Flipover

Flipover - Get the animals back into the barn by matching halves

Get each animal back into the barnyard by making 2-piece matches. Flipover has a unique barnyard flipper that you won't find in any other game.

The animal cards are printed on both sides and each side has a different animal half. The left side of each set has a blue border, as you can see above. On the back of each of these cards is the right side of a different animal and all of those cards have an orange border.

The large plastic barnyard flipper (see image above) has a piece (flipper) that will flip a card from one side to the other. The flipper has the chicken card in it (above) and is raised up off the barnyard. That plastic piece will be lying flat until you go to flip it. When you push down on the yellow part of the barn (either side), the flipper will raise up and the card will fall off into the pile on the other side. Once the card is flipped, you will now be looking at the right half of a different animal. 

Game includes traditional barnyard animals as well as other animals that might not necessarily come to mind, but could be on a farm. Some of the animals are chicken, bull, sheep, horse, swan, raccoon, turtle, skunk, bee, and bluebird. There are also sets for a tractor, pumpkin and scarecrow. There are 37 sets in all, but each set will take two cards to complete, so all 37 cannot be made at once.

Set up:

Place the barnyard flipper on a flat surface. Place any one animal card on the side opposite the flipper. Place the rest of the cards, blue border up, randomly on the playing surface, as they have done in the image above.

Play:

Look for the card that will complete the picture of the animal half that is showing in the barnyard flipper. Once you find it, place it next to the piece that is already there, completing the image. Now push down on the yellow part of the barnyard flipper and the flipper will raise up and the card will fall out onto the other side. The yellow piece is easy to push down. You will now be looking at the back of the flipped card. This will reveal a different animal half. Look over the scattered cards and find the other half. Repeat until all animals are back in the barnyard.

Try this:

• Forget the barnyard contraption. Just play with the cards and make as many sets as you can before you run out of cards.
• Place one left half in front of the individual. Place 2 or more right halves on the table and ask the individual to find the one that completes the set.
• Place all the cards, blue border up, randomly on the table. Let the individual flip any one card. Flip it where it is, don't pull to the side of the table for assist. See who can find the matching card first. The person who finds it removes the set. He then flips any card and everyone looks for the half to complete the set. Keep playing until all sets are made. See who has the most sets.
• Turn the cards so that are not all facing upright when scattering them randomly for set up. Place some upside-down, some sideways, etc. so that the individual will have to recognize them at different angles.
• Carefully overlap some of the animal pictures, leaving enough to be recognizable, when randomly scattering the cards for set up.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, visual scanning, visual form constancy, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, executive functioning skills, social interaction skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: Barnyard flipper, 37 cards

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

Gravity Maze

Gravity Maze - Spatial logic game with 60 challenges.

Gravity Maze is a falling marble logic game. Build gravity powered mazes that will carry a marble on a path through the towers. This game will require applying visual perceptual skills, logic, and problem solving skills to be successful. Gravity Maze has won several prestigious awards.

The goal is to build a maze for each challenge so that when a marble is dropped into the top of the first tower, it will flow through the maze uninterrupted until it finally lands in the red target tower. The marbles are metal and smaller than your typical glass marble.

The pieces (towers) are either one, two, three or four cubes tall. The cubes are molded together and do not separate (see the image above). The cubes that look like they are full of color are the cubes with the built in slopes. These slopes will allow the marble to exit out one side only. Place a slope next to the opening of another tower to allow the marble to travel from one tower to the next. Some of the cubes have a smaller amount of colored plastic that is blocking one end and that will stop the marble from passing through. Other cubes are empty and the marble will drop right through them.

There are 60 challenges that increase in difficulty as you go (beginner to expert). The front of each card will show a bird's-eye view of the game grid and a part of the maze with the location and specific orientation for 2-4 towers. It also shows the number of additional towers you will need to add to complete the maze. These additional towers are shown by color and vertical/horizontal orientation only. The solution is pictured on the back of each card.

One challenge card from each level, fronts.

Solutions for the four challenge cards above, backs.

If you would like to read more about one-person logic puzzles, check out my post What's in Your Therapy Box? Logic Puzzles Edition. 

Try this:

• Build the towers from the solutions on the backs if the puzzles are too challenging from the front.
• Start by building a puzzle from the back, then disassemble and turn the card over. Now build it from the front.
• Build a maze, all but the last piece. Allow the individual to place the last piece. Then build a maze all but the last two pieces. Allow the individual to finish the puzzle. Proceed in this manner until the individual is doing the puzzles alone.
• Build the maze first as the individual watches. Do your reasoning verbally as you work to teach the individual how to think through the process. When the maze is complete, disassemble it and let the individual build it. 
•  Know when to stop. Some individuals will be able to complete mazes for awhile, but the cognitive demands will become too great to go all the way to the last puzzle.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, visualization, visual closure, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, logic, problem solving, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: Game grid, 9 building towers, red target tower, 3 metal marbles, 60 challenge cards with solutions

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