Candy Land

Candyland. Wikipedia describes it as, "a simple racing board game. It is among the first board games played by American children as it requires no reading and minimal counting skills."

Yes, I would call it a fun game to play as a child, but can I poke my eyes out? I don't mind the game, really I don't. It's quite fun, until you get one of the cards that sends you back to a location. Then there's the dots that leave you stuck in the swamps until you draw that color again. Fortunately in 2004 they changed the dots to licorice and you only lose one turn. As you can see, sometimes the games drags on forever.

This game is hidden in the game closet at home, and I must confess, I dread when someone picks it out to play. Funny it's the 3 year old's favorite game to play. Maybe it should be saved for days when the babysitter comes.

Scrabble--a different way

I was recently taught a different way to play Scrabble. Each person draws seven tiles. When the game begins you create your own Scrabble game using those tiles. When you (or someone) has used all the tiles they say "Draw." Everyone draws another tile and incorporates it into their Scrabble board they have created. You can clear your board and start again, with all the same tiles, at any time during the game. Game continues until all the tiles have been used. When game is over tally score by counting points for tiles of each word.

I really liked this fast moving game. No waiting for someone else to go so that you can decide if you can go, long words don't really matter, no one sees what you create, and you can start over at any time.

I have since realized that this Scrabble game is just like Bananagrams. You can read their instructions here.

Clothespins

This game looks lame, but as the box says, 'Its good clean fun." Get it clothespins... clean... too funny. Well the game goes like this:

4 cards, 3 starting posts, you can place cards down in any type of pattern...

All shirts, all, pants, all same fabric...

As you go around you try to get as many as you can on each clothes line and then put the other end on it to finish the clothes line. Only playing up to four cards from your hand (or discarding them for better ones... can't do both)

The trick is that there are birds... my kids like to make sound effects, they say, "Tweet, Tweet!" and swoop down and take a piece of clothing from your line and put it on theirs. no clothes are protected unless you have both poles up. Its an exciting, risk taking game that my strategic mind can't figure how to win again a 5 year old.

Hungry Hungry Hippos

Hungry Hungry Hippos seems to be every child's favorite game. The object of the game is to release the marbles and try to get your hippo to eat them all up. As a parent I would say, "DON'T buy the game." It's loud, obnoxious, and chaotic. The only positive is that the kids can play this together and don't need adult supervision, except for all the CHOKING HAZARDS. I would put this in a category with Operation. Another game I despise.

FYI: I didn't buy the game, someone gave it to us.

Sequence for Kids

Place a chip on the board to match the animal card you discard. First player to get 4 in a row wins the game. There's also the special cards that can help you win. The dragon allows you to remove a chip, the unicorn allows you to place a chip on any open space on the board, and there are free spaces in all four corners of the board.

I liked this game because it's not overwhelming to decide where to go next. You only have three cards in your hand at a time and there are only 2 of each animal on the board. We are able to play a couple of rounds in one sitting.