Blunders Manners

Blunders Manners - It's ALL about the manners

In Blunders Manners, manners matter. The Blunders are a family with four children. The kids attended the Mannerlys' pool party but ended up getting asked to leave because of their lack of manners. It will be your job to help them learn manners and get re-invited back to the neighbor's home.

Pictured on the game board is a trail that winds through the neighborhood. It starts at the Blunders' home and passes the library, park, mall, school, and ends up back at the Mannerlys'. Players advance forward by correctly answering questions related to manners from question cards. Card types include the following:

• At Home with the Blunders (purple cards) - Covers telephone etiquette, writing thank-you notes, how to be a polite host and guest, respecting adults, peers, and siblings, and personal responsibility.
• Play with the Blunders (orange cards) - Covers manners at school, proper and confident introductions, the importance of not teasing, gossiping, or bullying, and how to get along with others.
• Dine with the Blunders (green cards) - Covers table manners and dining etiquette both when eating at home and in a restaurant.
• Table Setting Cards (yellow cards) - Players will use these cards to learn how to properly set a table.

To play, everyone places a pawn on START, at the Blunders' home. Taking turns, players throw the die and visually proceed that many spaces forward. The spaces on the board are color matched to the four different sets of question cards. The player is asked a question from a color card that matches the space. If the player gets the answer correct, he is then allowed to move forward to that space. If not, he stays where he is and his turn is over. Here are the types of questions that the players will encounter and an example of each:

• Multiple Choice
• When Brenda meets people not only does she not like looking them in the eye, she also feels weird about shaking hands. Why should Brenda shake hands?
• To see if people have sweaty hands.
• To see how strong they are.
• To connect with other people and show she's confident and polite. 
• Charades
• Brenda loves to eat bread. Using the Main Course Plate and Bread/Salad Plate table setting cards, show where the bread plate should be placed in relation to the main course plate.
• True/False
• Becky was at the Mannerlys' house with Mary Beth. Becky wanted to play with her cat, Fritz, so she began to wander around the house by herself looking under beds and in closets. Because Becky is not snooping, it's okay for her to wander around the house.
• FALSE. Becky should never roam around someone's house. She should stick with her friend and let her be the guide.
• Scenario
• What is one thing Billy is supposed to do before he sits down to the table to eat?
• Possible answers: wash his hands; ask the host whether he could help with preparing dinner or setting the table; and take off his hat.

Each color card has some of each of the different types of questions. The first player to make it back to the Mannerlys' home, wins.

I've used this game a lot. A game can easily be played in a therapy session for me, and there are enough cards to play the game many times over. I don't bother with counting the spaces forward and waiting to see if the player answers the question correctly. If you are using this as a teaching tool, people are bound to answer some questions incorrectly and I don't feel they should be penalized for it. Use it as a learning point. So when I play, everyone advances on each of their turns. Then after one person makes it to the finish line, we keep playing until the other person, or all players, reach finish.

Back of the box.

Try this:

• Skip the game board, just use the cards to teach.
• Ask for true or false answers to each choice on a multiple choice question so the player will not have to try to remember the correct answer as you read through all the choices.
• Use only one die instead of two for a longer game.
• Skip matching the card to the space color you land on on the board. Instead, play a game of all scenario cards or all true and false.
• Work on manners (dining, at school, at home, in the community), social interaction skills  
•  
• In the box: Game board, story booklet introducing the Blunders kids, 4 pawns, 3 card decks (Dine, Play, At Home), 2 dice, 9 table setting cards

Make 'N Break Family Game

Make 'N Break Family Game - 80 structures to build

This is my second Make 'N Break game and I like them for a couple of reasons - the building cards and the quality wooden pieces. To play, set the timer and see how many structures you can build from the building cards before it goes off. Each card has a number, 1, 2, or 3, depending on the level of difficulty, and for each structure that you complete before the timer goes off you get that many points. Then at the end of the game players total all their points and the highest score wins. 

There are three settings on the timer. I timed them and there are approximately 40 seconds for number 1, 45 seconds for number 2, and 60 seconds for number 3. The timer does make noise as the dial winds down. There is a die that has 1, 2, and 3 that will tell you the timer setting you will get for your turn.

The wooden pieces are all the same size and easy to handle. They are  3 1/8" tall, 1" wide and 1" deep. 

The 80 building cards are numbered from 1-3 for difficulty, with 1 being the easiest and 3 the most difficult. If the blocks on the card are in color, follow their color pattern. If the blocks on the card are all white, you get to choose the colors. There are color block pattern cards for each number and white block pattern cards for each number.

There are several different games in the Make 'N Break line. Here is a link to a 2-person head-to-head challenge game that I've blogged about - Make 'N Break Challenge.


Object:
Have the most points at the end of the game.

Set up:
Place the pieces on the table within reach of the players. Shuffle the cards and place them in a pile face down. Set the timer, the counters, and the die nearby. 

Play:
One person plays at a time. To start each turn, throw the die to see how long your time will be. When the timer is set, start building. You will have to knock down your structure after each build to start a new card. Working fast will get you the most points. Players who are not playing should be watching to make sure that the buildings are correct. When the timer goes off, add up the numbers on the cards of the buildings that you finished and take that value in counters. After each player gets to play four times, the game ends. Players add up all their counters and the one with the most, wins. 

No matter how good you are, the die will always throw an element of chance into the game. To even the playing field, play three rounds. Each person gets to build with the timer set on three, two, and one. If you want to level it even further, all players play with level three cards only when the timer is set for three, only level two cards when it is set for two, and only level one cards when the timer is set for one. In therapy I usually skip the die, timer and counters, and use it as a building activity, not a game. I place one card at a time in front of the individual and ask him to build the structure. Start with 1 and work your way through 3.

Try this:

• Make a structure and line up two or three cards in front of the player. Ask him to choose the card that matches your structure.
• Skip the game, just build the structures. Use a colored card and push one block at a time to the player to stack if he does not know how to proceed or how to start from the bottom.
• Go through each level and grade the cards from least to most difficult within that level before playing.
• Start with all the white colors and then when they have the idea, move to the colored cards. It is easier just to grab any block than to take time looking for a color. 
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, executive functioning skills, proximal stability, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation 
   

In the box: 10 wooden building blocks, timer, die, 60 counters (values 1 and 10), 80 building cards

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