Baa Baa Bubbles

 

Baa Baa Bubbles - You're safe until she sneezes!

 

Bubbles is a lovely ewe that has the misfortune of having hay fever. Periodically, as she is eating, she will sneeze... bubbles. If you are the one that is feeding her when she sneezes, you may both end up covered in bubbles.

The Baa Baa Bubbles game includes a colorful, hard, plastic sheep standing next to a plastic haystack. The back/top of the sheep is removable and a bubble solution is poured in before the game is started. Pushing down on the levers on both sides of the sheep will activate the game. During the game, players will be "feeding" Bubbles by pushing her head down toward the haystack. Her head is easy to push and you will hear a squeak sound. As you feed Bubbles the meadow tiles, she will either eat them happily, with no bubble explosion, or sneeze, causing a bubble explosion. Below are images showing the game contents and the bubbles coming up out of her back.

 

There are 12 meadow tiles and each has a number printed on one side, from 1-5. This is the number of times you will push Bubble's head toward the hay on your turn. There isn't any action of actually feeding her with these tiles. 

Object:

Have the most meadow tiles when the game is over.

Set up:

Place the sheep game unit in the middle of the players. Take the top off and add the bubble solution. Replace the top. Scatter the meadow tiles, number side down, around the sheep.

Play:

Players take turns. Choose one meadow tile, flip it over, note the number, and press Bubble's head down toward the hay that many times. With each push, bubbly wool will appear on Bubble's back. If she eats without sneezing, she likes what you fed her and you keep the meadow tile. If Bubbles sneezes, put the tile back in the box and your turn is over. Play until all meadow tiles have either been claimed or put back into the box. The player with the most meadow tiles wins the game.

Try this:

• Play with the sheep before playing a game so the individual will know what to expect. Push the head down and watch the bubbles grow.
• Skip the meadow tiles. Each person pushes the head down the number of times they feel they can get away with before Bubbles sneezes. If you go too far and Bubbles sneezes on your turn, you lose the game. Play best two out of three.
• Use any bubbles solution after the stuff that comes with the game runs out. 
• Have fun blowing, chasing, and popping the bubbles once you are done playing the game.
• Put the round pieces away by picking up one, then stacking it on top of another and picking up both, then stacking them on top of another and picking up all, then put that stack on top of another, etc. Can you pick them all up this way? Put them in the box.
  
• Work on visual discrimination, recognizing numbers 1-5, tactile defensiveness, manual dexterity, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation, process skills

 In the box: Sheep game unit, 12 meadow tiles, 1 oz. bubbles solution.

 

Frosty the Snowman Family Bingo

 

Frosty the Snowman Family Bingo

Finding Christmas games always makes my day. Finding one with all the pieces for only 75 cents makes my week! Frosty the Snowman Family Bingo is based on the children's TV classic Frosty the Snowman. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if this is actually a Christmas program, or is a winter program that just comes out at Christmas time. You could probably play it all winter. 

Frosty the Snowman Family Bingo is made by a company called Aquarius. I have also blogged about A Charlie Brown Christmas Family Bingo game by this same company. Aquarius has an online game and puzzle store on Amazon that has a Peanuts/Charlie Brown section. I like their playing cards, which I have never blogged about because I don’t use them in therapy. The cards are coated, heavy duty, and they really last a long time.

Back to the Frosty the Snowman Family Bingo game. There are 18 bingo cards measuring 4 1/2" x 7 1/16". The grid on the bingo card is 4 x 4, so no free spot in the middle. The back of each bingo card has the rules for playing bingo, so no worries about losing the instructions on this game (see image below). 

The calling cards measure 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" with a picture of Frosty on one side and a common picture of the Frosty characters and name on the other side. There are many different versions of frosty pictures in this game (see image above), so the playing cards are numbered from 1 to 48. When you call a card you can show the picture and give the number. Just to say Frosty will not be enough because you may have 16 sections with different pictures of Frosty.

Bingo games are often won by covering a line horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. However, there are many different additional ways for scoring options (see Try This below) and four of them are pictured on the bottom of the card (see image below).

There are also 150 small, flat, red paper ornaments to use for markers on your card. At Christmas sometimes I use Christmas candy like Hershey kisses in red and green wrappers, or red and green M&Ms for markers.

Here is a copy of the game and directions for play from the back of the playing cards. 

Try this:

• Practice recognizing a winning pattern before playing. Cover a pattern with markers on a card so the individual can see what it will look like. Then set up several cards with multiple markers and a win embedded on each one and ask the player to find it. Work until he is proficient at spotting the winning pattern.
• If the player has trouble seeing a bingo, check the card with them, using your finger in the air to draw a line in the direction you want them to check for each column or row.
• Watch for only one BINGO direction at a time until they are used to watching for it (horizontal, diagonal,  or vertical). Then watch for two directions, then for three. Finally go to a bingo in any direction.
• Stop occasionally and check the player's card. Ask them to point out places where they only need one more to win a bingo. Or point out possible bingos and ask how many more will be needed to win or which squares will need markers to win in that direction etc.
• Display a black and white card with the BINGO pattern for each game highlighted in yellow so the players can remember the pattern they are looking for. This can be done by just drawing a 4 X 4 square on white paper and fill in the pattern.
• Ask player's to hold several marker pieces in their dominant hand as they play. Ask them to bring the pieces to the fingertips, one at a time, and place on the card as they play.
• Use letters as your patterns. You can play for O (border), X, N, L, P, C, G, U, and Z.
• Visualize the letter you are going for as a bingo and do not mark pictures that aren't part of the letter. 
• Pick the pieces off the card after each game, squirreling them into the palm. Try to hold them all without dropping any.
• Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, visual closure, spatial relations, visualization, fine motor, in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation.

In the box: 18 bingo cards, 48 calling cards, 150 markers