©Patch Products

The traveling season is upon us and whether we are leaving for a weekend or a week, Gavin always has his bag of toys and games. It can sometimes be a challenge to pack a lot of fun into only 1 bag though, and in all honesty, I never bring many of his absolute favorite toys with us because I don’t want to worry about replacing them if pieces get lost along the way, so I look for some fun but inexpensive additions.

Patch Products is a family owned company headquartered in Wisconsin. One of my favorite Patch Products is the Lauri Pegboard. Recently they sent 2 of their new Big Little Games for review, Spurtle Turtle and Flingin’ Frogs. These are games recommended for kids ages 3-4 and up, but I’ve had fun using them with the kids at school up through first or even second grade if multiple kids, especially different ages, are playing together. The price points of these games are around $8.99, so they are also great birthday gifts for this age group.

Flingin’ Frogs includes 12 plastic frogs, that when you push down on the back with your index finger, they will fly towards the lily pad if you can figure out how to flick your finger just right. All of the pieces of the lily pad come apart and store with the frogs in the container. There are numbers on the lily pads to keep score. There’s a little bit of a learning curve on flicking the frogs, so some kids have been initially frustrated, but have welcomed the challenge to persist. I’ve found if you place this game in front of a wall for young kids who are struggling with landing them on the lily pads, the wall is a great rebound surface and many kids have had more success that way.

Spurtle Turtle is a token matching game with cute sea creatures. All the tokens are placed inside the turtle. By pushing the button 2 tokens will fly out. The child then has to turn them over and look for a match. If they don’t get a match, they put the tokens face down on the table and it includes a memory game as well. Spurtle Turtle’s button was a little sensitive and it if it’s not pushed with just one finger, fairly quickly, the pieces often jam in the bottom stalling the game play. The kids were so excited to bang the button, pieces were flying out everywhere and on flat floor surfaces, let’s just say the memory game became hide and seek! For younger kids who need less steps, place the tokens inside the turtle picture side up and they won’t have to worry about flipping them, they can just quickly look for matches.

What games will you bring on your family vacations this year?

Patch Products provided these toys free to facilitate this review, the opinions are my own.

©LEGO

Have you thought about buying LEGO’s for your child or as a gift? I can’t believe how many kids love to construct with LEGO’s. I said it before when I reviewed the LEGO Duplo Creative Sorter, my son sits with my LEGO media kit binder, flipping through it like it’s the Bible, consuming every picture, asking questions and commenting on the characters.

Today I brought the LEGO Duplo My First Build Kit into school. LEGO Duplo’s are larger blocks, geared for younger builders ages 1 1/2 to 5. I decided I’d give it a whirl and use it with a few kids, all boys, 2 seven-year-olds and a 6-year-old. I took a chance giving it to 3 kids out of the suggested age range, but they all really enjoyed their time with the kit. I was shocked in all honesty, that I didn’t hear anything about this being for little kids or “babies.” I was more concerned with some of the comments they made about their ability to build with LEGOS.

This particular set is neat because it includes 59 multi-colored pieces, but there are 4 double-sided cards. One side has a picture of something that can be built out of the included DUPLO’s. The other side includes a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a different item. Kids can either follow the directions, or similar to the Creative Sorter, they can place the pieces on the card like a template. I’m a concrete learner, step-by-step directions and pictures are my best friends, and for some kids, this is also true. Others are imaginative and have the ability to create from scratch and wow you with their final product. So this feature alone allows 2 different types of learners or children with different skill levels to customize their experience and build at their level.

While we were building I started asking the kids questions about LEGO’s. 1 child reported he had one of the LEGO video games and that he had a Star Wars kit at home that he plays with, but that his father built for him. Another child,  stated, “I don’t have any. I’m not a good builder.”  Now my opinion might be swayed in that I was using this kit with children who are having some visual spatial skills at school. However, this got me thinking, in general, as a parent even though your child may have a specific interest prompting you to head to the store looking for pirate ships, Avengers characters, Star Wars sets, you name it, something big with loads of pieces that all their friends are asking for. But what if they don’t have the skills to build it? Meaning, what if they can’t follow the instructions, or they don’t have enough hand strength to push the pieces together? Even the kids I worked with today had poor awareness of their force, they’d push to hard, part of it would fall, bumping into another structure they had already built with a piece that would then fall off like a domino effect. Then comes the frustration and anger, turning something fun into a disaster.

Here were some ideas I had on how you can gauge your child’s ability level with LEGO’s and help them be happy, successful constructors.

- For kids in that borderline age range like 5 or 6, they are bridging between a Duplo and the regular sized LEGO bricks. If you are purchasing the smaller LEGO’s, opt for a smaller set that has fewer pieces to save on cost and really get a sense of how much help they may or may not need with larger sets, that is unless you are a closet LEGO loving adult who is happy to build all of the structures yourself!

- A few years ago I attempted to put together LEGO Ramses’s Pyramid with another child and we way underestimated how much time it would take to build the structure nevermind learn how to play the game included, so set a reasonable time limit, and complete the project in stages

- Many would say, searching the  floor or pile for the correct brick is part of the fun of the process, but for some kids, this can be completely visually overwhelming. Pre-sort the pieces and give them only the pieces they will need to follow each instruction, guiding them with verbal clues along the way for placement

-Switch off, they place a piece, you place a piece to share in the process and build stamina, what ever the case, allow them to place the first pieces and the last pieces so they can have a sense of initiation while finishing a project to completion

Do you have any strategies that are helpful when building with LEGO’s in your family?

LEGO provided this toy free to facilitate this review. The opinions provided are my own.

©ChalkCity

Now that the weather is warmer, we’ve been spending a lot of time outside. Gavin is now 2 and not only does he enjoy riding his balance bike and pushing his cars around the yard, we’ve blown through all our bubbles and have now expanded into the world of sidewalk chalk. We’ve been testing out the Chalk City Activity Kit making roadways and obstacle courses!

This activity kit includes multiple templates or stencils that allows children and families the ability to easily and quickly design roads and cities on their driveway with sidewalk chalk. There is even an additional template set that encourages children to make obstacle courses on the pavement with stencils for jumping jacks, hopping left/right/both feet, and spinning left/right. Of the entire kit, my favorite accessory is the  Chalk City Road Maker. Using this unique unfolding tool which is very easy to put together, two pieces of sidewalk are placed in the bottom. Simply by walking and pushing or pulling the road maker, even lines are created for roadways literally within seconds. All of the templates fit inside their own brightly colored drawstring mesh bags, which we now keep in our car in case we feel like expanding our roadways at the playground. They are in 3 different bags though I think I’d prefer that they would all fit in 1 larger bag just to keep the set all together, they are easy enough to spot in the trunk of the car.

The templates included in these sets are very durable plastic.  They are easy to use and the chalk markings are sharp and clear once colored on the driveway surface. Within 30 seconds we had drawn a basic, circular roadway for my son to use his ride-on toys. Though he is too young to be able to follow more challenging obstacle course directions for actions like jumping jacks, spinning and hopping, he can jump on two feet forward. The templates are round and make an excellent circle spot even when traced on the outside and colored in.

I often professionally work with parents of children with sensory processing disorder or other regulation disorders like ADHD. These types of children often need large amounts of movement and exercise, and both the children and their parents tell me they get bored really fast aimlessly running around the yard or playground without any structure. As OT’s, one of the recommendations we make to parents to help build their child’s strength and improve their attention is to use structured, time limited physical activities. Our suggestions often involves a lot of obstacle course type activities, and the Chalk City Activity Kit will be a great addition to your sensory diet, especially if you live in an area like we do where we have more paved space than grass space available in our yard.

Chalk City is providing a free kit to 1 lucky reader of ToyQueen.com!

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Chalk City provided this item free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

©Hasbro

I wasn’t sure what the kids at school would think of the new BOP IT! XT game from Hasbro. If you aren’t familiar with the BOP IT line of games, it is essentially a handheld gaming device that shouts out directions pretty much at rapid fire. As the player you are responsible to follow all of the directions by manipulating various buttons on the game, at lightning speed, or you will lose.

On the new BOP IT! XT, the directions include not only “bop it, pull it and twist it, ” they have added “spin it,  flick it, and shake it.”  There are various modes for game play that include Solo Mode, Party Mode, Pass It Game and One on One.   Solo mode you follow the directions and it will tell you what the high score to beat is, or how many directions the best player has been able to follow before being disqualified. Party Mode has you activating the buttons with various body parts. Pass it Game has you complete a few commands before passing it to the player on your left.  The One on One game is new, and allows 2 players to play against each other by dividing the device essentially in half, as each player is responsible for completing 2 of the commands. For those who are really coordinated and fast, there are Novice, Expert, Master and Pro levels that can be unlocked that incorporate colors and sounds into the game play.

Considering it took me about an hour to master getting 15 commands correct in succession, I don’t think I’ll be advancing to the Expert, Master or Pro levels anytime soon. The kids at school all recognized the game from television and couldn’t wait to play. Just like me, as excited as they were to play, they got frustrated really quickly when they were disqualified the first few times almost immediately. What was really fun to see was the learning curve though. With persistence the kids were able to improve their scores fairly quickly and it brought out a healthy sense of competition. This game not only requires quick reflexes and coordination of both hands, but some serious focus and memory. It’s been a great way to incorporate some breaks for kids that not only exercises their body, but exercises their mind and their memory in the process. BOP IT is recommended as a family game for kids ages 8 and up.

Would you like a BOP IT! XT? At ToyQueen.com we are giving away 1 game to 1 lucky winner. Make sure you follow all of the directions, there are 2 mandatory entries. Prize fulfillment is being provided by Hasbro games.

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Hasbro provided a free BOP IT! XT to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

@Discovery Bay Games

When you were a child did you receive Highlights magazine in the mail? I didn’t, but my neighbors did and I’ll always remember wanting to get a nice colorful marker to search for those special Highlights hidden pictures. There are some great Highlights educational games on the market now,  like Buzz Blast, that are in part inspired by their hidden pictures games.

Buzz Blast is a really simple, portable game for kids ages 7 and up. There are 4 different types of challenge cards in the deck with categories that include Silly Sentences, Tongue Twisters, Check and Double Check and Brain Play.

12 cards are taken from the deck. 1 card is placed on the device. The timer is activated with a simple push of a button. The first person follows the instructions for the challenge on the card, then passes it to the next player. The person left holding the buzzer keeps the card. Who ever has the fewest cards at the end of the game wins. The challenges are honestly a lot of fun. Silly Sentences allows kids in “Mad Lib” form to fill in the blank to make a silly sentence. Tongue Twisters has kids repeating tongue twisters 2 times before they pass it on. Check and Double Check cards include those really fun Highlights hidden pictures where children need to spot 1 of the 12 differences before passing it on. The Brain Play card encourages kids to answer a challenging question. The timer will make a sound the entire time and ends with a silly sound like a cow mooing or cat meowing. The person left holding the timer takes the card. Whoever has the fewest cards after all 12 are played is the winner.

I was able to have a lot of fun using this game, even when working with 1 other student. I stacked the deck with cards I knew he would like, and focused more on using the Check and Double Check and Silly Sentences cards because they were more closely related to the goals we were working on. At the end of the game he wrote down his favorite silly sentence, drew a picture to illustrate it and loved sharing it with his friends. This game has a lot of versatility, and can be modified to play with multiple children. It can be played in a short period of time and the instructions are very easy for young children to read and follow.

Discovery Bay Games provided this game free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

You must own an iPad to use this board game which retails for $24.999. However the app is downloaded for free. Simply download the app from the app store, then place your iPad in the middle of the gameboard. On the iPad you are able to customize your person by naming it, choosing either a blue or pink peg, and choosing an accessory such as sunglasses, etc.

Just like the traditional Game of Life game you still manually push your car around the game board, inserting small pegs for getting married and having children, all while fantasizing about your dream job and ultimately retirement.   There is a banker that manages paper money to the players. I personally think the introduction of the app really helps to create novel game play but it helps facilitate taking turns between players.. When it’s your turn, you tap your car on the iPad, and use your finger to activate the virtual spinner. There are designated spaces on the board where you must stop and make decisions.

Do you chose the career path or college path? If you chose a college path, what will you be when you graduate, a scientist, web designer or games tester? Will you take the family path earlier in life, later in life, or not at all? There are special board spaces that will impact your personal funds positively or negatively that you have no control over that the app decides. Will you sue another player when landing on the Lawsuit space? Will you have 1,2, or 3 kids when landing on the Family Space? The LIFE space lets you collect virtual LIFE tokens that will help earn you more money at the end of the game. The app also enhances the gameplay by including some short outakes from America’s Funniest Videos (AFV). There are additional games included in the app that will also allow you to win additional money by testing your skills with memory or attention.  The game ends when all players hit retirement. Then using the app, each person enters the amount of money they have accumulated. LIFE tokens and kids are cashed in for money as well, which the app totals, and the person with the most money wins. Though the paper money includes high amounts (10K, 20K, 50K, 100K) at the end of the game players count the amount of 10K notes, then enter the simple number into the calculator on the app, making this a great way for younger children to be more independent when playing with older siblings and friends.

The only issue we had playing was that if you are a little impulsive and happen to hit the wrong icon on the app when it’s your turn (LIFE token, lawsuit, etc.) there was no way of being able to go back and pick the correct one. This could alter the game dramatically in terms of finances when determining a winner.  Amongst adults we were able to rectify a solution, but I’m not so sure that kids would always be able to come to a successful solution. It is funny, now as a middle aged adult, there are times in my life when I stop to think, how did I get here? What if I had made this decision versus another one? It was really fun to dream again and make life decisions and play out the outcome, without the real fear of finances.

Hasbro provided this game free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

©Spin Master

Let me introduce you to Air Hogs, a brand part of Spin Master, that has designed some of the most innovative remote control cars and helicopters available to purchase. This year at Toy Fair 2012, we were introduced to the new Air Hogs Battle Tracker.

Recommended for kids ages 8 and up, and being made available for purchase in the Fall 2012 for about $99.99, this is definitely an item that your sons and husbands will go crazy for this holiday season.

Remote control items have often been so unilateral, allowing the controller to fly their own aircraft or zoom their own speeding car. The Battle Tracker has brought a whole new level of interaction with 3 or more ways to play with this fun toy. Take control of the disc firing helicopter, while the missile firing Automated Robot Turret (A.R.T.) fires back, or take manual control of the turret launching the 12 missiles via remote control.

Here’s a video we took at Toy Fair 2012 of the new Air Hogs Battle Tracker in action!

Video Transcription:

Announcer: You’ve got to watch it. You don’t want to miss this.

Keri: Oh, and price point?

©Hasbro

Lazer Tag- After downloading the free iPhone/iPod Touch app, players place their device inside the blaster. In either single player or multi-player mode, players can engage in a whole new Lazer Tag experience, playing against friends, or in a virtual world. Each blaster is sold for $39.99 and is due out in August 2012.

©Hasbro

Deluxe Battleship Movie Edition – Geared for kids ages 8 and up, and due out in stores for April 2012, with a retail price of $39.99, this is a newly redesigned electronic battleship game. In addition to hunting for ships like the traditional game, send out jets for recon missions or scan the water for aircraft carriers prior to firing.

©Hasbro

Game of Life Zapped – This board game is compatible with iPad 1 or iPad 2. Download the free Game of Life zAPPed app, then place it in the middle of the board game. On the app, design your own individualized peg person and use the virtual spinner. When landing on certain spaces, it will unlock animation, funny videos, and games. Recommended for kids ages 8 and up, it will be available Spring 2012 and retail for $24.99.

©Hasbro

Twister Dance – 8 moveable colored dance pads are placed on the floor. Kids will move their feet on the pads in order of the the colored LED lights that emit from the dance console. The console comes with 5 songs, but is compatible with MP3 players to download additional music to. Music for the console was developed in conjunction with Britney Spears and Ke$ha. Recommended for kids ages 8 and up, it will retail for $39.99 and is due out in stores, Fall 2012.

©Hasbro

Elefun Snackin Safari – Using their bouncing elefun trunks, kids will pick up various cards placed around the room. It is recommended for preschoolers, will retail for $14.99 and will be in stores Fall 2012.

©Hasbro

Operation Star Wars – Fix up R2D2 before it’s to late! He’ll whistle and beep if you make  a mistake! It’s recommended for ages 6 and up and retails for $19.99

©Thinkfun

I will not lie up front. I am a horrible artist. Awful. Always have been and I think I always will be. Though I can be creative in my job in different ways and I have other special talents where I’m more athletic in nature, I do think some people are just not blessed with drawing ability. I was so psyched when I recently found the game Morphology which uses actual objects to create pictures, because though I have enjoyed playing Pictionary with family and friends, I often wonder if anyone will be able to quickly decipher my horrible scribbles.

When Thinkfun contacted me to review their memory game Cartoon It! I was really curious to see how the children I work with would like it, since any type of drawing that’s challenging can prompt some type of forward flopping on the table, or pleas to play a different game.  Just like I know I’m a horrible artist, kids know their strengths and weaknesses, too.

So many children have difficulty paying attention to small details that they do not deem relevant and this game has been so great at really encouraging kids to look at and remember minor details.  This type of attention is really helpful for older children so they can learn to edit and proofread their written work, such as comparing a rough draft to a final draft. It also helps them to develop strategies to assist their memory. Some children will talk out loud about the features, others will use their fingers to trace the card and then look back at the features board to assign a sequence to help their memory. Either way, despite whether kids have a basic drawing ability or not, all of them have been successful with this game and request to play it each week, or multiple rounds in a row. I myself was only able to get 3 or 4 out of the possible 6 points when I first began playing the game, so it’s a great family game as well. To take the game even further, we have even used the character cards and drawings to develop stories featuring their character, by also giving them names, occupations and interests.

ThinkFun provided this game free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

Angelina Ballerina Dance With Me Game

Some of you may recognize the familiar mouse from television, Angelina Ballerina.  Aside from the Angelina Ballerina television show, there is an adorable Angelina Ballerina game for preschool aged girls, entitled Dance with Me by Wonder Forge.

This board game, recommended for kids, namely girls, ages 3 and up, not only teaches children all about taking turns, but it also includes learning over 20 different ballet moves in the process. There is only 1 moving token, so everyone takes a turn being Angelina Ballerina. I love the idea of only one moving token. Many times when playing games with multiple children, especially in this age group, since kids this age are just learning to count, it can be a full-time job making sure every advances correctly!

The game board itself looks like a stage and stands upright. When a player lands on a “New Move” space, they pick a dance move card and place it on the stage. For attempting the move, the player can earn a star. Kids can collect stars (1-2) along the gameboard for attempting new moves, practicing the moves in order, or landing on a space that offers stars for various reasons.

At the end of the game, the first person to advance Angelina Ballerina to the “It’s Showtime” space is the first to perform all of the dance moves from the game in order, from memory!  For each move completed, the child earns a star. The remaining players then take a turn to see how many stars they earn.  The winner of the game is determined by whoever has the most amount of same colored stars. I think this concept is fantastic, because this allows anyone to win, as long as they put forth effort for trying, in some cases irregardless of athletic or physical ability. It’s a great way for young kids to unite on a common interest, even if it’s just that they enjoy the Angelina Ballerina character.  If you have a CD player nearby, there is also a musical cd included in the game for use when playing and definitely when, “It’s Showtime!”

If you enjoy Angelina Ballerina DVD’s, these are some of the DVD’s we’ve been lucky to preview over the last 6 months.

- Angelina Ballerina The Nutcracker Sweet DVD

- Angelina Ballerina Shining Star Trophy DVD

- Angelina Ballerina Love to Dance DVD

- Angelina Ballerina Ballet Dreams DVD

The Angelina Ballerina Dance With Me Game, as well as the above mentioned DVD’s were provided free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

©Derek Wilmot Photography

It’s definitely that time of year when all of the family holiday events begin! As a parent there is nothing more amazing to me than to watch my son’s excitement when we visit a new place or event together, even if we’ve had to endure 5 tantrums along the way to get there!

If you are looking for a family event this weekend in Boston, to kick off the Christmas season, Macy’s in Downtown Crossing is having a family tree lighting event, called “Light Up The Night.”  At the Summer Street entrance to the store,  Joey McIntyre from New Kids On The Block, Sony Music singer Jasmine V and Tedy Bruschi, former Boston Patriots player, will be special guests at the event.  The tree lighting event starts at 5 p.m. in Boston on Friday, November 25th, 2011.

©Derek Wilmot Photography

At 6 p.m. guests can also enter the Macy’s store for autographs. The first 250 people to make a Lacoste fragrance purchase will score Joey McIntyres autograph along with a copy of his new holiday CD Come Home For Christmas. The first 250 to make any $50 or more purchase will get Jasmine Vs autograph.

Macy’s  has also partnered with a fellow Boston Blogger friend, Niri from MommyNiri.com and MomyNiriCares.com, to donate items to children in need this holiday season to Roomtogrow.org in Boston. This organization provides a lot of unique services to infants children 3 years of age impacted by poverty.

What will you do with your family this holiday season?  Will you be attending any holiday events or donating to any special causes?

The Elf on the Shelf

All of my friends with older children have raved about The Elf on the Shelf.  Seriously, Santa is ingenious. Sending little elves to watch over our little ones throughout the holiday season as spies to report back to him on whether they are being naughty or nice, is just plain awesome. My sister bought Gavin his own elf, as well as The Elf on the Shelf book last Christmas, and recently I decided to open the box and read him the story.

All elves are uniquely different, but they can be purchased with either light skin, dark skin, black hair, brown hair, brown eyes or blue eyes. Our elf came in a large box along with a storybook. As the story goes, each house has their own elf, that the kids name themselves. During the holiday season, the elf returns every night to the North Pole to tell Santa whether the children were behaving or not. Every morning, upon his return, the elf can be found resting in a different place to watch! The children are instructed not to touch their elf, or he will lose his magic, and on Christmas Eve, the elf returns to the North Pole to help Santa until the holiday season arrives the following year.

At just 2, Gavin is a little young for the concept, but I thought I’d give it a try. When we got to the page where I asked him what we should name the elf, he said, “All done!”  So even though we’ll probably wait until next year to officially name our elf, I’m sure he’ll enjoy playing hide and seek with him in the meantime. If your kids could use a little incentive for good behavior this holiday season, The Elf on the Shelf may be a great tradition to add to your holiday preparations. To find your nearest Elf Adoption Center, visit the website, www.elfontheshelf.com.

We received The Elf on the Shelf as a gift. The opinions are my own.

I am constantly on the look out for new and fun educational iPad Apps for kids. I recently tested out two of the Stella & Sam apps,by zinc Roe Productions. Stella and Sam, brother and sister, embark together on magical, imaginative adventures. Apparently these apps stem from a picture book and television series for preschoolers in Canada by Marie-Louise Gay. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be familiar with the books or show in order to fall in love with these adorable apps.

I tested out the “Go-There-Square” app, as well as “Backyard at Twilight.” In the “Go-There-Square” story, you can even see one of my favorite fingertip toys and games called the “Go There Square” (aka Cahootie)! The iPad app includes storybook video content that is embedded with different concepts, great for preschoolers that include counting sequences, number recognition and vocabulary. The apps themselves are mainly animated storybooks that play for a few minutes before stopping three different times within each app to allow kids to participate in different activities. The activities encourage hand-eye coordination and motor planning as kids use their index fingers to match dandelion puffs, pop bubbles, and build a path of flowers across the water to make a bridge.

In the “Backyard at Twilight” app, Stella and Sam are camping out in the backyard, waiting for the Night Giant. The activities include using their finger to search the screen for hidden insects, while exhibiting hand-eye coordination to catch fireflies that form different shapes and connect stars to make constellations that transform into familiar animals. These activities are very interactive, and I found my toddler, though he is younger than the targeted age group for this app, so excited to shout out the animal transforming in the sky with his developing vocabulary.

The Stella and Sam apps are among the best ipad apps, because they are great to encourage kids to attend to pictures and begin to visually discriminate details with their eyes. These are all skills that are great for young preschool children to develop to advance their educational skills for reading and writing in later school years.  These Stella and Sam apps are very sweet and almost soothing, making them a great bedtime story experience for your children.

Zinc Roe Productions provided this app free to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

©Morphology Games

My family and I attended an event about a month or so ago at the opening of Marbles: The Brain Store.  This store is new to Massachusetts but originated in Chicago, and lots of new stores are opening now in the North East.  It’s a great family store that includes many  different board games, party games and software, all aimed at challenging a person’s mind to enhance thinking skills, creativity and coordination.

At the event a few of us played a party game together, called Morphology. It’s geared for kids ages 13 and up and is an absolute blast.  It’s a fresh new take on the game of Pictionary, where instead of drawing, players use different materials such as beads, rings, blocks, string, a barrel, and sticks to build the word that is on their playing card while their team tries to guess. However, the game gets even sillier and more challenging when the dice is rolled and players that are building might have to build with their weak hand, their eyes closed, only with a piece of string, directly against the other team at the same time, or only 5 items. The cards also contain both easy and difficult words.

I first played this in a group with some people who were merely acquaintances and it was a blast. So if you are looking for an office ice breaker, don’t play those silly group games where people have to say something special about themselves for team building, purchase this game and get to know your friends, family and co-workers in a more fun and creative way.  Each person’s individual personality shined through and I think it’s a great way to learn about your teams strengths and weaknesses, that is so much more fun.

I even brought this to a friend’s house for a long weekend, where we had a great guys versus girls game, where of course, the ladies prevailed! Though the game is geared for teenagers and adults, I love the concept of also trying to pull out some of the easier cards from the deck and giving your kids the opportunity to create the item, without the pressure of the timer while you take turns guessing. It’s a great way for kids to work on their problem solving and creativity until they are ready to play the entire game with the family.

If you are starting your holiday gift giving lists and you are looking to find something unique and different, Morphology is definitely a game to give where you won’t have to worry about someone else giving the same gift. I’ve seen a lot of toys and games, but there is nothing else like it out there, you won’t be disappointed.

Visit the Morphology website to find out where you can purchase this game.

Morphology games provided this game for my review. The opinions are my own.

Tomorrow, my family and I received complimentary tickets to see the show here in Boston at the Agannis Arena at Boston University. I’ll keep you posted on how much fun we had, but in the meantime, if you are interested in seeing if the Yo Gabba Gabba Live Tour will be in  your neighborhood, please click here to visit their website.