Speedy Eddy

Speedy Eddy - Snails follow directions as they race in a circular garden

Somewhere in a secret vegetable garden several snails are preparing to "run" a race. Who will make it to the finish line first on this unusual circular game board? Will you be the new Speedy Eddy?

There are four snails (red, green, yellow and purple), and each snail is made up of 2 pieces - a body and a shell that sits on top of the body. There is a small magnet on the top of the snail and one on the bottom of the shell so that they stay together and so it is not difficult to move them as a unit.

This is an all-wooden game played on a unique round game board. There are a total of 36 spaces on the board and each space is numbered (1-36). All snails start on the space on the outer edge marked Speedy Eddy, and the winning snail will be the one who arrives first on the space in the very center of the game board which pictures a trophy with the name EDDY. There are 2 dice, each with one, two, and three snails on them (see the image below). They are oversized and lightweight.

Object:

Be the first snail to cross the finish line to win the game.

Set up: 

Place the board on the table. Each player chooses one snail and places it, with it's shell, on or by the starting space. Place the dice and the round belt chips near the game board.

Play:

Players take turns throwing both dice. Here are the rules for moving:

• If a snail has a shell on when it begins its turn, it advances the number of squares that corresponds to the total of the 2 dice.
• If the snail does not have a shell on, the player advances the body the number of squares shown on one of the dice. Then he moves any free shell the number of squares shown on the other die. NOTE: A snail may not have a shell if he has lost it due to landing on a Strong Winds space (explained below). There are 9 of these spaces on the board where one may lose his shell.
• When a body and a shell end up on the same square, the snail must be assembled. (Does not have to be the same color.)
• If after having played the first die, a snail has found a shell, then the completed snail advances the number of squares shown on the second die.

SPECIAL SQUARES

If you land on a special square, you must follow these directions:

• Strong Winds - The shell must be moved off the snail and placed on the space that is indicated on the strong winds space. The body stays on the strong winds space.
• Lucky Clover Field - You roll the dice and play again.
• Belt - You collect one belt chip. Give that chip back the next time you land on a Strong Winds square and you will not lose your shell.
• Mole Hole - The Mole Hole takes you to the square indicated in the hole.
• Salad Leaves - The snail stops for a snack. Only a matching pair of dice will get you on your way again.
• Flying Carrots - You just got knocked out by a flying carrot. You lose your next turn.

Play until someone, with or without a shell on its back, crosses the finish line and wins the game and is given the honor of being the new Eddy. The shell and snail colors do not have to match.

Try this:

• Advance a snail around the board, following the path, before playing a game so the player will understand the direction they will be going.
• Cup the hand before shaking or rolling the dice. They are a little oversized and it may be difficult for a smaller hand to shake them. If that is the case, cup both hands to shake the dice.
• Use two hands and coordinate rolling one die in each hand before throwing.
• Cup one hand, drop in the dice, then cup the other hand and place it on top of the first hand before shaking.
• Point out a special space before playing a game, such as a Salad Leaves or Lucky Clover Leaves space. Then trace the path with a finger, from beginning to end, and count how many of those spaces you find.
• Place the four snails on the table. Then place one shell at a time in the palm of the player. Ask him to bring the shell to the fingertips and orient it, in-hand, before placing it on the snail.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination, figure ground, manual dexterity, palmar arch development, in-hand manipulation, finger isolation, simple counting and adding, executive functioning skills, social interaction skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation 

In the box: Round game board, four 2-part snails, 2 dice, 4 belt chips

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

 

Buggo

Buggo - A bug-themed game that teaches simple counting (1-5), VP skills

If you're not put off by the thought of building your own collection of creepy crawlers, check out this game. It is billed as a counting game for beginners. Players will be required to find from 1-5 bugs on each turn. Strangely (to me) there are no numbers on these cards. The bug cards (see images below) show words instead of numbers. If the individual does not read, you can count the bugs on the bug card instead. If the card says TWO BUGS, it will show two bugs. The bug tiles (yellow cards below) will show one, two or three bugs each. BUGGO is the spider with the brown and blue body (see him on the box cover above).

Object of the game:

Collect the most bug tiles and BUGGO tiles.

Set up:

Shuffle the playing cards and place them in a pile, face-down on the table. Mix and place the bug tiles face-down on the table, side-by-side (not in a pile). This is called the "sandbox" of tiles.

LEFT: Bug card.  RIGHT: Bug tile.

Play:

Players take turns. On your turn, take the top card off the bug card pile and turn it face up on the table. It will either have a number or it will read BUGGO.

• If the card shows a number - Attempt to find that many bugs on bug tiles in the sandbox. Turn tiles over one at a time. If you get the exact number, take the tile and your turn is over. If you get a tile with fewer than the number on your bug card, you have the option of turning over more tiles or stopping. If you stop, you will keep the tile(s) you have turned over that total lower than the number on your bug card. If you keep going and end up revealing more bugs than the number allowed on the big card, turn all tiles back over (face-down) and leave them where they are. Your turn is over. When someone has to do this, try to remember where the bugs are so you can turn them when you need them.
• If the card reads BUGGO - Attempt to turn over a bug tile with BUGGO's picture on it (the blue and brown spider in the image above). If you succeed, take the BUGGO tile and your turn is over. If you fail to find a BUGGO tile, turn the tile back over and your turn is over. If you happen to turn a BUGGO tile over when you are looking for other bugs, say you have a FOUR BUGS card (image above), your turn ends immediately. You must turn face-down any other tiles you have already turned over in that turn and you must also put one of the tiles you have previously won back into the sandbox, face-down. If this happens to someone else while they are playing, try to remember where BUGGO is so it won't happen to you too! AND, so that when you need BUGGO, you will know where to find him.

The game ends when four BUGGO cards have been collected. The person with the most bug tiles is the winner.

Try this:

• Turn the bug tiles where they lay. Don't allow the individual to pull the cards to the edge of the table for easier handling.
• Play with the cards before starting the game. Practice counting the bugs on the cards.
• Place a line of tiles on the table and count the bugs across. Place more tiles as the individual learns to count higher.
• Place two like tiles on the table, making sure they are in different orientations. Ask the player to turn the tiles so that the two are facing the same direction.
• Turn tiles face-down on the table and play a game of matching/memory. This will be easier than the typical version where there are only two of each kind because there are many identical of each card. Adjust for difficulty by subtracting or adding additional matches.
• Sort tiles by images. Four different images.
• Stack the tiles before putting them in the box. How many can you hold in your hand as the stack gets taller. Place the stack on top of each new tile, picking it up as part of the stack. Place them in the box by handfuls.
• Place the tiles face-up on the table. As the player learns to count higher, say a number such as 10, and ask the player to pick up cards with bugs that equal 10. How many different combinations can you get for 10?
• Place all the bug tiles on the table face-down, except for the BUGGO tiles. Mix them in with the other tiles but leave them face-up. Study the tiles. Now turn the BUGGO cards face-down and see how many bug tiles you can turn over and collect before you reveal a BUGGO tiles.
• Set up the game as in the suggestion directly above this one. Now mix the bug cards and place the pile, face-down, by the tiles. Each player turns one card over on his turn and picks that many bug tiles off the table, avoiding the BUGGO tile. When someone reveals a BUGGO tile, end the game. The person with the most tiles is the winner.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual memory, spatial relations, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, simple counting, process skills, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

 In the box: 55 playing cards, 36 bug tiles