Money Bags

Money Bags - A Coin Counting Game

Money Bags Coin Game is the coin value game that helps you make sense of cents. Wind your way from start to finish, working on coin identification, coin value, adding coins and exchanging money of lesser value for greater value as you go.

This Money Bags game is an updated version of Learning Resources' original Money Bags game. The original is based on chores a kids might do and get paid for. This one doesn't exactly have a theme, but the board is designed somewhat like a Rube Goldberg machine. Other than the looks, they changed very little in this newer version.

The game board is colorful and has a 32 space path shaped like a dollar sign (see image below). There is a spinner built into the board. The spinner shows one quarter, one dime and one nickle, each with a red circle and line through them. Also on the spinner is a spaced marked Any Coins. This will tell you which coins you can or cannot use when counting our your money. Instructions for the spaces on the board include the following:

• Amount of money - Count out and take that much money from the bank. Amounts range from 11¢ to 55¢.
• 10¢ Change it Up space - You must exchange some of your money of lesser value for money of greater value. For instance, exchange 4 quarters for a dollar bill or two dimes and a nickel for a quarter. You will also earn 10¢ interest on this turn unless you can't exchange any money.
• Dollar sign space - You may take all the money on the MONEY BAGS image (more about this below). Replenish the money bag with 41¢ from the bank each time it is emptied.

Ten $1 dollar bills and 100 coins are included. There are 25 of each coin (penny, nickle, dime and quarter) and they are a lightweight plastic and have the raised lip around the edge. The instructions are printed in four different languages but the money is American only. The four pawns include two females and two males.

I actually like the original Money Bags game better because each space indicates a chore that you did to earn the money while the spaces on this game just show money amounts. With the other game you can take the opportunity to talk about chores, earning money, saving money, etc.

To see a list of games with money that I have blogged about, click here.

Object:
Be the person with the most money at the end of the game.

Set up:
Place one coin of each value on the money bags space (41¢). Place the rest of the money nearby, this is the bank. Each player chooses one pawn and places it on the Start space.

Play:
Players take turns. Throw the die, move that many spaces and note the amount of money that is printed on that space. Spin the the spinner to tell you which coin(s) you may or may not not use when counting out your money. Count out your money and place it near you. Play continues in this manner until someone reaches the finish line. All players now count the money they have accumulated and the one with the most money is the winner.

Try this:

• Sort the coins into piles by denomination before beginning the game. Say the name and value of each coin as you drop it into a pile.
• Assign the person who needs money practice to be the banker or let each person be his own banker and count out his own money.
• Count all the money in the box. How much is there? Put the coins in piles of $1.00 as you go for easy adding at the end.
• Pick up (or put) several coins in the hand for sorting. Bring one coin at a time to the fingertips to drop.
• Look for a nice rounded web space before flicking the arrow.
• Use different fingers to flick the arrow.
• Skip the spinning of the arrow and just advance around the board collecting money.
• Spin the arrow and then remove the coins not allowed from the bank, if the player has trouble understanding the concept at first.
• Skip the game, line up the coins on the table with the face side up. Put one coin in the players palm or a couple coins at the base of the fingers. Ask him to move coins, one at a time, to the finger tips, turn it to the correct side, and place it on the table.
• Make change for $1. See how many different ways you can do it. Pick up the coins one at a time as you count and squirrel them into the palm without dropping. When you get to $1 (or when you have so many coins you think you might drop some), lay the money on a $1 bill. Repeat. See how many $1 bills you can count change for before the bank runs out of change.
• Work on in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, fine motor precision, palmar arch development, web space, finger isolation, thumb opposition, coin identification and value, adding coins, making change, money management, visual discrimination, spatial relations, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 1 game board, 1 die, 100 plastic coins, 10 play dollar bills, 4 game markers

Ages 7+, 2-4 players


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

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.