Pass the Bomb Junior

OT and speech come together to Pass the Bomb.

In the box: 55 cards and a bomb

Pass the Bomb is a fast paced game that may qualify as a speech game also. The game is quite simple. Each of the cards has a location and an associated picture. Some of the locations are at a birthday party, in the forest, in a magazine, in a swimming pool, at Christmas, in the sky and in the attic. 

The bomb and several cards.

Players take turns naming one item that would be found in that location. As soon each player is finished, they pass the bomb to the next player who looks at the next card and names an item found in that location. The bomb keeps getting passed around until it goes off. The person who has it when it goes off is the loser. Keep playing until all players are eliminated except one, the winner.

I'm not real crazy about timed games, but the timer runs randomly, anywhere between 10 seconds and 1 minute. Therefore, those who take a little longer to process and answer will not be automatically overrun by the fast thinkers. It's all about the timer. The bomb (timer) is lightweight, hard plastic. It has a red on/off button on the bottom. It ticks audibly about once per second, and when it goes off it makes a lower sound for about one second. Easy enough for everyone to hear. May be annoying to some with noise sensitivities.

There is a small door on the bottom of the bomb that you will need to take off to insert the 2 AAA batteries into the bomb. It has a tiny Phillips head screw and needs one of those small screwdrivers (I usually buy my sets at the $1 store.) Batteries not included.
 

Object:

The person left holding the bomb when it goes off is the loser.

Set up: 

Mix the cards and set them face down in the middle of the players. Give the bomb to the first player.

To play: 

Turn on the bomb and flip the deck. Players take turns. Look at the top card and name one item found in that room. Take the top card off the deck and pass the bomb to the next player. Flip the card, look at the room, and name one item found in that room. This continues until the bomb goes off. That person is now out of the game and the rest of the players repeat the process until only one person is left in the game, the winner.

Try this:

• Use only one card per round. Players come up with different words for the same location. Last person to play before the bomb goes off gets the card. Play several rounds and see who collects the most cards.
• Separate and life each card off the pile while leaving the remaining cards in a stack.
• Work on manual dexterity, fine motor precision, tool use, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation 
  

If you would like to purchase this game or just want more information, click on the image below.

Colorations Wet & Stick Fuse Beads

Colorations Wet & Stick Fuse Beads - 3,200 Perler-type beads

I like the Perler Fuse Beads but have never used them in home therapy for two main reasons: 1) They can take some kids a long time to complete one project and, 2) I do not want to haul an iron around with me. So when I saw these fuse beads that stick together with water I was excited. Before I bought them, I went looking for reviews and could find none. That worried me, but I was so excited to try them that I went ahead and bought them anyway. After trying them out, all I can say now is that I'm not impressed. First I hated them, then I thought they might be OK, then I thought they might not. I'll give you the facts as I see them and you can decide. 

If you don't use fuse beads much and have no idea how many 3200 beads is, here is a little perspective.

These Wet and Stick Fuse Beads are not flat cut on the top and bottom like the original Perler Beads, they are a little rounded. And a few of them have a little extra plastic on the top or bottom that didn't get trimmed off so the bead will not stand exactly straight. That is a big problem. There are 7 bead colors in this jar: red, black, white, yellow, green, blue, and I got a very few orange.

These beads can be used on the standard Perler Bead pegboards (image above right) if you already have them. Otherwise you will have to buy a pegboard(s) because they do not come with these beads.

Start by placing the beads on the peg board to make your design. The instructions say to spray the beads thoroughly with water when you are done, then come back in 30 minutes and they will be fused. I followed the directions and thirty minutes later I was back. The beads were stuck together, but my bead design wasn't anywhere near dry. I picked up the design from the pegboard (they held together well enough for me to lift them) and there was a puddle of goo on the bottom of the pegboard. The puddle looked like glue, so I would recommend washing it off right away. I set my bead design on a paper towel, wet side down, and when I picked it up there was a colorful pattern on the paper towel - the colors bleed. As I gingerly handled the design, since it wasn't dry, all I could think of was maple syrup. This is the place where I hated it and decided I was going to send them back. However... a couple of hours later I walked by and decided to pick it up. It was very dry and not sticky in the least. This is where I thought "hey maybe this will work after all". Much later in the day I picked it up again. I had just washed my hands and they were still a little damp and the bead pattern I had made got instantly sticky when it came into contact with the water on my hands. This is where I am thinking they will probably not work for me. Kids and water, it's just gonna happen. Then once the beads get wet the colors may bleed onto their clothes and the design will fall apart. I think I'm going to send them back.

UPDATE: OK, so I really, really wanted these to work so I kept trying. I came back to the pattern I had made several days later and it was nice and solid. So I thought maybe, just maybe... I took them to several sessions over the next couple of weeks. The biggest problem ended up being the fact that the beads are not exactly uniform, like the original Perler plastic beads are. They are just unstable enough that if you bump one, you may upset many. And nobody likes to do tedious work over and over. So although several kids started patterns, only one finished, and that was with help from me to fix things when they tipped. Bottom line for me, I don't like them.

Try this:

• Work on frustration tolerance, visual discrimination, figure ground, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, fine motor precision, pincer grasp, web space development, palmar arch development, thumb opposition, in-hand manipulation, separation of two sides of hand, shoulder stability, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the jar: 3,200 wet & stick fuse beads