Sink or Swim

Sink or Swim - A summer-themed game with a whole pool full of fun characters

Sink or Swim is a perfect one-person logic, slide puzzle for those long summer days. Be prepared to do some problem solving as you move the man on the red inner tube to the steps in the bottom right corner of the pool (grid). The pool and deck are full of interesting characters and objects. 

Choose a puzzle from the challenge book and place the matching pieces in the exact locations on the grid. The puzzle book has 50 puzzles that range from level one to level five. The more difficult the puzzle, the more moves it will take and the longer the game will take to finish. Like the old-fashioned slide puzzles, pieces must slide from space to space, without being lifted out of the grid. Pieces are square, L-shaped, and rectangle. The individual setting up the puzzle must be able to read the challenge book, which is a bird's eye view of the puzzle. 

Answers are printed in the back of the booklet as a list of moves - up, down, left, right (see image below). You will have to be a HUGE puzzle fan to finish all 50 challenges as number 50 takes over 200 moves! Here are images of the first puzzle with solution and the last puzzle with solution.

Puzzle number 1 with solution on right.

Puzzle number 50 with solution on the right.

If you would like to check out more summer-themed games, check out Adapting Games and Toys for Therapy - Summer Edition.

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. 


Try this:

• Use the challenge book as a pattern book. If the individual cannot complete the puzzle, just setting up the games to work on spatial skills.
• Play a game as the individual watches, talking your way through the problem solving process. Then set the same game back up and let the individual play.
• Set up a game. Call out the moves from the solution page and let the individual move the pieces in the directions indicated, such as slide the dog up one space then to the left one space, or slide the kids with the pool noodles to the right one space. Before the puzzle ends, you could also follow the suggestion below.
• Play a game until you get to the last two moves and let the individual finish the puzzle. Then play a game until you get to the last three moves and let the individual finish, etc. Use the solution page so that you won't have to actually spend time playing the game and figuring out the moves yourself. 
•  Work on manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, in-hand manipulation, visual discrimination, figure ground, visual closure, visual form constancy, spatial relations, visualization, body awareness, logic, problem solving, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: One plastic grid, 14 puzzle pieces of different shapes, 1 challenge book

For more information click on the image below.



Lace and Trace Shapes

Lace and Trace simple shapes

I'm kind of picky about my lacing cards/boards. Sometimes cards can have holes punched all over the picture. They can be hard to follow, lace through and even hold. I like this set because the holes are lined up all along the edges and the laces pull through easily.

The Lace and Trace Shapes set includes five wooden cards. The objects are a cracker, a kite, an orange, a piece of pizza and a stop sign. The square cracker measures 5 1/8" square. The shapes are made of wood and are sturdy enough to hold in place as you trace around them.

The laces are bright, woven and have plastic tips. They are approximately 50" long and pull smoothly through the holes in the cards. Easily lace with a whip or straight stitch.

The picture above, which I got off Amazon, shows a watermelon, but I don't have a watermelon in my set of five. The description on Amazon also says five shapes and five laces. The watermelon makes six so I don't know if you will get it or not.

The pieces come in a  sturdy wooden box. My on-going complaint about Melissa & Doug products: Multiple pieces and no lid.
 

Try this:

• Use a contrasting color lace to make it stand out more against the object colors.
• Turn the shape in-hand as you move from hole to hole.
• Cue the individual to hold the tip of the lace instead of the lace itself for more control.
• Hold the aglet in the fingertips with the web space shaped like an "o". Straighten the fingers to push the lace through the hole instead of bringing the shape to the lace.
• Cue the individual to feel for the hole if lacing from the back to avoid turning it over every time.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination, in-hand manipulation, bilateral coordination, manual dexterity, fine motor precision, web space development, proximal stability, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

In the box: 5 lacing objects, 5 laces

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