Thomas & Friends Mix 'N Match Bingo Game

Thomas & Friends Mix 'N Match - Match 3 attributes on a 3x3 bingo card.

I used to work with a huge Thomas fan, so anything I brought that was Thomas related was a big hit. My sister even made me a wonderful train out of dollar store food storage containers, colorful shoe strings, foam wheels (each car a different color) and brads. I used that train over and over for sorting and presenting different activities and/or supplies. It's not related to this game, just a nice memory.

The bingo cards in Thomas & Friends Mix 'N Match Bingo have a 3x3 grid, are printed on heavy stock and are folded to fit into the box. Each card has nine images of Thomas & Friends (see image above). There are three dice that will be thrown to determine the square to cover on each turn, so there are three attributes to look at on each image.

1. Background color (red, blue, yellow)
2. Character (Thomas or friend)
3. Border around each square (railroad tracks, railroad sign, small train with the words PEEP PEEP.

The dice are oversized, hollow plastic with stickers on each side. The bingo chips are cardboard circles that come in four different colors (red, green, blue, yellow). You can also see these placed on the cards in the image above. The chips are probably too big to practice in-hand manipulation for small hands.

Object:

Be the first person to get three in a row, either horizontally, diagonally or vertically.

Set up:

Give each player a card and nine same-colored bingo chips. Turn the box lid upside down and place the three dice inside.

Play:

Players will take turns throwing the three dice into the box lid, searching their card for the exact combination that is shown on the dice. If they have one, they cover it. If not, do nothing. Play continues until someone gets three bingo chips in a row and yells PEEP PEEP!

Try this:

• Play alone. Place several cards on the table and throw the die. How many can you find and cover? Keep going until you have a bingo in one orientation, then another orientation, etc.
• Play only one direction at a time until the individual can watch two. Then after success with that, introduce three.
• Look over the card periodically and ask the player where they have two in a row and may win soon.
• Cup the hands together, side by side to roll the dice. How long can you keep them rolling before one drops out?
• Practice recognizing a bingo. Use several cards, embed one bingo on each card. Include other random chips on the card, but only one bingo. Ask the individual to find the bingo on each card.
• Use only one or two dice at a time. Players may have more than one option to cover on their card and will choose the one they feel is most likely to help them win. 
• Throw the dice and then look for the combination on another players card. The first person to place a chip is the only one allowed to play. Throw the dice again and keep playing until someone has three of his colored chips in a row on another player's card or until he runs out of chips.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, figure ground, spatial relations, manual dexterity, coordinated use of two hands, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation  

In the box: 6 bingo cards, 36 colored chips, 3 oversized dice

If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below.

 

What's in the Fridge?

What's in the Fridge? - Make-a-snack matching.

Are you hungry? Yes? Then let's prepare a delicious snack with What's in the Fridge? The four snacks included in the game are smoothie, cupcakes, sandwich and pizza. Each snack card pictures one snack at the top and six ingredients needed to prepare that snack at the bottom. There are no duplicate ingredients.

The fridge is a simple two-piece puzzle (see below) and has spaces for all 28 small food cards, which includes the moldy food cards. The fridge is already loaded with food (pre-printed on the pieces) and some of this food matches pictures on the small food cards, but many do not. Some of the food isn't even stored in the fridge in reality (sugar, bananas, cupcake sprinkles, etc.) so you can put the ingredient cards anywhere you want when setting up the game. The food cards are very close together once they are set up in the fridge (see below), so picking them up by the top and bottom, instead of side to side, will allow you to turn cards without much disturbance of the neighboring cards.

All pieces are thick, laminated card stock. Approximate measurements: Assembled fridge 12" x 8 1/4", snack cards 6 3/8" x 4 1/2 ", ingredient cards 1 1/8" square.

Object:
Avoid the moldy food in the fridge and be the first person to fill your snack card with ingredients.

Set up:
Each player takes one snack card. The six items on this card are what the player needs to find to complete his snack and win the game. Mix the moldy food and ingredient food cards and place them face down on the fridge cards in the middle of the players.

Play:
The first player turns over three of the food cards in the fridge, allowing all players to see. If no moldy food cards are turned, the player may take any food cards they need to prepare their snack, and place them on their snack card. All unneeded food cards are turned face-down. If a moldy food card is turned, the player continues until they have turned over three food cards, but does not get to take any of them. he then returns them to the face-down position (this gives everybody a peek of the foods and their locations). Players work to remember the location of any food cards they need for their snack that are turned up by others so that they can turn them up again when it is their turn. Players take turns in this manner until someone has filled their snack card and won the game. 

Try this:

• Turn only one or two food cards per turn (instead of three) for a longer game. 
• Sort out and turn the six food cards face-up for one particular snack. Ask the individual to place the cards on that snack card. Add more cards to the original six as the individual is able to look over more cards to find the ones needed.
• Skip the fridge cards and line up the food cards face-down in a grid on the table if the cards are too close together in the fridge for some to flip without moving the neighboring cards.
• Look over the fridge cards and try to name the foods that need to be stored in a refrigerator and which ones don't. Some of the items are a little vague, like a bottle or jar without a label. Allow the player to use their imagination to name an ingredient.
• Turn all food cards face-up on the table. Fill one food card at a time with the necessary ingredients. Work till all four snacks cards are complete.
• Make a real food snack, based on one of the snack cards and its ingredients, after playing the game.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, figure ground, visual closure, visual form constancy, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, fine motor control, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation 

In the box: 2-piece fridge board, 4 playing boards, 24 ingredient cards, 4 moldy food cards.
 
If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.