Fundomino

Fundomino - The twist isn't just in the shape

Fundomino is a domino game with an UNO-type twist. The tiles themselves are curved and the game will twist around on the playing surface in unusual directions.

Dominoes was one of the games I learned to play with my grandma when I was growing up. Fundomino is a long way from those rectangular wooden black tiles with the white pips. This game even has a game board and pawns!

The 32 domino tiles are curved, made of a weighty plastic material and colorful, as you can see in the image above. During play, the tiles will have to match by color as well as fit together. The tile numbers go from 1 - 6 and there are also special action tiles with a star, a plus sign and a rounded arrow. The game board is a heavy card stock and there are four game pawns, one each of blue, yellow, red and white.

Game board.

This game also comes in a portable, pocket version called Pocket Fundomino. I have not seen it, but to learn more about it click here.

Object:
Be the first person to score 120 points.

Set up:
Turn the tiles face-down and mix them randomly on a flat playing surface. Each player chooses tiles and stands them on their edges, so that only he can see the numbers/symbols/colors. Place the rest of the tiles off to the side, this is called the stock. Place the game board off to the the side and each player chooses a colored pawn and places it on the start area on the board.

Play:
The game is played in rounds. The player with the highest double places that tile in the middle of the table. If no one has a double then the highest number tile is played (example 5/6). 

Taking turns, players will place one domino on either end of the chain. Dominoes have to match by color, but also need to fit. Special action tiles are followed only if they end up on the very end space of the chain. The special actions include:

• Plus sign - Once played, the next player will draw one tile before he plays. If there are no more dominoes in the stock, they draw one from the player that played it.
• Curved arrow - The person who plays this symbol must play again. If he cannot play, he must draw tiles from the stock pile until he picks one he can play. If there are no more tiles in the stock pile, his turn ends.
• Star - This is a wild card and can be played next to any other domino.

When a player is down to only one domino, he must say "Domino!" If he forgets and another player notices and comments, the first player must take a domino from the second player. The game ends when either:

• Only one player has tiles remaining OR
• The game is blocked (no stock and no playable tiles)

The scoring depends on different things including how many people are playing, whether people are playing in teams, why the game ended, and the point value of tiles players still have. Based on the score at the end of a round, players move their tokens forward on the game board. First player to reach 120 points wins the game.
 
Try this:

• Skip the game, just line up the tiles. Place them all face-up on the table to start. Can you include all of them in one long line?
• Turn the domino in-hand if you need to reorient it for placement. 
• Forget the scoring and the game board, winner per game is the first person to play all of his dominoes.
• Skip the game and play tiles that make closed circles (3 tiles each). How many circles can you make?
• Start the game with a different tile such as lowest double, lowest number, symbol only, rock/paper/scissors winner plays any tile from his hand, etc. Determine which method to use before players pick their dominoes.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual form constancy, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, decision making, simple mental math, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the tin: Game board, 4 game pawns, 32 dominoes

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

Hedbanz Act Up!

Hedbanz Act Up! - Your chance to get up and do something!

The Hedbanz series of games are fun family games. This one is different from the others in that you are allowed, actually required, to get up and act up. Think charades. Charades is a fun game to work on balance, coordination, motor planning, body awareness, spatial relations and more.

The game includes six plastic headbands (see images above and below). They each have a slit in the front where you place a card. Your card will not be seen by you, but will be seen by everybody else. The head bands are adjustable - they have the little nubs that snap into the holes like baseball caps.

There are 180 act up cards and 6 player cards, one player card for each color headband. The act up cards fall into three categories - person, place and thing. On one side of a card is printed the category and the on the other side is printed the word that the guesser will be guessing. Some examples are:

• Person - dentist, life guard, Bigfoot
• Place - closet, bowling alley, zoo
• Thing - toothpick, cowboy hat, blender  

Also included are plastic chips for scoring, a custom color die and a 20 second timer.

I have also blogged about the original Hedbanz game. To read that post, click here.

Object:

Be the first person to get rid of your 12 tokens. Get rid of a token by correctly guessing the word on your headband or by acting up to help another player guess their card.

Set up:

Give each individual a headband, the matching color player card and 12 tokens. Adjust the headbands and put them on. Each player places his player card in front of him to remind him of his headband color. Mix the act up cards and put them in a face-down draw pile. Each player picks one card and, without looking at it, places it in the slot on their headband so that the other players can read it. Place the timer and die nearby. Place the rest of the tokens in the middle, this is the bank.

Play:

Players take turns. On your turn you are the guesser. Throw the die and whoever has the color that matches the die will be the actor. Turn the timer over and the actor has 20 seconds to act out the person, place or thing on your headband. Acting up includes movements but no words, writing or props. If the guesser throws the die and his color, or a color that was not taken, shows up, all players act out at the same time.

Once the timer has been turned and the actor(s) starts acting, the guesser can throw out as many guesses as he wants. If the guesser guesses his card he, and any actor(s) who was involved, return one of their coins to the coin bank. The guesser removes the card from his headband, draws a new card and places it in his headband. If the guesser guesses his card and there is still time, he quickly removes the old card and replaces it with a new card and the game continues until the time is up and his turn is over.

If the guesser does not guess his card, his turn ends, no one returns coins to the bank and he keeps the same card for his next turn. If he does not want to keep the same card, he can remove it and draw a new card, but he will also have to take one coin from the bank.

Play until someone has returned all his coins and wins the game.

Try this:

• Set a timer for longer, say three minutes, and see who can guess the most cards in that time.
• Allow sounds.
• Play a game drawing instead of acting (Pictionary).
• Take turns acting for the guesser until he guesses it. Start on the left and each player gets the 20 seconds until the guesser guesses it. Guesser and player who succeeds get to return one coin to the bank.
• Work as a team of two when acting. Give the actors a few seconds to consult and then they must coordinate their efforts to get the idea across.
• Play charades, where one person acts and everyone else guesses. The actor chooses a card, reads it, and then puts it in his headband backwards, so the other players can see the category. The actor acts it out and the correct guesser gets the card. Person to collect three cards first is the winner.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, motor planning, body awareness, balance, coordination, creativity, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation 

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