Quercetti FantaColor Junior

A big peg board, can be used with small hands.

Work on visual discrimination, eye-hand coordination, figure ground, in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, separation of two side of the hand, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 8 pattern cards, 48 plastic chips, 1 chip board, plastic carrying case

Similar to Ravensburger's Junior Colorino, this activity has large smooth chips that can be manipulated by small hands. Unlike Junior Colorino, this peg board has holes instead of plastic nubs. The plastic chips are pushed into the holes. It takes a little push and pull to add or remove them, but it is fairly easy and they stay put. You can either put the chip board flat on the carrying case to work, or you can slant it, like in the picture above. Each of the pattern cards have a colored picture on the front and a black and white drawing of the same image on the back. The carrying case holds all the pattern cards and chips and snaps closed securely.

If you would like to read more about peg board activities, check out my post What's in Your Therapy Box? Peg Board Edition.

Try this:

• Put one chip in in the individual's hand, upside-down and at the base of the fingers. Ask him to use the thumb to push the chip to the fingertips and then orient for placement.
• Take the picture out and then add several chips in a row. Then ask the individual to make the same pattern under yours.
• Use the white side of the pattern and let the individual choose their own colors. See if they can keep their chips inside of the image.

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

Junior Colorino

Junior Colorino button pegboard and pattern cards.

Junior Colorino is a button pegboard set. The board is 8.5 X 12.25 inches and has 54 plastic round nubs that you snap the buttons onto. They are not hard to push on, but fit snug enough to stay on. On the back of the board there are four small clips that hold the picture in place so it doesn't move around. The board can be used flat, or on a slanted surface. I usually clip it to a slant board. The chips are smooth plastic and measure 1.25 inches across.

 

There are only four cards in the set and you can see them all in the image above. Each card has the same image on both sides, one in black and white and one in color. 

 

Try this:

• Put one chip in in the individual's hand, upside-down. Ask him to use the thumb to push the chip to the fingertips and orient for placement.
• Remove the picture and place several chips on the empty board. Ask the individual to repeat your pattern.
• Place the chips on the opposite side of the board so the individual must cross midline to get them.
• Work on manual dexterity, visual discrimination, hand-eye coordination, crossing midline, reaching, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation 
  

In the box: 4 game cards (colored on one side, black and white on the other), 1 transparent large chip board, 37 round chips in four colors

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

Mental Blox 360 Degrees

Mental Blox 360 Degrees building game.

In the box: 15 pieces, 40 double-sided puzzle cards

A 3-D puzzle that will require you to use logic and deductive reasoning to build 3D models from different 2D perspectives. The 15 plastic pieces are smooth, hollow plastic, brightly colored, and easy to manipulate.

The pattern cards have a puzzle on the front, showing you the pieces you will need, the finished puzzle, and the perspective that you are looking at. For instance, look at the top right hand corner of the first puzzle in the image below and you will see a small box that is colored blue on the top. That tells you that the finished model below it is being pictured from the top. The back of each card will show you the puzzle solution, from different angles if necessary to see all pieces.

 

The challenges increase in difficulty as you go, and the first image above shows the simplicity of the first puzzle, and the second and third images show the complexity of the last puzzle in the box. Sometimes you will need to use both hands to balance pieces as you go. I love when challenges increase in difficulty as it can help kids develop greater skills as they go. This one has been a challenge for most. For easier versions of Mental Blox, check out Mental Blox and Mental Blox Jr.

If you are interested in more of this type of activity, check out my post What's in Your Therapy Box? Pattern Blocks Edition.

Try this:

• Start by examining each piece. Turn it this way and that and discuss how one piece can look different when looking at it from different perspectives. Stack pieces so that you can see how they fit together in different orientations.
• Use consistent directional and positional language as you work.
• Choose a challenge and build the model while the child watches. Then take it apart and give him the pieces and let him build it.
• Think our loud as you build so that the individual can learn from your problem solving and reasoning processes.
• Turn the card over and try building from the answer side. This can even be a challenge for the more difficult ones.
• Allow the child to identify the error if he builds it incorrectly. If he cannot correct it without help, verbally state the problem and help him walk through problem solving a solution.
• Hand the child each piece as he builds until he can determine where to start and how to proceed.
• Work on visual discrimination, visualization, spatial orientation/position in space, visual closure, visual form constancy, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

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



Bare Books - DIY Game Boards

Bare Books - Design your own games at a reasonable price.

Bare Books is a company out of Milwaukee, WI that for years has sold inexpensive bare books, games, puzzles and calendars. By bare I mean blank. Have you ever searched for a game specific to your needs that you just couldn't find? Now you can make it yourself. 

They make five different game boards. The two above are 18" x 18" quad fold, and each sell for $3.95. They also sell round game boards. The board itself is thick, just what you would find in a typical off-the-shelf game. The top is glossy and you can use permanent marker, stickers, or cut and paste/tape things onto the board. 

The money reminds me of Monopoly money. There are six different colors and denominations: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100. You can buy money either with numbers printed on it or blank and customize it for your needs. The pawns are wood and the pawns, dice, and 2-minute timer are all typical game pieces. The blank cards are thicker than the Chance cards you would find in a Monopoly game and you can customize them with whatever you want. The spinner is totally blank. I ordered the framed game board kit and here is what came in the box:

The entire game kit, including a large board, is $7.95.

The folded game board is on the bottom of the box (black) and it is a quadfold, so you are looking at one fourth the size of the board (9" x 9"). Prices are very reasonable and you can buy things by the piece or save a little money and buy it in a kit, as I did. I feel the pieces are all typical game quality and a good value for the money. Here is information from their 2015 catalog. Shipping is $10 for an order of $1 - $100 and 10% for orders over $100.

You will find the Bare Books company at www.BareBooks.com.