Playing a little catch up and uploading really old pictures finally!
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Monday, May 11, 2020
Pictopia
Today's game is one we have owned for so many years I can't believe we haven't made it through all the cards yet. Or... we've made it through the cards and have just forgotten!! It's called Disney Pictopia.
Gameplay:
This game is really easy to play. Lay out the game board, pick a moving and make sure you grab a matching answer dial and five wager coins.
On your turn, roll the die. Advance that number of spaces. When you land on a space it will tell you which category to read from for your question. All other players wager a coin by placing it face down on the game board. Read the question out loud. For most of the questions, the players work together to decide the final answer. Once the final answer is decided (whether in a group or individual category), if the answer is correct, players flip over their wager coins and advance that number of spaces. Move on to the next player and continue the game.
How to Win:
Get to the castle space and answer the Final Challenge question correctly.
Verdict:
Thumbs up! We definitely know a lot about Disney, so this is a fun trivia game for us. There are some tougher ones about the Disney parks and some older movies, and there are some opinion questions thrown in for fun as well, so there's a lot of variety.
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Avocado Smash
Today's game is called Avocado Smash. This is a great game that my friend Kandace got for me because she knows I'm as obsessed with new games as she is!
Gameplay:
If both cards have the same number of avocados on them, it is a smash! All players must smash their hands down in the center. The last player to react loses the round and takes all of the cards from the center, adding them to the bottom of their pile.
The losing player then begins the next round by placing their next card face up in the center.
While turning over your card, you must also count avocados aloud-so the first player always begins with "one avocado".The next player must follow in sequence, saying "two avocados", and so on. Players continue up to "15 avocados" and then return to "one avocado" as they reveal the cards.
If a card matches the number said aloud on that turn, it is a smash! As before, all players must smash their hands down in the center, and the losing player takes the cards from the center.
When you reveal a Smash! Card, it is an automatic smash!When you reveal a Guacamole Card, all players must shout, "Guacamole!" and the last player to react loses the round. However, if anybody erroneously smashes their hand down in the center on a Guacamole Card, then they are the loser for that round, regardless of who shouted last.
Verdict:
We love this game! I will suggest clipping your fingernails before playing, haha!
Great for Learning:
Multi-level thinking (you are playing one number, saying another number out loud, and trying to remember if it matches the number card you are playing on top of!), reaction time, reflexes
Gameplay:
Shuffle the deck and deal all of the cards face down, giving an equal number of cards to each player.
Take the top card from your pile and place it face up in the center.The next player should then take the top card from their pile and place it on top of the center card, and so on.
If both cards have the same number of avocados on them, it is a smash! All players must smash their hands down in the center. The last player to react loses the round and takes all of the cards from the center, adding them to the bottom of their pile.
The losing player then begins the next round by placing their next card face up in the center.
While turning over your card, you must also count avocados aloud-so the first player always begins with "one avocado".The next player must follow in sequence, saying "two avocados", and so on. Players continue up to "15 avocados" and then return to "one avocado" as they reveal the cards.
If a card matches the number said aloud on that turn, it is a smash! As before, all players must smash their hands down in the center, and the losing player takes the cards from the center.
When you reveal a Smash! Card, it is an automatic smash!When you reveal a Guacamole Card, all players must shout, "Guacamole!" and the last player to react loses the round. However, if anybody erroneously smashes their hand down in the center on a Guacamole Card, then they are the loser for that round, regardless of who shouted last.
Verdict:
We love this game! I will suggest clipping your fingernails before playing, haha!
Great for Learning:
Multi-level thinking (you are playing one number, saying another number out loud, and trying to remember if it matches the number card you are playing on top of!), reaction time, reflexes
Ticket to Ride
Today's game is a favorite strategy game of ours, and it has many varieties. It is called Ticket to Ride.
Verdict:
There are a lot of rules to this game, but once you have them down pat it really doesn't seem like that many anymore. You can tweak them a little, as long as you keep in mind that not everyone you play with will condone the rule-tweaking!
Great for Learning:
Geography, strategy, patterns, matching
Gameplay:
While the map is placed in the center of the table, each player takes his set of 45 colored train cars and its matching scoring marker. The marker will be placed on the start.
While the map is placed in the center of the table, each player takes his set of 45 colored train cars and its matching scoring marker. The marker will be placed on the start.
Shuffle the train cards and deal 4 cards to each player. The remaining deck of train car cards are placed next to the board and the top five cards from the deck are placed face-up. The Longest Path Bonus card is also placed face up next to the board.
Now, someone shuffles the Destination Ticket cards and deals 3 cards to each player.
Each player decides which ones they wish to keep. A player must keep at least two Destination Ticket cards, but may keep all three if he wants.
The returned cards are placed on the bottom of the Destination Ticket deck which is also next to the board.
All players must keep their Destination Tickets secret until the end of the game.
On his turn each player must choose to perform one of the following actions:
- draw Train Car Cards
- claim a route
- draw Destination Tickets
The player can perform only one of those actions.
The player can draw two Train Car cards. He may choose between the face-up cards or he draws the top card from the deck.
If he takes a face-up card, he must turn a replacement card face-up from the deck.
Then the player draws his second card, either from the face-up cards or from the top of the deck. But when he picks a locomotive card from the face-up cards, he can't pick up a second card from the deck.
It's allowed to have any number of cards in your hand at any time.
There are 8 types of regular Train Car cards, plus Locomotive cars and their colors match various routes between cities on the board.
Locomotives are multi-colored and act as a wild card that can be part of any set of cards.
If a replacement card is a locomotive, the player can't take it immediately. If at any time, 3 of the 5 face-up cards are Locomotives, all 5 cards are immediately discarded and 5 new ones are turned face-up to replace them.
When the deck is exhausted, the discards are reshuffled good and become a new draw pile deck.
When the deck gets empty and no discards are available, the player can't draw another Train car card anymore. Instead he may only claim a route or draw Destination Ticket cards.
A player must play a set of cards equal to the number of spaces in that route to be able to claim it. The set of cards must be of the same specific type.
When a route is claimed, the player can place one of his plastic trains on each of the spaces of the route and all cards used to claim the route are discarded.
A player can claim any open route on the board and they don't need to connect to any of his previously played routes.
Player can claim maximum one route on his turn. When cities are connected by double-routes, then the player can't claim both routes to the same cities.
A player can draw more Destination Ticket cards if he wants by drawing 3 new cards from the top of the Destination Ticket Deck.
He keeps at least one of the cards, but may also keep 2 or all 3. The returned cards are placed on the bottom of the Destination Ticket Deck.
Each Destination Ticket includes the name of two cities on the map and a point value and when the player can complete a connection between these two cities, he will score those points at the end of the game.
If the player fails to connect the cities, then the indicated amount of points will be deducted.
Destination Tickets are kept secret and a player may have as many cards as he wants.
When a player's stock of colored plastic trains gets down to 2 or fewer trains at the end of his turn, the final turn will start.
After that turn, the game will end and players must calculate their final scores.
The points earned of completed routes are already accounted for during the game.
Then players reveal all their Destination Tickets and add or subtract the indicated values.
The player with the longest continuous path of routes receives this special bonus card and can add 10 points to his score (in case of a tie, both players receive the points).
The continuous path may include loops and pass through the same city several times, but a given plastic train may never be used twice.
Verdict:
There are a lot of rules to this game, but once you have them down pat it really doesn't seem like that many anymore. You can tweak them a little, as long as you keep in mind that not everyone you play with will condone the rule-tweaking!
Great for Learning:
Geography, strategy, patterns, matching
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Curious George: Discovery Beach
Today's game is one we have had forever - Curious George: Discovery Beach.
Seriously, we got this game when my kids were little, and we still play it!
Gameplay:
Set out the box and spinner. Shuffle the cards and put them in a pile next to the box. Shake the box side-to-side to make sure everything inside gets mixed up.
Flip over one card and put it face-up next to the box. Any player can look for any of the face-up cards on their turn!
Spin the spinner. If it points to "Wave!", shake the box side-to-side so everything gets mixed up, and spin again!
If it points to any other space, look under one puzzle-piece door that matches a location the spinner is pointing to. Everyone can look, to see what's under the pieces!
How to Win:
Collect any 6 cards!
Verdict:
Fun, simple, and a fast game!
Great for Learning:
Memory, matching, patterns, colors, words
Seriously, we got this game when my kids were little, and we still play it!
Gameplay:
Set out the box and spinner. Shuffle the cards and put them in a pile next to the box. Shake the box side-to-side to make sure everything inside gets mixed up.
Flip over one card and put it face-up next to the box. Any player can look for any of the face-up cards on their turn!
Spin the spinner. If it points to "Wave!", shake the box side-to-side so everything gets mixed up, and spin again!
If it points to any other space, look under one puzzle-piece door that matches a location the spinner is pointing to. Everyone can look, to see what's under the pieces!
How to Win:
Collect any 6 cards!
Verdict:
Fun, simple, and a fast game!
Great for Learning:
Memory, matching, patterns, colors, words
Googly Eyes
Today's game is a really silly one: Googly Eyes. Do not play this game if you take yourself too seriously.
Gameplay:
Place the game board in the middle of the table. Shuffle all the cards and place them face down next to the board. Place everything within the reach of all players. Place your pawns on the Start space.
Roll the die and move on the game board. If your pawn lands on a green space, put the green lenses in the glasses and get ready to look AMAZING!!
Take the top card from the pile (BEFORE you put on the glasses!) and announce the category. Read the challenge to yourself and announce the time limit.
Put your wacky glasses on, let the other team or player set the timer, and begin! You are drawing the picture with the wacky glasses on in this time limit. No speaking or miming. No letters or numbers.
If you get it right, you may roll the dice and move forward that amount of spaces.
There are special spaces as well. You may get to choose the color of your lenses, you might have to draw with your opposite hand, you may be allowed to draw without the wacky glasses, or you might have to skip a turn.
How to Win:
Reach the finish first!
Verdict:
A fun, easy game to play! Great for laughing at yourself and others!
Great for Learning:
Fine motor skills and art!
Gameplay:
Place the game board in the middle of the table. Shuffle all the cards and place them face down next to the board. Place everything within the reach of all players. Place your pawns on the Start space.
Roll the die and move on the game board. If your pawn lands on a green space, put the green lenses in the glasses and get ready to look AMAZING!!
Take the top card from the pile (BEFORE you put on the glasses!) and announce the category. Read the challenge to yourself and announce the time limit.
Put your wacky glasses on, let the other team or player set the timer, and begin! You are drawing the picture with the wacky glasses on in this time limit. No speaking or miming. No letters or numbers.
If you get it right, you may roll the dice and move forward that amount of spaces.
There are special spaces as well. You may get to choose the color of your lenses, you might have to draw with your opposite hand, you may be allowed to draw without the wacky glasses, or you might have to skip a turn.
How to Win:
Reach the finish first!
Verdict:
A fun, easy game to play! Great for laughing at yourself and others!
Great for Learning:
Fine motor skills and art!
Scene-It
Today's game is Scene-It. If you are a huge movie buff, you will do well at this game! There are multiple version of this game out but we have found we are the best at the original, and the Disney version.
Gameplay:
Lay out the game board and choose a game piece for each player, placing them on the Start space. Make sure the Buzz cards and trivia cards and dice are all laid out as well.
Start the DVD. Begin by one person rolling the dice. You move the number of spaces shown on the one die, and then play depending on the symbol you roll on the other die.
If you roll a "My Play", you select that option from the DVD. You're the only one who will answer this question. If you guess correctly, you keep rolling.
If you roll an "All Play", select that option from the DVD. Everyone will play at once. If the rolling player guesses correctly first, they keep rolling. If someone else guesses correctly first, they can either move their game piece forward one space or force someone else to draw a Buzz Card.
If you get a trivia card, there are three options:
Take Three Challenge - you must identify an actor, actress or movie from three clues on the card.
Songs and Slogans Challenge - Answer a question associated with a song, slogan or tagline.
Pop Culture Challenge - Answer a question related to movie pop culture.
You may also roll "Player's Choice" and you can choose between My Play, a Trivia Card, or a Buzz Card.
How to Win:
You will land on "Stop: All Play to Win" and choose that from the DVD menu. Everyone plays. If the rolling player guesses correctly first, they WIN! If the rolling player loses the challenge, they move to the next part on the board and wait for their next turn and another chance to win. You must win the challenge to win the game.
Verdict:
We absolutely love this game, and I bet you can find a version out there that fits your fancy!
Gameplay:
Lay out the game board and choose a game piece for each player, placing them on the Start space. Make sure the Buzz cards and trivia cards and dice are all laid out as well.
Start the DVD. Begin by one person rolling the dice. You move the number of spaces shown on the one die, and then play depending on the symbol you roll on the other die.
If you roll a "My Play", you select that option from the DVD. You're the only one who will answer this question. If you guess correctly, you keep rolling.
If you roll an "All Play", select that option from the DVD. Everyone will play at once. If the rolling player guesses correctly first, they keep rolling. If someone else guesses correctly first, they can either move their game piece forward one space or force someone else to draw a Buzz Card.
If you get a trivia card, there are three options:
Take Three Challenge - you must identify an actor, actress or movie from three clues on the card.
Songs and Slogans Challenge - Answer a question associated with a song, slogan or tagline.
Pop Culture Challenge - Answer a question related to movie pop culture.
A Buzz Card:
You may also roll "Player's Choice" and you can choose between My Play, a Trivia Card, or a Buzz Card.
How to Win:
You will land on "Stop: All Play to Win" and choose that from the DVD menu. Everyone plays. If the rolling player guesses correctly first, they WIN! If the rolling player loses the challenge, they move to the next part on the board and wait for their next turn and another chance to win. You must win the challenge to win the game.
Verdict:
We absolutely love this game, and I bet you can find a version out there that fits your fancy!
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