Go Go Gelato

Place the gelato on the cones to match the pattern cards.

You're working at a gelato shop and the customers are streaming in fast. You need to make cones as fast as you can from the order (pattern) cards to keep up with the demand. That's the gist of Go Go Gelato from Blue Orange. 

Go Go Gelato consists of lightweight, hard plastic cones and slightly squeezable, colored plastic balls. There are four cones each of four different colors (see image above). There are four balls each (scoops of gelato) to match three of the colors (there are no matching blue balls). 

As you make the cones you are not allowed to touch any scoops of gelato with your hands, you can only touch the cones. Therefore you must use two cones to pick up each scoop of gelato, or hold a cone with a scoop in one hand and tip the gelato from it into a cone held in the other hand. This is a feature to slow you down a little, or make it a little more awkward since the game is based on speed. If you didn't have a little handicap of some kind there wouldn't be much of a challenge to the game.

I am more interested in the pattern cards than playing the actual game for speed. Each card has anywhere between two and four cones. Some of the cones are empty, some have one scoop of gelato, some have two cones stacked and one scoop, and some have a cone with one scoop and another cone perched on top of it at an angle. I would not say they necessarily advance in difficulty in any appreciable sense except for the stacking, they just have any combination of those four features.

Object:
Be the first person to collect 5 challenge cards.

Set up:
Give each player one each of the four colored cones and one each of the three colored balls. Each player places the cones with the same colored scoop on top in front of him. Mix the challenge cards and put them in a face-down stack that all players can see.

Play:
Someone turns the top card from the deck face-up and all players work quickly to build the cones as they are pictured on the card. Remember the rule: you cannot touch the balls with your hands, only the cones. Once that round is over, leave your cones built just the way they are. After each round you will have to change what you built from the last round into the new pattern, picking up gelato from one and transferring it to another with the cones. The person who builds the correct pattern first wins the round. Play until someone wins 5 rounds.

Try this:

• Practice picking up the balls with two cones and transferring a ball from cone to cone before ever playing a game to get the feel.
• Skip the game. Present a challenge card and ask the individual to build the pattern. Use hands on the scoops of gelato or don't.
• Skip the cards and make cones with matching color scoops.
• Skip the cards. Place the cones one at a time in front of the individual and call a color of gelato for them to put on top.
• Ask the individual to stack the cones. Have them hold the bottom one with the non-dominant hand and then stack them as you call the color order.
• Sort and stack the cones by color.
• Place a challenge card net to the player. Cover everything to the right of the cone being built if they cannot separate it out to build. Then pull the paper over one cone at a time as you build until it is done.
• Place a challenge card in front of the individual. Build the pattern and make an error. Ask the player to find the error and fix it.
• Build from a pattern card. Then place several cards in front of the individual and ask them to choose the card that matches the  pattern you have built.
• Turn the cones upside down and stack them. You can do this without holding with a stabilizing hand if you're careful.
• Stack the cones in a pattern such as pink blue pink blue, etc. Or green yellow pink, green yellow pink.
• Work on visual discrimination, manual dexterity, executive functioning skills, graded release, problem solving, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

In the box: 16 cones, 12 gelato scoops, 54 challenge cards
 
If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.

Animal Friends Cube Puzzle

Six-in-one animal friends cube puzzle.

This block puzzle features whimsical animals and can be a fun way to practice in-hand manipulation skills. The six blocks each measure 1.5" x 1.5" x 1.5", are light-weight wood, painted and then covered with a gloss. There are six sides to each block (one animal per side) and the puzzle can be built six ways, each featuring a different animal. There are six animal figures included, one for each animal that can be built. Look at the figure to help guide you as you are building the puzzle. Animal figures measure approximately 2.5" x 1.75" x .5".

Depending on the size of the hand of the individual you are working with, this may be an appropriate activity for in-hand manipulation as they turn the block around and around in the hand to find the side they are looking for. Animals can be built vertically, rising up from the table, or flat on the table. A finished puzzle will measure  4.5" x 4.5" x 1.5".

Present the individual with the animal figure and ask them to build a block puzzle of that animal. If they use the border to help them it will be easier, as there are four corner-border pieces per puzzle and the middle piece will have no border. Often block puzzles have more complicated designs, more pieces and no paper patterns/figures to work from. With only 9 pieces, a simple one-animal image on each side, and a separate animal figure to look at while building, this puzzle may a good place for those just starting out with block puzzles.   

Try this:

• Cue the individual to look for the animal color and/or the background color as he sorts through the blocks.
• Sort through and find all the correct sides, then build, so you are not jumping back and forth between tasks.
• Have the pieces already turned to the correct side for those who would not be able to find the correct side, or for an easier introduction to the puzzle. Start with them in the correct orientation and work your way up to being able to turn them in different orientations.
• Build the first row or column to get the individual started.
• Build the first row for the individual to show them they will be working from the bottom up.
• Build all but the last block and let the individual place it. Build all but the last two blocks and let the individual finish it. Then build all but three blocks, etc., until the individual can build a puzzle alone.
• Take turns placing blocks with the individual until they can build one alone.
• Stand the animal atop the finished puzzle and check for accuracy.
• Talk out loud as you build to model the process. Say things like "I can see that this is a leg, so I know it will go on the bottom" or "This piece has an eye so I know it will go on the head".
• Make up a fun, simple story about the animal after the puzzle is finished. 
• Look at each piece before building the animal. Point out on the animal figure where you think each piece will go.
• Assure that the animal figure is oriented in the correct direction before starting as puzzles can only be built one way.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual form constancy, visual closure, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination, graded grasp and release, reach, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, body parts, executive functioning skills, reasoning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 6 wooden blocks, 6 wooden animal figures