Monkey Dunk

Monkey Dunk - My favorite flipping game.

Not all flippin' toys are created equal! I have had my share of the ones that just squish when you push on them, barely move when you let go or lose their bounce quickly. Monkey Dunk is a good quality set that the kids have loved and the monkeys have held up very well. 

The pond is set up in the bottom of the box. There are two blue plastic forms that sit side by side in the box and form the four deep cups that you can shoot the monkeys into. The cardboard background provides a backstop for long shots and is especially helpful for those who cannot grade the pressure (less running to retrieve monkeys who have flown over the game).

Push down on the hard plastic elephant, place it in one of the empty sections, and it will pop up randomly in an effort to block one of your monkeys from making it into a space. I used it once and have not used it since.

Object:
Be the first player to collect five bananas.

Set up:
Set up the box as noted above. Give each player one set of four monkeys (all the same color).

Play:
Everyone plays at the same time to see who can shoot all their monkeys into the pond first. The cardboard bananas are for keeping score. Play a set amount of games, let's say five. At the end of each round, give a banana to the winner. First person to collect 5 bananas is the grand winner.

Try this:

• Take the background down once the person is better able to grade the pressure and is able to get them into the cups without too many long shots flying over the box.
• Aim for 1 out of the 4 sections and see how many the player can get in. 
• Use one section for each of the 4 colors.  See if you can get all of the red in one section, all of the blue in another, etc.
• Work hand-over-hand if the individual has trouble pressing and releasing or grading pressure.
• Call a cup each time before the player shoots, such as right back, or left front, to tell him which cup to aim for. Or let him call the cup.
• Push the box back further or pull it forward to adjust to the person and/or make the game easier or more difficult.
• Time the player and see how long it takes to get all the monkeys into the cups, re-shooting ones that don't go in. Then play again and try to beat that time.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination, grading pressure, manual dexterity, finger isolation, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  
  
  
  In the box: 20 flippin' monkeys, 16 bananas, a target box with four sections, a stand-up background, a pop-up elephant
   

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

Distraction

 

In the box: 54 round number cards, 50 rectangle distraction (question) cards - 100 questions total

 

A short-term memory game that will require you to remember a string of non-sequential numbers, sometimes while being distracted by irrelevant questions and answers.

 

Distraction consists of two decks of cards. A rectangle deck with questions, and a circular deck with numbers, some of which also say "Draw a distraction card".

 

Object:

The winner will be the first player to run out of cards. 

 

Set up:

Deal the 54 circular number cards face-down and evenly between all players. Each player will play the game with this stack of face-down cards in front of him. Shuffle the rectangle distraction (question) cards, face-down, and place the stack off to the side.

 

Play:

Players take turns flipping their top number card and placing it in a central face-up stack in the middle of the players. As each player places their new number card on the top of the stack, they must recite, in order, all numbers before them and end with their number. For instance the first player lays a 4 and says "four". The second player covers the four with a 9 and says "four nine". The third player places a three on the stack and says "four nine three". This goes on until someone turns over and plays a number card that also reads "Draw a distraction card" or until they make a mistake in their number sequence recitation and have to take the whole pile of number cards and put it under their number pile. 

 

Left - Regular number card.  Right - Draw a Distraction number card.

 

When you draw a distraction card, you must read the question and answer it before you recite the numbers, in order. The distraction of reading and answering a question will make it harder to remember the string of numbers. The box promised hilarious diversions, so I figured the questions would lend themselves to funny answers. Maybe it was just us, but I didn't feel that the majority of the questions did. Here is a sampling of the questions, you judge for yourself:

• Who is sitting across from you right now?
• If you had to eat a vegetable with vanilla ice cream, what would it be?
• Would you rather have curly hair or straight hair?
• Would you rather be a dancer or a singer?
• Would you rather be stuck outside on a really hot day or a really cold day?

 Players figured out right away that if you have a long string of numbers to recite, once you read the question don't sit and ponder an answer, just say the first answer that pops into your head. Reading the question was more distracting than coming up with a answer. If you think that someone made a mistake as they recited the string of numbers, you can challenge them. However, chances are neither you nor anyone else will remember what they said as you go to check the cards on the stack. We did this a few times and since no one could remember we had to let it go. Perhaps one player should sit out and just be a recorder of the numbers and could listen for mistakes. Anyway, the game fell flat for me and was more for fun than training someone to develop a better memory. 

Turtle Shells Memory Game

Turtle Shells - a First Memory Game

Turtle Shells offers two versions for play, and neither is your typical memory game. The game comes with three plastic turtles with removable shells. The turtle come in three colors - orange, blue, and green. The shells come in the same three colors. Shells can be mixed and matched on the turtles to form nine different color combinations. The shells are easy to place and easy to pull off. The shells do not snap into place, they just sit on the turtle. However, you can see from the image below that the shell does have a small peg in the top which will sit inside of a hole in the top of the turtle.

Each of the 27 cards shows one turtle combination, such as blue turtle with blue shell, blue turtle with red shell, or blue turtle with green shell. There are nine possible combinations so there are three cards of each color combination. The cards will not be matched to each other, as in a typical memory game, they will be matched to the turtles. 

There are also two oversized dice. Each die has one single color per side, with a total of each color appearing twice on each die.

To read more about why memory games are so popular, read my post Memory Games. Why are They so Popular? This post also has links to the other memory games I have blogged about. 

Object:
Be the first person to win four cards.

Set up:
Place the 27 cards, face-down, on the table. Putting them in a grid may help you remember their locations better than if they are just scattered around the table. Randomly place one shell on each turtle.

Play:
Version 1 - Players take turns. Turn one of the cards face-up. If it matches one of the turtles, you keep the card. You then switch at least two of the turtle shells. If the card does not match, turn the card back over and your turn is over. Try to remember the different color combinations on the cards that have been turned over, you may be able to make a match on your turn. This is easier said than done as the turtles are changing shells, and therefore colors, on each correct play.

Version 2 - Players take turns. Throw the two large dice. If the colors on the dice match a turtle color combination, then you get to turn over a card and play as above. The first player to win four (or more) cards wins.

Try this:

• Skip the game. Place one card at a time in front of the individual and ask him to build the turtle.
• Lay all the cards face-up on the table. Place a random shell on a turtle. See who can be the first to find the three matching cards. Start with one card, or a two card set for a simpler game.
• Assemble the three turtles. Throw the dice until you come up with the colors to match one of the turtles.
• Throw the dice. Make a turtle to match the color combination.
• Throw the dice. If the two colors are different, make the two turtles that would match. For instance, red and blue dice would make a red turtle with a blue shell and a blue turtle with a red shell.
• Mix the cards and place them in a grid on the table. Play a game of memory where you have to match all three to win a set. Therefore, each player can turn three cards on his turn instead of the usual two. For an easier game, if your second turn over does not match your first, go ahead and turn a third card anyway to give players more chances to memorize card locations. For a harder game, if the second turn over does not match the first, end you turn then and flip the cards back over.
• Set up the turtles with shells in any color combination. Pick up a small stack of cards in the non-dominant hand and sort through them, pushing the top card off the the thumb one at a time, looking for any of the nine cards that will be matches. Keep going through stacks of cards until you have found and sorted out all nine matches.
• Use two hands to throw the dice. Place one die in one hand and one die in the other. The are big, so you will not be able to roll them in-hand like a typical, smaller die. So, being careful, roll each one around in one hand, simultaneously, and then throw. Can you coordinate your hands so that you can accomplish this task?
• Pick up one turtle in one hand and pick up and place the shell with the other hand, to engage both hands (instead of letting the turtle sit on the table top while you add the shell).
• Sort out two cards from each color combination (18 cards total). Mix them and place them in a face-down grid on the table. Place one turtle combination on the table. Play a memory game until you find the two color combinations. Keep playing in this way until all nine sets have been found. 
• Work on visual memory, visual discrimination, spatial relations, visual scanning, figure ground, manual dexterity, play and leisure exploration and participation, socialization skills, process skills
  
  In the box: 3 plastic turtles, 3 turtle shells, 2 extra large dice, 27 memory game cards (nine sets of three matching cards
  Ages 3+, 2-4 players
   

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

Magnetic Wooden Pocket Dolls

2 Magnetic Wooden Pocket Dolls, 33 pieces of clothing

A simple beginning activity to introduce dressing or work on seasonal dressing. The activity comes with 2 girls and 33 pieces of clothing.  All pieces are a shiny paper glued to a type of pressed wood. The backs of all the clothing pieces are magnetic, and the clothing sticks to the dolls. The dolls are approximately 6 inches tall and no type of stand for the dolls is included. The vinyl storage bag is separated into three sections on the front and each section has a flap with a snap on the top to secure it. There is a heavy cardboard piece in the bag that is printed on the back with all the clothing. Clothing includes summer and winter, rainy day, bedtime, costumes, and swimwear. Here is a picture of all the pieces:

Try this:

• Tell a simple story about what the doll will be doing and ask the individual to dress the doll for the occasion.
• Talk about seasons and weather and dress the dolls appropriately.
• Dress a doll and ask the individual what the weather would be to match the outfit.
• Sort the clothes by types, such as tops, bottoms, hats, shoes.
• Dress the doll one piece at a time as the child dresses. For instance, the child puts a shirt on the doll and then puts a shirt on herself. Then puts pants on the doll and dresses self in pants, etc.
• Work on body awareness, dressing skills, identifying seasonal clothing, visual discrimination, manual dexterity, creative play, coordinated use of both hands, spatial relations, process skills, executive functioning skills
  

In the bag: 2 girls, 33 pieces of clothing

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