Frida's Fruity Fiesta

Frida's Fruit Fiesta Game -Four in a row alphabet game.

I've seen Frida's Fruit Fiesta Game many times in passing on Amazon, but never realized it was an alphabet game. Help Frida feed her little ones by collecting fruity bowls (with letters). Add the letter bowls to your bingo-type card, get four in a row and win the game.

The game board is actually the bottom of the box. It is decorated like a forest, with a large monkey swinging from a tree at the top and a large monkey sitting at the base of the tree. The letter bowls are a rubbery blue plastic, each with a single letter standing in it. There is one letter per bowl and there are 26 bowls, one for each letter of the alphabet. The bowls are rounded on the bottom and rock easily.

The Frida squeezer is large and made of plastic. Like The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel by the same company, I'm not crazy about it, but this time for a different reason. The toucan's mouth is open just a little wider than the thickness of the letter. If the player does not have good control, picking them up will not be easy. I tried to pry it open but it did not work, too stiff. If your main goal is to work on the alphabet and there is frustration with the squeezer, use a different type of tong or your fingers. Set the toucan squeezer off to the side for show as she is a part of the story. If your goal is manual dexterity with precision and a steady hand, then go for it.

LEFT:  The bird squeezer/tongs.   RIGHT: Looking down on top of the bird about to pick up a letter. I have not squeezed it yet.

I have to admit that the spinner is unique. There are three spinners in one, equaling three times the practice. Each letter of the alphabet is represented once, and there are some additional images on the spinners also. If you land on one of the images you will do the following:

• Fruit Bowl -Choose any fruit bowl from the rain forest. Make sure it matches a letter on your card.
• Double Fruit Bowl - Choose any two fruit bowls from the rain forest.
• Monkey - Put one of your fruit bowls back into the rain forest (return it to the box).
• Bird - Steal a fruit. Take a fruit from someone else's card. Make sure it matches a letter on your card that you need.
• Spin again - Yup, just what it says. Spin again.

For see other games that feature the alphabet that I have blogged about, click here.

Object:
Be the first person to get four in a row on your card, horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

Set up:
Stand all the fruit bowls in the box bottom. Give each player a nest card. Place the spinner and Frida squeezer near the box.

Play:
Player take turns. Spin all three spinners and then choose one of the three to make your move. Do what the spinner indicates (see explanation above). Your turn is over. Play until someone gets three in a row to win.

Try this:

• Skip the game. Stand the fruit bowl up in alphabetical order on the table. 
• Look for a nice rounded web space when you spin the arrows on the spinners.
• Skip the game and just stand the fruit bowls on the matching letter on a card. Start with the top row and work your way down as the bowl are tall and will block what is behind them.
• Use a different tweezer/tong from another game or just pick them up with your fingers.
• Stand the fruit bowl randomly on the table. Call a letter and see who can find it first. Play until someone has won five fruit bowls.
• Say each letter out loud as you see it on the spinner and the as you pick it up and place it on the card (to reinforce it).
• Skip the game. Choose one fruit bow (letter) and place it in front of the player. Ask them to find the letter that comes right before it and the letter that comes right after it.
• Sing the ABC song before and/or as you play to reinforce or help them remember the order of the letters.
• As you place each fruit bowl (letter) on your card, name one thing that starts with that letter.
• As you place each fruit bowl (letter) on your card, name one thing that ends with that letter.
• Make a monkey sound each time he shows up on your spin. Or do a monkey dance, each a hard banana chip or a soft bite of a banana.
• Put the fruit bowls back into the box one-by-one as you put the game away. Name each letter as you go.
• Put the fruit bowls back into the box in alphabetical order.

In the box: Rain forest game board (bottom of box), 26 fruit bowls, 1 triple game spinner, 4 nest cards, 1 Frida squeezer

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

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Snug as a Bug in a Rug -Features counting, colors and shapes

Peaceable Kingdom has a line of cooperative games for kids, and Snug as a Bug in a Rug is one of those games. There are three levels of play and the instructions read that Level 1 is for ages 3+, Level 2 is for ages 4+ and Level 3 is for ages 5+. Manufacturers ages often don't factor with me, but I mention it because it means that there are three versions that get a little more difficult as you go. It always seems like a better value when games offer several ways to play. 

Board and pieces.

Above is an image of the box contents. The game board is in the shape of, and printed with the image of, a rug that measures about 14.5" x 10". The board has 8 cardboard "feet" discs on the bottom that measure 1/8" tall and will raise the game board up off the table a little so the round bugs can be slipped under it. The board has a built-in spinner that includes 4 different levels: 1) big and little eyes, 2) four shapes, 3) numbers 1-4 and 4) six colors. The arrow spins freely. There is also a die that features three different attributes (shapes, colors and numbers). Two sides for each attribute. The die is oversized, 1" square. You will use either the die or the spinner to move.

Now for the bugs. There are 24 colorful bugs (cardboard circles) and 3 grey stink bugs. Bugs are all printed the same front and back.The overall goal is to work together to get all of the colored bugs safely hidden under the rug before there are three stink bugs on the rug. How you get them there is how the games differ.

To see other cooperative games I have blogged about, click here.

Object:
Get all the colorful bugs under the board before the three grey stinkbugs are on to of the board.

Set up:
Open the board and place it between the players. Place all the colorful bugs randomly on the board. Place the three stinkbugs and the die nearby.

Play:

• LEVEL 1
• Roll the die once and then set it aside. Which ever attribute (number, color, shape) comes up will be the attribute that the players will match during the game. For the sake of explanation, we will say that COLOR comes up.
• Players take turns. Spin the spinner and see which color comes up. Now find a bug of that color on the rug and slip it completely under the rug. If there are no more of that color on top of the rug, then a grey stinkbug is placed on the rug.
• Now you will only look to match the eyes (big or little), not the attribute you threw on the die. Continue to hide bugs under the rug as they match the eyes. If no eyes match the spin, add another stinkbug to the top of the rug. Keep playing until either all the bugs are under the carpet safely (you win!) or the three grey stinkbugs are on top of the rug before the colored bugs are all safely under the rug (you lose). Win or lose, you will do it as a group.
• LEVEL 2
• In this level you will roll the die on every turn.
• Players take turns. Roll the die and notice the attribute. Now spin the spinner and look at the ring on the spinner with the numbers that is directly above your attribute. Now find a bug with that many of your attributes. For instance in the image above, the arrow landed on the circle and number above it is 4. Find a bug with four circles, remove it and slip it under the rug. Keep playing until someone cannot find the correct combination. At this point you must put a grey stinkbug on the rug.
• Now you will only look for eyes, big or little. Keep taking turns, removing bugs and adding stinkbugs. You win if you get them all under the rug before you place all three stinkbugs on the rug. You lose if all 3 stinkbugs are on the rug before you have removed all the colorful bugs.
• LEVEL 3
• Only the spinner is used on this game, no die is used.
• Players take turns. Spin the spinner and the player must find a bug that matches any two of the attributes that show on the spinner (three will show - shape, color, number). Once no match can be found, follow the same rules as the two games above until you have a winner.

Try this:

• Skip the game. Choose any one attribute and sort the bugs into piles. For instance by colors or by shape. Then mix them all together, choose another attribute and go again.
• Skip the game. Place all the colored bugs on the table. Spin the spinner and look at the color and attribute. See who is the first person who can spot that bug on the rug. Give that person one point. Keep playing until someone has five points and wins the game.
• Stack several bugs in a small stack. Pick up the stack and push them off, one at a time, onto the rug during set up.
• Cup the hand to hold the die. If a person has difficulty cupping the hand, place a ball in the hand and ask the player to cup it, then remove it and replace it with the die. Ask the player to keep the hand in that position while saying snug as a bug in a rug three times. Or, cup both hands and put one over the other while shaking the die.
• Isolate different fingers to flick the spinner.
• Look for a nice "O" in the web space while spinning the spinner.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, counting to 4, shape, number and color recognition, arch strength and support, in-hand manipulation, isolating fingers, flicking, process skills, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 1 game board, 1 die, 24 colorful bugs, 3 grey stink bugs

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