Magnetic Ring Game

 

Magnetic Ring Game is not all that it seems to be.

When I blog about a game I try to be fair and talk about my opinion of the good with the bad. Well I'm going to start with the bad on this one. One of the reasons I purchased this was because of its size. Below is their image on Amazon:

 

Here is the real size:

 

In the picture on the box, the ring is as big as the girl's hand. In reality, much smaller. I read the reviews that said it was not as big as in the pictures, but I didn't expect this. I am still trying to decide whether to keep it.

The blue "game board", as they call it, comes in 9 pieces and you must assemble it. It's a simple assembly, but those 4 blue dowels that you see are lighter weight plastic and I was afraid I was going to break one while I was putting it together. The fit is tight and I really had to push. You can't get everything back into the box at the end if you don't take it apart. I found that turning the dowels as I was pulling got them out. I don't know whether turning it like that will wear down one of the pieces over time, but I doubt I will play it enough to find out.

There are 32 magnetic rings. There are four colors and eight of each color. The rings can attract and repel. Drop a ring on the dowel and it will attract. Take it off, flip it over, drop it back onto the dowel and it will repel. One side attracts, one side repels. The gaps in the images come from putting two magnets together that repel each other.

The deck of cards are not printed on a poker deck, as it shows on the deck of cards.

There are 54 cards, printed with a challenge on one side, printed solid blue on the other side. There are four cards with three rings, eight cards with four rings, 15 cards with five rings, 20 cards with six rings and seven cards with seven rings.

 

Object:

Have the most cards at the end of the game.

Set up:

Assemble the blue game board and give each player 8 magnetic rings, two of each color. Assign each player a dowel to play on. Shuffle the deck of cards and place the deck face down on the table. Decide the length of the game - till all the cards are gone, for an amount of time (15 minutes) or until you get through a partial deck.

Play:

All players play simultaneously. Turn the top card face-up and put it on the middle of the game board. All players build as fast as they can. The first one done correctly gets the card. Keep playing until the game is over. Person with the most cards wins.

Try this:

• Skip the game. Build on two dowels, different patterns. Present a card and ask the player to choose which one matches the card.
• Build on all four dowels and present the 4 matching pattern cards. Ask the player to place each card next to the matching dowel. 
• Skip the cards and make your own pattern. Ask the individual to copy your pattern. 
• Hold the card upright so that the player see it the same way they will build it. A stack that is built vertically, but the card is lying flat on the table, may be difficult to interpret.
• Use the word "stack" if the individual tries to build from the top down. If that doesn't help,  place a white card over everything above the ring you are placing. Move the paper up one ring at a time, as it is time to add it.
• Work on sequencing, visual discrimination, spatial relations, visual closure, manual dexterity, process skills, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

Peacock Pals

 

Peacock Pals - 5-peg bird toy

Peacock Pals, by Learning Resources, is a smaller version of Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog. 

There are 5 peacocks in this set, each with 5 holes and 5 pegs of the same color. There are 5 different peg shapes, and each color has one peg of each shape. Each peg is numbered, 1-5. The birds are hard plastic, like Spike, and the pegs are a firm, but softer plastic. FYI - Like the pegs on Spike, the pegs on this are lightweight enough that they could be chewed through for someone with teeth.

One of the reasons I like Spike is because it is a 2-handed activity. Like the peacocks, Spike is made from a hard plastic and he will easily move around the table as you try to push in the pegs if you don't use one hand to stabilize him. The peacocks can also be a 2-handed activity as you can hold a peacock with one hand while adding the pegs with the other. Below is am image of a child so you can get an idea of how big the pieces are.

 

I was surprised to find that the pegs did not all fit the same. Some of the pegs took little effort to push in while others fit more snugly and took a little strength to push in.

Try this:

• Sort by color. Reinforce the color by saying the color out loud as you push in each peg.
• Place the quills in in any order, picking up one quill in each hand and putting them in at the same time, by 2s.
• Hold the bird in one hand and put the pegs in with the other. Then switch hands and do it again.
  
• Call the pegs to add one at a time, by peg number and color.
• Place one peg, upside-down in the individual's hand. Ask them to turn it in-hand to orient and place in the hedgehog.
• Mix two different colored peg sets on the table. Fill one bird, then the other. Add mores sets of pegs to the pile until you can do all five sets.
  
• Put the pieces away by saying each color out loud as you pull it out to reinforce color names. Try to hold more than one in the same hand as you pull them out. Alternate hands.
• Put the pegs in by design. There are 5 different designs so you can fill each bird with one design (which will be one of each color).
  
• Use the opportunity to talk about the peacock, since it may not be a familiar animal to some kids.
• Pick up 2 pieces in the same hand, then put them one at a time into the peacock without dropping any.
  

In the box: 5 peacocks, 25 pegs