Underwater Themed Games

Underwater-themed Games and Toys

I've always been attracted to anything that has to do with water - sea creatures, shells, swimming, lighthouses, beaches, boats, aquariums. I've always been intrigued by shows like Jacques Cousteau (I'm dating myself here) and more recently Nova on PBS. I'd rather go to Sea World than Disney Land. I have one web cam pinned to the task bar on my computer - the sea otters in Monterey Bay, California. Sitting on the beach, listening to the sea gulls and watching the waves roll in is my happy place. Is it any wonder I liked the name "The Playful Otter" as soon as it came to mind? I've visited the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago many times, even making it a family destination for Thanksgiving one year. My favorite park in the world is Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Just writing this introduction makes me long to be sitting on the beach in Wisconsin somewhere.

This life-long attraction, this love for the water and everything related (except fishing), is my inspiration for this post. I do not go looking for games with these themes, but have collected many over the years none-the-less. Here are some games I have blogged about that have something to do with sea creatures or water. Click on a link to go to that post and don't forget to check out the ideas under Try This:
 

Ocean Bingo - Learn all about the ocean (not just animals) in this colorful game of bingo. An underwater treasure for sure.


Mighty Mind Aquarium Adventure - Yep, all 24 colorful pattern cards feature underwater scenes in this tangram puzzle with 32 pieces.

Doodle Quest  - Combine visual perceptual skills with fine motor precision in this great game with 32 deep sea adventures. Full of fish, divers and treasure chests.

Batik Junior - Place your fish in the aquarium, but don't be the first to leave a piece sticking out the top.

The Shell Game - It will take logic and strategy to solve these 60 puzzles.

Fish Farts - An Android app, work on visual tracking and motor planning. Plenty of satisfying sounds that kids love.

Fish Stix - Line up the fish stix to form patterns.

Magnetic Go Fish Go Maze - A simple toy maze for beginners.

Spot It! Splash - My favorite card game for therapy. Plastic cards can be used in the water.

Sink or Swim - A logic slide puzzle with a very active 3D pool scene. You're going to have to be good to get through these 30 challenges. 

UNO H2O  - The original UNO game with plastic cards so you can play in the water.

Fish or Cut Bait - Be the player who catches the most fish in this fishing dice game with custom dice.

Spot It! Splash - One of my favorite card games in a summer theme. Includes puffer fish, waves, surf boards, water wings, swimsuits, beach balls and more.

North Pole Camouflage - Penguins, whales, Eskimos and polar bears will greet you in this logic puzzle set at the North Pole. Solve 48 challenges.

Angling Fever  - Can you hold the pole steady enough to pick up the wooden fish?

I SPY Go Fish  - Figure ground game that includes fish, shells, crabs, etc. along with other things.

Fish A Ree  - A measuring game. Are you learning to use a ruler?

Fish Feud - I like the squishy fish but the wobbly launchers were a disappointment.

Learn Numbers Flat Fish - There are lots of options for play with these flat foam fish and laces. Features number for counting game.

Catch & Count Fishing Game - Work on numbers and colors as you reel in fish with your own wooden fishing pole.

Splish Splash - Collect the small water droplets as they fly out of the pool.

Fishing-Opoly - I have not blogged about this yet, but if you are a fisherman/woman, check it out on Amazon.

River Crossing Lagoon Jr. Adventure - Figure out how to cross the river without getting wet to rescue a cot ot to join a friend on the other side. Logic puzzle with 40 challenges.

Fisher Price Go Fish - Play six different games as you use the suction cup fishing pole to fill your boat with colorful cardboard fish. Games include matching, memory, and/or sequence.


HONORABLE MENTION

A lot of games feature fish or underwater content in different ways but it is not the main focus. These are some of those games:

Progressive Puzzles - 9 board puzzles for beginners. Three puzzles each with 4, 6 and 9 pieces. One puzzle from each category is a sea creature.

Stretch and Match Geoboard - Includes colorful fish cards to place under a pegboard. Stretch bands around the outlines.


Picture Peg - Includes a colorful fish picture to fill with pegs.

Geoboard Design Center - Features several templates with this content. One of my most used activities over the years. 

Animal Soup - A big orange shark features prominently in one of the four flip books for this game.




I'm sure there will be more to come...


 

Maze Book:Follow Me Finger Mazes

Follow Me Finger Maze Books

I just discovered Follow Me Finger Maze Books, and they're cool. Put your finger in the groove and trace over the maze. Spatial reasoning, finger isolation, simple problem solving, it's got my vote.

This is a board book, meaning extra thick pages, and it measures 9" x 8.25". There are 7 pages and a maze on the front of the book, so 8 mazes in all. Each is a different scene and includes underwater, forest, city block and more. There is a sentence at the bottom of each page asking you to find animals in the picture. 

The groove on the front of the book is about 2 cm deep, a nice depth to feel the sides on your finger and keep you on track as you trace. However, the inside pages are not made from the same material. Inside it is just a laminated card stock with a cut out maze on top of a colored page, so you don't have the depth to trace in like you do on the cover. However, I can feel the edges of the path as I trace because there is a tiny bit of depth. The edges are rounded so you won't get paper cuts. I will say that the background can be kind of busy, but you can see that the maze path still jumps out at you. When you reach your destination there is a hole in the page. Put your finger in the hole, lift and turn the page. You're ready for your next adventure.

There are several different books in this series including Follow Me Farm, Follow Me Around the World and even a couple of holiday books. The author also makes an alphabet book with large cut-out letters to trace. I would have loved that back in the day when I was a school OT. I can't justify buying more than one so I bought the one that has a different scene on each page. The other books look like they have more of a single theme running through them, but I didn't check out that thoroughly. I'll leave that up to you if you are interested.

Below are two pages from my book. 

Try this:

• Survey the picture before you start. Look at the different dead ends. Find the correct path on the first maze to teach what the end goal is. Then get busy tracing.
• Use different fingers.
• Look ahead, like you have to do with paper and pencil mazes. See a dead end? Try a different route.
• Choose a picture and take a good long look at it. Try to memorize the path. Put your finger at the start and close your eyes. Concentrate on feeling the edges of the path and try to trace from beginning to end with your eyes closed.
• Work backward from the end. That's always been the fastest way for me to complete a maze.
• If you get stuck, look at what is around you, such as the duck pond, then lift your finger so you can get the big picture again. Then you will know where to put your finger back down when you resume your travels.
• Talk about the scenery as you pass it if it won't be distracting. There is a lot to see on each page. Or do it before or after tracing. 

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