Pass the Pen

Pass the Pen -A drawing game with a timer pen.

What WILL they think of next? Pass the Pen is your typical drawing game with a couple of unique features that I suppose they feel will make it stand out. 

The first unique feature is that crazy pen. Maybe the pen is just strange enough that it reluctant writers will want to pick it up. By turning the small red button on the top of the timer you can set it for 10 seconds (experienced players) or 15 seconds (beginners). Mine runs a little longer, 20 seconds instead of 15. The timer is fairly loud as it runs. When you are ready to draw, push the yellow plunger at the top of the pen all the way down. The pen tip emerges and the timer begins. As the time runs out, the pen tip is slowly retracted back into the pen. The pen is approximately 6" long. What will you do when the pen runs out of ink? I guess the fun is over.

Also included are 104 cards and each card has five challenges, so 540 challenges total. Next to each challenge is a different colored circle which corresponds to a color on the die. Here are examples of challenges to draw on three different cards:

• Tidal wave, fried egg, sumo wrestler, horse-drawn carriage, time machine
• Angel, breadcrumbs, Adam's apple microscope, to toast
• Map, gloves, to have your head in the clouds, the Loch Ness monster, drinking out of a bottle

There are five different colors on the die, one color per side, and one question mark. If you throw the question mark, you get to choose your word to draw.

Object:
Collect the most cards over 10 rounds.

Set up:
Shuffle the cards and put them in a face-down stack in the middle of the players. Place the die and the pen nearby.

Play:
Players take turns. The first player, throws the die, then picks a card to see what they will be drawing. Set the timer for 10 or 15 seconds, push down on the yellow button and draw. All other players are watching and get one guess each of what you are drawing before the timer runs out. If someone guesses it correctly, that person and the drawer each get one point. I said there were two unique features to this game, and here comes number two. If no one guesses, the picture, pen and card are passed to the player on the left. They will look at the card and continue to draw the picture. Any players who have already drawn on a picture can not guess. Play continues in this manner around the group until someone guesses the picture. This is the end of round one. Play nine more rounds and the person with the highest score is the winner. 

Try this: 

• Skip the pen if you don't like the noise and set your phone timer.
• Extend the time if the time seems to short. It might take me 5 seconds just to figure out where to start.
• Skip the die and let each person choose which thing they want to draw on their card.

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

Watch Ya' Mouth

Watch Ya' Mouth - Yup, you're gonna look this ridiculous.

It's interesting that I should run into Watch Ya' Mouth today since I just ordered a mouth guard (at the dentist) yesterday. Big difference in price though - Dental mouth guard: $365 with insurance. Watch Ya' Mouth guard: $2 second hand. Watching your friends struggle to read without moving their lips: Priceless. Some things money can't buy.

So just for the record, I won't be using this one in therapy. I wouldn't pressure anybody to wear this mouth guard or play this game if they didn't want to, because there is no way to look dignified wearing this thing. As a matter of fact, most people I know would flat out refuse to play. But let's take a look at it anyway.

The mouth guards are made of clear plastic. Does one size fit all? I wouldn't even know how to judge. You can actually buy them separately on Amazon, I suppose for sanitary purposes (you will definitely want to disinfect them between uses). They call them dental retractor mouth openers. Yeah right. I've been to the dentist a time or two and I’ve never worn anything that looked like this:

The game includes 143 cards with a saying on each card. Put the mouth guard in your mouth and then read the saying on a card. Have you ever been to the dentist and while there is a wedge, drill, water, air, etc. all going on at the same time the dentist asks you if you did anything fun over the weekend? Yeah, it's gonna sound like that. Dentists could clean up on Watch Ya' Mouth because somehow they always understand what you say. 

This particular game is the version1 family-friendly game, so hopefully all the sayings are G rated (that doesn't necessarily guarantee good taste). However, after looking for a video on You Tube to see this game in action, I inadvertently found that there is definitely an adult only version. Here are a few examples from this game:

• Frogs frolic in the farm pond
• Diapers full of poop
• Pluto has five moons
• A pickle jar full of barf
• Bring me a spork

It is my habit with any game that has word cards to read over them before therapy and take out any that I feel are inappropriate for the individual I am working with. I don't like those kind of surprises.

Object:
Be the person or team with the most points after four rounds.

Set up:
Give each player their own mouth guard. Shuffle the cards and put them in the middle of the players, face-down. Place the 1 minute timer near by. Divide up into teams of two if you are playing by teams.

Play:
One team will play at a time. One person will be the reader and the other person the interpreter. Flip the timer over and the team will have 1 minute to guess as many cards as they can. There are two ways this can be played, which should be determined before the game begins:

• Open Season - Besides speaking, the reader can also use general gestures, sounds and other references, but no writing or drawing.
• Legit - No other clues are allowed, just read the card.

Each round score 1 point for each correct interpretation. After four rounds, the team with the most points wins.

OR

Players take turns being the reader and everyone else shouts out guesses. First player to guess correctly gets the card. First player to collect five cards wins the game.

In the box: 6 mouth guards, 143 cards

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