Roller Coaster Challenge

Roller Coaster Challenge - A 1-person logic game

Are you the type of person who likes to tinker around, using a little trial and error when you're building something? My husband and his mother are that way. No matter what they're assembling or building, they don't even look at the instruction sheet unless they really get stumped, which seldom happens. For them, I guess it's the journey. But I am not that person. Never one that enjoyed assembling or building stuff, I go right for the instruction sheet and follow it to the letter. Let's just get this over with! That's how I would feel about playing Roller Coaster Challenge. But that's just me, you might love it.

This is a 1-person logic game that has 40 challenges that increase in difficulty as you go. The roller coasters are built on a gray base (see image above). The individual pieces are plastic and a little bendable. Some of them do take a little push so that they stay together as you build. There is a variety of different pieces including straight pieces of different lengths, curved corners and arches. The roller coaster car is very small and has a ball bearing on the bottom which allows it to roll on the tracks.

Each challenge card will show where some of the pieces are located. At the very bottom it shows the additional pieces you will need to add to make a connected and smooth track. It's your job to figure out where and how to connect these pieces. The answer is on the back. Often kids will want to skip over the easy challenges, figuring it a waste of time. But I think doing at least one of the beginning challenges will show the individual how the pieces go together and what is expected so they don't have to try and figure out that part while they are attempting to solve a hard challenge. Here is an example of the first (easiest) challenge, middle and last (hardest) challenge.
 

Challenges 1, 20 and 40

Solutions 1, 20 and 40

Choose a challenge card, set up the pieces in the locations that are indicated, then use the pieces shown at the very bottom to finish the track. I have to admit, after watching someone take 10 minutes to build a track, and then watching the car take 1 second to zip to the bottom, it did seem quite anticlimactic. 


If you would like to read more about one-person logic puzzles, check out my post What's in Your Therapy Box? Logic Puzzles Edition.

Try this:

• Solve a challenge as the individual looks on. Talk out loud as you go to teach them how to progress and solve problems if they arise. Then take it apart and let the individual build it.
• Place the pieces from the front of the card onto the grid. Gather the rest of the pieces you need and then flip the card and build the track from the solution side. That might be enough of a challenge for some.
• Build the roller coasters from the solution side of the card.
• Work on visual discrimination, visualization, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, logic, problem solving, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

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

Rubick's Battle Card Game

Rubik's Battle Card Game - Based on Rubik's cube but easier

 

If you liked the Rubik's Cube but, like me, never hung in there long enough to finish it, maybe Rubik's Battle Card Game is for you. This fast-paced game will require you to scan, think, and respond quickly to win.
 
The 60 cards are bright and colorful, like the original Rubik's Cube. There are six colors featured in total. Each card has a 3 x 3 grid on one side and measures 2 7//8" square. The cards in the image above show you exactly what to expect.

Object:
Collect all the Rubik's cards.

Set up:
Shuffle all the cards and deal them, face-down, evenly between the players. Players keep their face-down piles in front of them.

Play:
Players all play at the same time. On go, all players flip over their top card for all to see. Players quickly scan all the cards that are face-up on the table. The first player to call out a color based on their own card that one of the following criteria, collects all of the cards in play and places them face-down at the bottom of their pile:

• A color on the player's card that is NOT present on any other player's card. For instance, in the example below, player three would call out white to win the round because white is only found on that player's card.
  
• A color on every card in play except for that player's card. For instance, in the example below, player three would call out red to win the round because red is found on everyone else’s card but NOT found on his card. 
  

If a player calls out a color and it is wrong, they must give one card from their face-down stack to each of the players to add to their face-down stack. If no one wins a round, players keep playing, adding more cards to their face-up stack until someone does win a round and wins all the stacks. Your pile of cards will either get bigger or smaller, depending on how observant/correct/fast you are. Play until one person has collected all the cards and won the game.

Try this:

• Practice learning the rules before playing a game. Review one rule and then place three cards face-up on the table and identify a pattern that follows that rule. Keep playing three at a time until you are fast at spotting the cards. Then review the second rule and go through the stack again, finding the cards that follow that rule. Finally put them both together and practice.
• Sort the cards into six piles by color. Hold a deck in one hand and push the top card off with the thumb to separate. Place on the stack with the other hand. I flipped through almost all of the cards and every one had one color that appeared more often than the others.
• Sort the cards into piles by pattern. You can find a pattern of a single color on most every card. Patterns include four corners, letter H, full border, columns on two opposite sides, and X.
• Practice recognizing one color at a time. Place a large, face-up grid on the table. Pick up all the cards that have orange. They pick up all the cards that have green, etc. Keep playing until you have picked up all the cards.
• Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, visual scanning, manual dexterity, processing speed, 6 color recognition, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 60 cards

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