Stenzzles Dog

Solve eight challenges to make eight different dogs using eight templates.

To solve the eight challenges in Stenzzles Dog will require a combination of logic, problem solving, visual perceptual skills and hand skills. The goal is to look at a 2D puzzle challenge in the booklet and recreate it by stacking the 8 puzzle cards on top of each other. It may take a bit of trial and error to figure out how to flip, rotate and then layer all eight cards into the correct order to solve the challenge.

The card layers are all the same size, each one has a different dog on the cut-out and each one is a different color (see the eight cards fanned in the image above). Each card may be oriented in any of eight ways: four directions and two sides.

The  puzzle challenges are printed in a booklet. Each challenge will be presented as a finished pattern. Puzzle solutions are printed in the back of the book.The arrows in the solution will tell you which direction each colored card is facing and the solid and outlined arrows will indicate front or back of each card.

L: Puzzles.                                                              R: Solutions.

To solve a challenge, try one card in each of the four orientations on the front of each card until the color on the stack looks like the color position on the challenge. If nothing looks right, flip the card to the back and try the four orientations on the back. Good for those who like a challenge and don't frustrate easily. This puzzle is available in a variety of themes. 

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:

• For a beginner, lay all of the plastic layers in the correct order and orientation and let him assemble.
• Increase the difficulty by giving the plastic layers in the correct order, but not the correct orientation.
• Give consistent verbal cues such as "turn one quarter turn to the right", "rotate counter-clockwise 90 degrees" or "flip".
• Work on spatial relations, visual discrimination, figure ground, visual closure, visual form constancy, executive functioning skills, process skills, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 8 card layers, black background layer, puzzle booklet with 8 challenges and solutions, puzzle stand 

If you are interested in purchasing this item or just finding out more about it, click on the image below to go to Amazon.com.

There's a Moose in the House

There's a Moose in the House - Try to keep that pesky moose out of your house.

There's a Moose in the House! Maybe you will find him sleeping in your bed. Or maybe he is taking a bubble bath, raiding your refrigerator, or warming himself by your fireplace! Those moose can be down right pesky animals! Your job is to either catch them or shut them out so they can't wander in in the first place, while at the same time adding pesky moose to other player's houses. 
 
There are four rooms altogether (bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room) and each room has two cards - one showing the room with furniture but no moose, and one showing the same room with a moose (see image below). As you play, you will be adding rooms to other player's "invisible" houses as they add to yours.

There is also a card showing a moose walking into the house, a card with a shut door, and a card with a moose trap - a mouse trap with spinach on it. I just learned that moose are herbivores, or in today's lingo, they eat a plant based diet. You go moose!

Object:
Keep moose out of the rooms of your house, put moose into your opponent's houses, and have the fewest moose in your house when the last card is played.

Set up:
Deal four cards face down to each player. Place the remaining cards in a face down pile in the middle of the players.

Play:
You will be building a "house" of cards in front of your opponents as you play, and they will be building one in front of you. These cards, the house, will be played in a horizontal line in front of each player. The first card in this line will always be the moose entering the house. You can place empty rooms in your opponents houses, but until this card picturing a moose entering the house is played, no cards showing moose inside these rooms can be played.

On each turn, a player will draw one card and take one of the following actions:

• Play the There's a Moose in the House card (moose entering the house) on any other player. Once all players have this initial card, anyone holding this card can discard it and replace it with another card from the deck. Any future Moose in the House cards that are picked from the deck are taken out of play.
• Play an Empty Room card on any player that has less than three empty rooms. A player can have more than one of the same room in their house, but no more than three empty rooms at one time.
• Play a matching Moose in the Room card on top of any other player's empty room already in play.
• Play a Shut Door card on one of your empty rooms. Once this card is played, no moose can be added to this room.

If you can't play any of your cards, discard one and your turn is over. If a player tries to add a moose to one of your rooms, you can immediately play the Moose Trap card. This stops the moose from coming into your room. Take the Moose in the Room card and the Moose Trap cards and put them both in the discard pile. Take a card from the deck to bring the cards in your hand back up to four. 

Play until all the cards have been played or until no more cards are playable. Each player then counts the number of moose in their house and in their hand. The player with the fewest moose is the winner. If there is a tie, the person with the most closed doors in his house is the winner.
 

Try this:

• Work on visual discrimination, shuffling/dealing/fanning cards, in-hand manipulation, logic, problem solving, manual dexterity, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 20 empty room cards, 20 moose in the room cards, 10 There's a Moose in the House cards, 5 door cards, 3 Moose Trap cards

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