for the color and this will help you narrow down your search. For example there are 14 yellow states and 10 light blue.

Object:
Be the first player (team) to win two sequences. 

Set Up:
Place the board on a flat surface. Give each person a bag of chips. Shuffle the cards and pass out the number indicated on the instruction sheet (depends on how many people are playing). Place the remaining cards in a face-down stack near the board.

Play:
During each turn, you will discard a card from your hand, place a chip (white side down) on the matching image on the board, draw a new card and add it to your hand. Be strategic about where you place your chips, depending on the chips already on the board and also in your hand. Your goal is to get five in a row, but you must also keep an eye on your opponents and block them if they get close to a sequence. There are ADD and REMOVE cards in the deck. Play an ADD card and place a chip anywhere on an empty space on the board for your turn. Play a REMOVE card and remove any chip on the board for that turn. Once you get a sequence, announce it and turn the chips over so that the white side is up. None of these chips can be removed now. You still need one more sequence to win.

Sequence has lots of different themes including the original that uses poker style cards, dogs, numbers, kids, and cats. 

Try this:

• Say the capital and state name several times verbally as you look for it on the board to help fix it in the memory.
• Play a different game. After reviewing the states and capitals, one player will choose a card and read the capital, but not show the card to the players. Other players will race to see who can be the first to locate the state. Winner gets to put his chip on the space. Go through all 50 states. Player with the most chips on the board wins.
• Avoid sitting at the side of the board as no states will be in their correct orientation at that location. OR, place the person who is working on this skill at that site. Two ways to look at it.
• Pay close attention if you see your opponent has three in a row with empty spaces on either side. You cannot block both ends if he gets four in a row with empty spaces on both sides.
• Hold cards in one hand and several chips in the other. Bring one chip to the fingertips to place on each turn.
• Skip the game. Fold the board in half so that only one set of states is showing. Sort the cards so that you only have one of each state. Mix the cards, and stack them, face-down on the table. Pick up one card and turn it face-up. Try not to disturb other cards on the stack. Everyone looks for the state. The first person to find it gets the card. Go through all the cards and see who collects the most. Or just play with one person and find the states.
• Pick up your chips off the board, one at a time, squirreling them into your hand. How many can you hold? Put them away by the handfuls.
• Sweep all the chips off the board and onto the table after a game. Cup one hand and put it at the edge of the table. Slide several chips into your hand. Now sort them into piles by color, bringing them one at a time to the fingertips to drop.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy, figure ground, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, shuffling/dealing/holding multiple cards, coordinated use of both hands, sequencing, learning states and capitals, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: Folding game board, 150 chip (50 each of 3 different colors), 108 playing cards

If you would like to purchase this item or just want more information, click on the image below.