Word search Junior

Word Search Junior - Search by letter or picture

Word Search Junior is picture and word search, figure ground game with three levels of difficulty: 1) 3-image picture pattern, 2) word with picture hint and 3) word only. There are nine pattern cards with a different game on each side, 18 different games total. Many kids will already be familiar with this type of activity as word searches are a popular school activity.

The playing board that you see above consists of a hard plastic red base, a removable clear plastic cover and a movable blue ring that snaps on and keeps everything in place. The clear piece and blue piece are removable so that you can change the pattern card underneath. The red piece is approximately 16" x 10". 

The marking chips are transparent plastic and come in four colors: red, green, yellow and blue. They are 7/8" in diameter, concave and remind me of large contact lenses. The clear plastic part of the base is covered with 68 dips so that the chips can sit in them and have less chance of sliding around. There is a squeaker, but I can't describe it because I bought my game second hand and it is missing. The squeaker is grabbed by the person who finds something first, so we can either just say "I found it!", or use any other household item to grab, or I could even go to the dollar store and buy a dog toy. I think kids would like the squeaker. 

The pattern cards are round, inter-changeable, have different color backgrounds per category and are used under the clear part of the base. If you look at the image above, you will see that the blue ring has a space at the very top. That ring turns and as you move it different sequences or words will show in that little space, revealing what you will be searching for. Since the words are printed around the edge of the circle, players will have to be able to read them from different angles. There are three circles for each category, and each circle has a puzzle on the front and on the back, so six puzzles in all for each category. Examples of each category are:

• 1) Blue picture pattern puzzles - There are 19 sequences on each side of a puzzle card and each sequence is three objects.  For instance on the fruit card you will look for apple/orange/banana and orange/lemon/lemon and banana/banana/banana etc. The subject matter for these cards are fruit, zoo, balls, facial expressions, pets and fairy tales.
• 2) Red picture hint puzzle - There are either 11 or 12 words on each side of each card and words are from three to six letters long. In the blue ring you will see a picture and the word spelled. Topics for these cards are garden, forest, house, farm, summer vacation and animals. Words from the summer vacation include book, hat, shell, kite, bucket, map, sand, boat, etc. Look at the image and the word in the opening on the blue ring, then find the picture on the card. Once you find the picture, the word will start adjacent to the picture. Words are vertical, horizontal or diagonal in a straight line.
• 3) Green word only puzzle - Read the word and find it on the card. There are between 15 and 18 words per side. Topics are transportation, sports gear, clothing, my body, food and school. Sample words from my body include chin, foot, belly, finger, cheek and back.

Object:
Be the player who has used the most marking chips at the end of a game.

Set up:
Choose a pattern card. Place it on the red base, place the clear piece on top and snap on the blue ring. Place the opening in the blue ring at the top of the card.  Each player chooses a color of marking chips and takes them all of that color.

Play:
Players take turns moving the blue ring to reveal one word or pattern at a time. When it is revealed, all players search to see who can be the first to find it embedded on the card. When someone finds it, he grabs the squeaker and squeaks it. He then places his plastic marking chips on top of the letters or pictures in the sequence. Play until all the images have been shown and found, or until someone runs out of marking chips. The player with the most chips on the board, or the player who ran out of chips, is the winner.

Try this:

• Play alone. Find each image or word on a card and cover it with the colorful chips in any order. Go through all the cards. Go through the cards in order of difficulty.
• Hold several plastic marking pieces at one time, pushing them off with the thumb to drop into place.
• Sort the marking chips by color. The game board is a ready-made tray with four sections.

In the box: Game board, 140 marking chips, squeaker, 9 puzzle cards

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

Money BINGO

Money bingo - amounts less than $1.

 

Money Bingo shows groups of coins on the bingo card that match amount less than $1. Students count the coins when an amount is called and cover that square on their card if it matches.

I'm always on the lookout for games that can be played in more than one way and games that have to do with money, since I work with it so much. This one caught my eye because it says Play 6 Ways on the front of the box. A little misleading in my mind because it just means six different patterns you can use to win. In that case every bingo game plays at least six ways, and 5 x 5 cards many more.

This game is coins only (penny, nickle, dime, quarter), and does not show the different variations for fronts and backs that we have now. The coins are pictures of the real thing and are all printed head side only. Most of the coins overlap, some of the coins are almost wholly hidden, but show just enough to tell what they are. The cards measure 9" x 6.5" and have eight squares each, which is a little odd for a bingo card. All game pieces are made from a card stock.

The bingo "chips" are red circles that you will punch out before playing. They measure about 1 1/16" in diameter. You can see them in the image above. You can also see the calling card for 75 cents in the image above. There are 25 calling cards total and amounts range from 5 cents to 99 cents. They all have the decimal and dollar sign on them, no cents signs. These cards measure 2 1/4" x 2 1/8" and will also have to be punched out before play. 

There is a large folded sheet that shows each amount and you can place each calling card on the matching amount on this sheet after you call it if you want. You can also see it in the image above. The back of the instruction sheet shows every card (they are numbered in the bottom right hand corner) and all eight amounts, so you can offer help if needed without taking the time to add all the coins yourself. A nice feature.

The six variations for a bingo that they offer are across the top, across the bottom, four in the middle, two on each end, a full card and any way you want.

 

Object:
Be the first to win a bingo by lining up chips on your card in the pattern that is determined before the game begins.

Set up:
Give each person one card and several bingo chips. Turn all the calling cards face-down on the table and mix them. Determine which game you will play (which pattern you will watch for). Set out the large calling card sheet if you are going to use it.

Play:
One person is named the caller. It can be a player or someone who does not play, just calls the amounts. The caller mixes all the calling cards, face-down on the table. They choose one and read the amount. All players check their card to see if they have that amount. This may will require adding amounts in several squares. All players that find the amount on their card covers it with a chip. If players do not find the exact amount, they wait for the next amount to be called. All players play in this fashion until someone lines up their chips on their card in the correct pattern and yells BINGO.  

To see a list of money games, click here.

Try this:

• Know all the coins, values and how to count them before playing.
• Practice recognizing a winning pattern before playing. Cover a pattern with markers on a card so the individual can see what it will look like. Then set up several cards with multiple markers and a win embedded on each one and ask the player to find it. Work until they are proficient at spotting the winning pattern.
• Watch for only one BINGO direction at a time until they are familiar with them all before trying the "win any way" version.
• Stop occasionally and check the player's card. Ask them to point out places where they only need one more to win a bingo. Or point out possible bingos and ask how many more will be needed to win or which squares will need markers to win in that direction etc.
• Use other things that you have a lot of for markers like paper clips, dried beans, pennies, or small candies. Ask the players to hold a small stack of the pieces in-hand as they play, pushing them to the fingertips and off, one at a time, to place.
• Visualize the pattern you are playing for as a bingo and do not mark squares that aren't part of the pattern, even if the amounts match. 
• Display a black and white card with the BINGO pattern for each game highlighted in yellow. You can just make them with a black marker on white paper or draw them on the board.
• Pick the pieces off the card after each game, squirreling them into the palm. Try to pick them all up without dropping any.
• Place the bingo chips that are included with the game flat on the table next to the player so that they will have to pick them up off a flat surface.
• Forget the calling cards if playing with one or just a few people and you can see all their cards. Look at the cards and count out exact coins that match one of the squares. Ask the player(s) to count the coins you have laid out and then check their card for that amount or coin configuration. If matching coins, go over the amount several times verbally to help them remember when they look away, such as "three pennies, 2 dimes, 1 nickle". Then cue them to choose one coin, such as three pennies. Check for that amount on each square and if it does not have that exact amount, move on to the next square, instead of trying to count all the coins. Add in random amounts between matches for more practice counting.
• Cue the individual that if the amount does not end with a 5 or a zero, there will be pennies involved and vice versa. That way they can eliminate having to count so many squares to check for the amount.
• Cue the individual that if they are counting and the amount goes over the amount that was called they can quit counting and move to the next square. 
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, figure ground, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, money skills, process skills, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

In the box: 36 bingo cards, 25 calling cards, reference sheet, calling mat, chips

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