Thumpin' Thingdoodles

Thumpin' Thingdoodles

 

Thumpin' Thingdoodles is an odd game. When I saw the box I opened it and looked inside. After viewing the contents I was just getting ready to dismiss it when a small voice said "what about those mallets?". Yeah, what about those mallets? Do you work with anybody that is always banging things together? That needs proprioceptive input to facilitate attention and learning? Maybe playing games like this could help. And although I think $18 (Amazon) is too steep for what you get, for $1.50 (second hand), I was willing to take a chance.

The four foam mallets are about 9.5" in length. The handle is made of plastic and the head of the mallet is a solid foam piece shaped like a marshmallow (only bigger). Each mallet is a different color and the colors are orange, blue, purple and greenish-yellow.

 

The Thingdoodles are a little hard to explain. Have you ever seen those slap bracelets? They are a long piece of thin metal covered with plastic or fabric. You can straighten them out, but when you hit them on something, like your wrist, they will curl around it. That is what the Thingdoodles are. You straighten one out and then hit it with the mallet and it wraps around the mallet head. If you keep slapping they will keep wrapping, so you can pick up more than one in one turn. 

 

There are 12 Thingdoodles, 6 of a larger size and 6 smaller. There is also a heavy-duty spinner with a free moving arrow. The spinner will tell you what to thump: thump orange, thump blue, thump green, thump purple or thump all.

Game contents.

Never blog about something before actually trying it. We had to hit the Thingdoodle over and over before it would wrap, even when hitting it very hard. You are able to wrap 4 large Thingdoodles, one on top of each other, on one mallet head. However, the small Thingdoodle does not wrap all the way around the head of the mallet and, after wrapping one, when you go to hit another the wrapped one flies off. After doing this twice and watching them fly right toward another player's face, we quit. If playing with the small Thingdoodles, take them off each time you wrap one. 

Object:
Be the first player to thump 20 Thingdoodles.

Set up:
Give each player a colored mallet. Straighten the Thingdoodles so they are flat and scatter them face-up on the playing surface.

Play:
The first player will spin the spinner. Depending on what the spinner indicates, he will start thumping the Thingdoodles. They will stay wrapped on the mallet until he either picks them all up or can't pick up any more and his turn ends. Count the number of Thingdoodles that are successfully wrapped around the head and record the score. Play passes to the next player. Play until someone reaches a score of 20 and wins the game.

Try this:

• Play alone and use each mallet to pick up the Thingdoodles of that color.
• Call a color of Thingdoodle for the player to pick up. Keep calling the colors one at a time.
• Let the player straighten out the Thingdoodles between games for a two-handed activity.
• Instead of just putting a slash through each box on the score card, practice writing a single letter or symbol in each box. Can you write them small enough to fit inside the box?
• Work on visual discrimination, manual dexterity, tool use, eye-hand coordination, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  
  
  In the box: 4 foam mallets, 12 Thingdoodles, spinner, score pad
  

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

 

River Crossing Jr. Lagoon Adventure

River Crossing Jr. Lagoon Adventure

You and a friend are out exploring on a nice summer afternoon when you find yourself at the edge of a river. ThinkFun's River Crossing Jr. is a single-player logic lagoon adventure that challenges you (the hiker) to cross the water, walking along planks and stumps, without getting wet. Your goal will be to either join a friend on the other shore (20 crossing challenge cards) or rescue a stranded cat off an island (20 cat rescue challenge cards).

The pieces are hard plastic and the green peg board game frame that you see in the picture above holds a challenge card. Twelve stumps are solid and two are hollow. The cat sits on the hollow stumps. There are three different plank lengths that will fit snugly between stumps. The hiker's feet are magnetic and will stick to the planks so you don't slide off as you walk. 

Each challenge card has round holes that will tell you where you will place the stumps, and darkened shadows that will show you where to put planks for set up. There are two sets of cards (crossings and cat rescues). Each set has twenty cards that increase in difficulty as you work and are rated beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert. Answers are given in the back of the instruction booklet. There is a cloth bag to store everything if you don't want to keep the box.

L: Pieces and crossing challenge card.    R: Solution page from the back of the instruction book.

If you would like to read more about one-person logic puzzles, check out my post What's in Your Therapy Box? Logic Puzzles Edition. 

CROSSING CHALLENGES

Object:

Get from one side of the lagoon to the opposite side, without getting wet, by stepping on the stumps and walking across the planks.

Set up:

Place a challenge card on the game base. Place a stump in each hole and planks on the shadowed areas. Decide if you will be the girl or boy and place that character on the shore side showing the challenge number. Place the other character across the grid on the opposite shore.

CAT RESCUE CHALLENGES

Object: 

The cat is stranded. Build a continuous path of planks across the water to rescue the cat.

Set up:

Place a challenge card on the game base. Place a hollow stump in each hole that has a thick brown border. Place a solid stump in each of the other holes. Place planks on the shadowed areas. Decide if you will be the girl or boy and place that character on the shore side showing the challenge number. Place the cat on the island stump.

Rules for play for both games:

• Hiker walks across water by walking along planks from stump to stump.
• Hiker can only walk on planks and stumps that touch each other. No jumping over or walking around anything.
• Hiker may have to pick up a plank once he has crossed it and place it in a space ahead of him so he can cross between upcoming stumps.
• Hiker can carry only one plank at a time. 
• Hiker can pick up a plank only if one end of it touches a stump he is standing on.
• Planks must fit exactly between stumps, no short planks in long spaces, no skewed planks, etc.
• Planks may be placed in one direction and then later placed in another direction, for instance first horizontal and then vertical.

Additional rules for stranded cats:

• Hiker must lay one continuous path from the shore to the cat before the cat can be rescued. 
• The cat cannot jump from stump to stump, he must walk along the planks.
• The cat can rest only on hollow stumps.

Try This:

• Play a couple of games by following the directions on the solutions page to get the idea of how to play. Follow the directions, then take the pieces out and solve the same puzzle without the directions.
• Talk out loud as you model how to play. Teach the individual how to use logic to solve the puzzle.
• Solve all of one kind of challenge instead of jumping back and forth between the two types. The different rules may only serve to confuse. 
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, eye-hand coordination, visualization, spatial relations, manual dexterity, logic, problem solving, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 1 peg board game board, 14 stumps, 5 planks, 1 boy, 1 girl, 1 cat, 40 challenge cards, bag for carrying