UNO Moo

UNO Moo - A beginner's UNO game

UNO Moo is a beginner's farm-themed UNO game that includes 7 characters, 5 colors, and wild and draw 2 options. This preschool version includes colorful round plastic figures, haystack partitions and even a play-and-store barn.

The farm animals have been out to pasture all day, playing together, sunning themselves, and generally enjoying the good life. The day is coming to a close and it's time for them to head back into the barn. It's your job to help round them up and make sure they all get safely inside. UNO Moo is not the card game that many of us are familiar with (no cards involved), but it is a precursor to that card game and is made by the same company.

The plastic figures are hollow, just shy of 1.5" in diameter, and each one has a face sticker on the front to indicate what it is. There are four each of seven different characters: farmer, pig, skunk, dog, cow, sheep and chicken. The sticker is only on the front, but the different animals look different on the back because they have different tails. The farmer figures are all white and each of the animal figures come in four colors: red, green, blue and yellow. The round figures have a flat base and easily stand on their own. 

The haystack partitions are cardboard and measure about 9 3/4" wide. There are score marks at each end. Simply bend in on each fold and then the haystack will stand on its own. 

The barn is hard plastic, 7 3/4" wide, 5" tall and 3 5/8 inches deep. There is a flap on the front of the roof that snaps into the barn to keep the lid (roof) on tight. There is a set of doors painted on the barn that do not open and another door above it that opens out (see image below). This is where you will stand the animals and where they will enter the barn during play. There is a handle in the top of the barn for easy carrying.

Object:
Be the first person to get all your figures back in the barn.

Set up:
Leave all the round figures in the barn and mix them up. Give each player a haystack. Each player draws five animals out of the barn and places them in hiding behind their haystack. One player takes one figure out of the barn, shuts the roof, opens the barn door, and places the figure on the barn door. 

Play:
Players take turns. On your turn, look at the type and color of the animal standing on the barn door. Look at your animals that are standing behind your haystack. If you have either the same animal of a different color or the same color of a different animal, you can play. Place your animal on the barn door and in the process push the animal that is sitting there into the barn. The animal you placed on the door is now the animal the next player must match. There are two "special" animals that can also be played if you have one:

• Skunk - A skunk can be played on another skunk or any matching color from any other animal. For instance, a red skunk can be played after a red cow. When this figure is played, the next person must draw two figures out of the barn and place them behind their haystack. Then their turn is over.
• Farmer - This is a "wild" figure and can be played as a match for any animal or any color figure. Once you play this figure, you then decided the color the next player must play. Look at your figures behind your haystack to help you decide which color to call.

If you don't have a figure that is playable, draw one figure out of the barn. If it's a match, play it. If it's not, your turn is over. When you are down to one figure behind your haystack, you must say "UNOMoo". If you don't, and someone catches you before the next player plays, you must draw two animals out of the barn and put them behind your haystack. Keep playing until someone has safely returned all his figures to the barn (nothing left behind their haystack) and wins the game. 

Try this:

• Play with the barn and its contents before playing a game. Name the different animals, line them up and show how there is one of each color for each animal, open and close the latch, look at the animals on the outside of the barn and name them, practice standing an animal on the open door, etc.
• Examine the animals carefully, see how they each have a different tail and how the cow tails are different from the pig tails, and the pig tails are different from the sheep tails, etc. Line one of each animal up backward and see if the player can remember and identify the animals just by their tails. When they can, randomly stand all the figures on the playing surface. Ask the player to find all four dogs, then all four skunks, etc. Either leave the animals after they have been identified, or for a game that will get easier as you go, pick up each type of animal after you have identified it. Or call for a single animal, such as a blue sheep. Can they identify it from the back?
• Stand all the animals facing forward, randomly on the playing surface. Sing a round of Old McDonald for each animal. As you are singing about the pig, collect one farmer and all the pigs from the pasture and return them to the barn. Do the same for each animal until the game is all put away. 
• Stand up all the cows in a row. Using that color sequence as a pattern, line up each animal type.
• Line up all the animals of one color. Using that animal sequence, line up the rest of the animals.
• Stand all the animals on the table face-forward in random order and play a game of I Spy. For instance, I Spy a red chicken, and ask the player to find the red chicken.
• Stand all the animals on the table in random order and then move them to the barn by type to put them away. Say "the cows are being called back to the barn for supper. They will be eating hay". Talk about what each animal eats.
• Line up a sequence of three, four or five animals. Either turn then forward so you can see the animal or backward and focus on the color. Ask the player to memorize the sequence. Say it out loud to help remember. Place a haystack in front of the animals so they can't be seen and ask the player to make a line of animals (or colors) in the same sequence. Lift the haystack and let them check if they are right. If they missed something, let them identify it and correct it with as little help as possible.

In the barn: 28 plastic figures, 4 haystack partitions

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

AARGH!

AARGH! Ahoy me Hearties! All hands hoay for this exciting high seas adventure as you compete for the position of captain of your own seaworthy pirate ship. There's plenty of booty to plunder and the stakes are high! 

This game is, at its core, a memory/matching game, but it goes far beyond that simple two-card-match game that we are all familiar with.The goal of AARGH! is to plunder as much booty as you can, since the person with the most coins at the end of the game is the new captain. The more matching cards of a single treasure that you can turn over on your turn (up to 5!), the more coins you will collect. How good is your memory?

The cards are sturdy and measure 3" x 3". All cards have a treasure map on one side and a single object on the other. There are four cards with a skull and crossbones, and five cards each for each of these treasures: goblet, treasure chest, crown, silver bracelet, necklace. This means that it is possible to turn over a total of five matching treasure cards per turn and collect five coins.

The shiny plastic coins, marked .999% pure gold (wouldn't that be nice!), are about 1 5/16" in diameter. The wooden pirate ship is lightweight and mine looks a little different from the one in the image above.

Cards, coins and ship.

What are ye waiting for? Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen!

Object:

Have the most coins at the end of the game to become captain of the pirate ship. 

Set up:

Shuffle all the cards together and then lay them face-down in a 5 x 5 grid on the playing surface (see image above). Return the last four cards, unseen, to the game box.

Play:

Players take turns. The first player turns two cards face-up for all to see. If they do not match, the player places the wooden ship on the last card that was turned up, leaving it face-up, and turns the other card face-down again. If the two cards do match, the player continues to turn over island cards until one is turned that does not match. When that happens:

• The player collects one gold coin for each matching treasure that was uncovered.
• Place the pirate ship on the last card (the one that does not match), leaving it face-up.
• Turn face-down all the remaining face-up cards (the matches).
• The players turn is over.

The next person to play must make matches to the card that is still face-up with the wooden pirate ship on it. Repeat the steps as above. 

If the skull and crossbones is ever turned over while attempting to turn over one of the treasure cards, the following will happen:

• The player's turn ends immediately.
• All cards but the skull and crossbones are turned face-down.
• The ship is placed on the face-up skull and crossbones.
• The player does not collect any coins and must return one of the coins he has previously collected. 

The skull and crossbones is now the card to match, so the next player is not penalized for turning over other skull and crossbones and receives gold tokens for any matches when his turn ends.

Keep playing until all the gold coins have been collected. Count coins and award the winner the honor of commanding his own pirate ship. It would be fun if the new captain would name his new ship. 

To read more about why memory games are so popular, read my post Memory Games. Why are They so Popular? This post also has links to the other memory games I have blogged about. 

Try this:

• Practice talking like a pirate to add some fun to the game.
• Play a regular game of memory match using two, three or four of each object. Players must turn over all of each object to make a match and then the player takes those cards off the table. Play until all cards have been collected.
• Keep in mind where all the skull and crossbones are as they are revealed. They will either end your turn or may be needed to make matches.
• Sort out four of each treasure card. Make a grid with all cards face down. Turn two to match and win a coin. See who gets the most coins.
• Place three, four or five of the cards in a line, face-up. Ask the player to memorize the cards and sequence. Turn them over and ask him to build the same line underneath. Flip them all, do they match?
• Play a game of memory. Each time a player makes a match, he gets the ship. Pass it back and forth and see who is the last person to hold it. 
• Mix the cards and place them in a grid, face up. Collect all of one image, then collect all of another image. Keep going until you have cleared them all. Time yourself and see how fast you went. Play again and try to beat your time. 
• Choose one of the images to be the focus of the game, say the treasure chest. Your goal is to be the first person to turn over all five of the treasure chest cards. Take turns turning over cards, ending your turn when you turn over a card that does not match. Don't take sets off the table as you go as you are looking for the treasure chest. Keep turning cards until someone can turn all five cards in one turn for the image you chose at the beginning. You could have a small treasure chest (not included) sitting off to the side with a small prize in it for the winner. Reload the treasure chest with a prize after one game and play again.  

In the box: 29 cards, 30 gold coins, 1 pirate ship

If you are interested in purchasing this this game or just want more information, go to the SimplyFun website, the only place it is sold retail.