Operation Pet Scan

 

Operation Pet Scan - Now you can honestly say your dog ate your homework!

Rex-Ray has been busy eating everything in sight. A trip to the vet and a "pet" scan reveals multiple objects in his stomach including your slippers, your cell phone, and even your homework! Time for an operation. And you're the doctor!

I've blogged about the traditional Operation game in the past, but Operation Pet Scan is different in several ways. It has a chunky, plastic hand tool (Dog-O-Scope), instead of the metal tweezers that take more fine motor precision, you operate on a vertical surface, instead of a flat surface, and there are multiple new sounds including a dog bark, a gurgling stomach, and a dog fart. The sounds rotate as you play, but you can also get these sounds just by pushing the dog's nose.

The board measures about 13.25" across the widest points. There is a clear plastic piece over the stomach (blue area) to keep the items inside. There are 8 white pieces (the things the dog eats) and none measure more than .75" across the longest side. The Dog-O-Scope is tethered to the game board. There is a hinged door on the back of the dog where the white pieces are stored. Take out the items and then leave the door open (kickstand) and the board will be more stable. The board will lean back a little. It's like the back of a standing picture frame. Takes 2 AA batteries. Only short-life demo batteries included.

Drop an item into Rex-Ray's mouth and it will appear in his stomach. Take the tool and touch it to the plastic that is in front of the item. The item will attach to the tool. Carefully use the tool to guide the piece through the intestines. Most pieces are too wide to fit through going the wide way, so you will have to use the Dog-O-Scope to turn them so they can fit. If you drop the piece anywhere in the middle of the stomach, it will drop out a hole at the bottom and you will have to start over. If you touch the edge anywhere as you travel, you will get a buzzer. It is more forgiving than the original Operation game though. Once you have traveled all through the intestines, the piece will come out an open space right below the tail. Operation complete! Add another piece and try again.

Object:

Be the player who removes the most items.

Set up:

Remove the white items. Prop the board up, place the items on the table next to the board.

Play:

Players take turns. Drop one item into Rex-Ray's mouth. Use the Dog-O-Scope to guide it through. If the buzzer goes off, keep playing. If the item falls out the bottom, your turn is over. Place the item back on the pile of items and the next person plays. If you bring the item all the way through and out the end, you get to keep the item. The next person plays. Keep going until all items have been claimed. The winner is the person with the most items.

Try this:

• Let the individual play a couple pieces through before challenging them to a game so they can get the feel of the tool.
  
• Skip the game, take turns taking out a piece. Go first, talk about your strategy as you go. If they have difficulty, you can teach each time it is your turn.
• If a player gets a piece through, let them add another piece. Keep going to see have many they can get through, without dropping one out, in one turn.
• Play with the board flat on the table first. A piece cannot fall out the bottom this way. When they are used to the tool, then prop the game board into a standing position. 
• Play a game all the way through by yourself. Count the buzzes you get each time you get one all the way through. Play again and try for fewer buzzes.
• Work on visual discrimination, manual dexterity, tool use, motor planning, problem solving, process skills, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

In the box: One game board, 8 small items.

Logic Farm

 

Logic Farm - Strategy game for beginners

 

Logic Farm is a simple strategy game for beginners. With a farm theme, simple pictures and only three rules, it is perfect for younger children.

The game consists of a flat game board base with nine squares in a 3 x 3 grid.  This game board is made of a sturdy cardboard-type material and measures about 6 7/8" x 9". If you look at the box lid in the image above, the gray is the game board.

Logic Farm includes 9 wooden picture tiles. Seven square tiles, a dog and a duck. You can see them all in the images. They measure 1 7/8" square and are printed on one side only. 

Included are 45 challenge cards for three levels of play, increasing in difficulty as you go. Each level has a different border color for quick sorting. The player will be placing three tiles on the game board per challenge on level 1, four tiles per challenge on level 2 and 5 tiles per challenge on level 3 (see image below). The completed challenge is on the back of each card.

The goal is to complete each challenge using the three game rules. They are:

• The dog must always be facing the ball.
• The fence must always be leading to the house door.
• The mother duck must always be right in front of the baby ducks, facing forward (leading the babies).

Each game rule will require two tiles. If you look at the top of the gray game board on the box front, you will see the three rules pictured there for easy reference. 

This game is from the makers of Logic City. The kids were enthusiastic about Logic City and I had great success with it. Check it out if you are working on spatial skills.

Set up:

• Place the 3 x 3 grid (empty) in front of the player.
• Choose a challenge card.
• Place the pieces (wooden) that are shown on the challenge card on top of the grid. Make sure they are in the correct spaces or the puzzle may be unworkable.
  

Play: 

Look for a place where you can complete one of the rules. Each rule will consist of two pieces (dog and ball, mother duck and babies, house and path). If there is one piece from a rule already placed on the board, finish it by placing the second piece in the correct location. Now look to see if you can complete another rule, then the third rule. Place as many pieces as you know for a fact where they go to narrow down the spaces you have left for solving the rule(s) that may not have any pieces placed yet. Keep playing until you have placed all nine pieces and finished the challenge. Move to the next challenge.

Try this:

• Work a couple challenges from the solution side of the card. Ask the player to place the pieces and then show you where the tiles are that make up each rule.
  
• Choose a card and demonstrate how the game will be played, talking through the steps as you play. Then take the pieces off the board and ask the player to solve the same puzzle, to see if they understood.
• After the player has memorized the game rules, cover the top of the game board where the rules are pictured. This will require the player to continue to work from memory.
  
• Ask the player to repeat the rules out loud as they work, to reinforce it in the working memory.