Tag: WELL-BEING

How to Play – Boggle Jr.

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Boggle Jr. by Hasbro for 1 to 2 players! 

This game will help children with their spelling in a fun, rewarding way! If this means setting up a reward system for if they could finish all the 3 letter words, then the 4 letter words and then the combined deck, do it! Education should be fun and rewarding! I could see improvement in Zoey’s word recognition and spelling almost immediately.

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • Boggle Jr. game tray
  • 8 letter cubes
  • 30 picture/word cards (double-sided)
INSTRUCTIONS

Game # 1: Match it-Spell it

  1. Shuffle and stack the picture/word cards so the 3-letter words are all face up and turned in the same direction.
  2. Place the stack in the tray above the cube slots, facing the child (the word cover is flipped down & out of use).
  3. Point to the picture on the card and ask the child what it is — i.e. a pig, a jar, a pie, the sun, etc.
  4. Point to the word below the picture and say the word, then spell the word out loud letter by letter.
  5. Go back to the first letter and have the child find that letter on one of the cubes and place the cube in the first slot of the tray, directly under the letter as it appears on the card.
  6. Proceed through the other two letters until the 3-letter word is spelled out in cubes under the card.
  7. Reinforce what the child has just accomplished by saying the word and spelling together. Give the child the top card and proceed through the rest of the remaining 3-letter words in the same manner.
  8. Next play with 4-letter word cards. Then shuffle the cards and play with 3 and 4 letter words mixed.

Game # 2: Cover it-Spell it

  1. Shuffle and stack the picture/word cards so the 3-letter words are all face up and turned in the same direction.
  2. Place the stack in the tray above the cube slots, facing the child (the word cover is flipped up & in use).
  3. The child glances at the word under the cover, then hides it again. Now he/she is no longer matching letters with letter, but is actually spelling the word from memory.
  4. Next play with 4-letter word cards. Then shuffle the cards and play with 3 and 4 letter words mixed.
  5. For two players the children take turns. Each time a child successfully spells a word from memory, he or she wins that card and continues to the next.
  6. If a child spells a word incorrectly, that card is placed on the bottom of the pile of cards and that child’s turn ends. When the card comes up again, the player whose turn it is attempts to spell the word.
  7. The children alternate turns until all the cards have been used, whoever has won more cards during the game wins!

ENJOY!

Happy New Year 2024!

Happy New Year Friends! I wish you all the best and sincerely hope all your hopes and dreams for 2024 will come to fruition. These last few years have been rocky, to say the least, but its a time for fresh starts and new beginnings, so let’s make the most of it!

I believe in making resolutions; they give you the focus to complete certain tasks. Resolutions can be made any time of the year, and should be in some cases, but it’s traditional to make them for the fresh start of a new year and it’s all in good fun!

I’ve set 12 resolutions for 2024, check them out!

  1. Become a YouTube Partner.
  2. Delete Facebook.
  3. Learn how to draw in Procreate.
  4. Use Procreate to create at least 12 designs and upload.
  5. Play and complete 12 video games.
  6. Progress in Duolingo lessons.
  7. Read and complete 12 books.
  8. Take Zoey to Universal Studios.
  9. Watch and complete 12 movies I’ve never seen.
  10. Weekly family game nights.
  11. Weekly family movie nights.
  12. Yoga 5 days a week.

How to Play – Candy Land

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Candy Land by Hasbro for up to 4 players! 

This is one of my childhood favorites that I hope will also be one of Zoey’s childhood favorites. Gameplay is relatively easy with movement based on drawing cards and associating colors, but the board is very busy to navigate. Zoey is currently more interested in playing independently with the gingerbread characters than progressing the game, but we’re hoping her attention will change over time!

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • A game-board
  • 4 gingerbread character pawns
  • 64 cards
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Open up the game board and place it on a flat surface.
  2. Shuffle the cards and place them facedown in a pile with easy reach of all the players.
  3. The youngest player takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
  4. Each player picks a gingerbread character pawn and places it as the start of the path near the four children.
  5. The youngest player goes first, play then passes to the left.
  6. On your turn, draw one card from the deck and then move the gingerbread pawn as directed. Always move towards the castle, unless a picture directs you to move backwards on the path.
    • When you draw a picture card, move your pawn forward or backward on the path of to the pink picture space on the board that matches the pink pictures pace on your card. For example if you draw a lollypop card, move your pawn to the pink space on the board that shows the lollipop.
    • Two or more gingerbread pawns can be on the same space at the same time.
    • When you draw a card with one color block, move your pawn forward toward the castle to the first matching color space on the path.
    • When you draw card that has two color blocks, move your pawn forward toward the castle to the second matching color space on the path.
    • There are two shortcuts on the path, Gummy Pass and Peppermint Pass. If your gingerbread lands by exact count on the yellow space below Gummy pass, or the blue space below Peppermint Pass you can take the shortcut immediately to yellow space above Gummy Pass or the yellow space above Peppermint Pass.
    • There are two licorice spaces on the path. If you land on one of these sticky spaces by exact count, your gingerbread pawn is stuck there for one turn.
  7. Your turn is over. Place the used card in a discard pile.
  8. If you are the first person to reach the multi-colored rainbow space, you’ve reached King Kandy’s Castle. You win!

ENJOY!

How to Play – Yeti in My Spaghetti

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Yeti in my Spaghetti by Play Monster for 2+ players! 

This is a fun one with lots of laughs! Zoey does not “carefully or strategically” remove the noodles yet, she’s our wild card, and more often than not, she causes the yeti to fall to the bottom of the bowl! Set up is very easy, so if this happens too quickly it’s easy to reset and play another round!

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • A bowl
  • A yeti
  • 30 noodles
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Place the bowl on a flat, level surface.
  2. Arrange the noodles over the top of the bowl, criss-crossing in a random way.
  3. Gently set the yeti on top of the noodles (in the middle is best).
  4. The oldest player goes first, carefully and strategically removing a noodle by sliding, slipping, pushing, lifting, etc! Be careful not to disturb the Yeti enough to let him fall into the bowl.
  5. If you touch a noodle, then that is the one you must remove, no touching and testing the placement of the noodles!
  6. You may use both hands to remove a noodle, but you can only use one hand at a time.
  7. If you successfully remove a noodle and the yeti does not fall to the bottom of the bowl, the player to your left goes next, and so on.
  8. If the Yeti falls to the bottom of the bowl during your turn (or immediately after your turn before the next player goes), the game is over! If the Yeti shifts or ends hanging by a noodle, keep playing. The game stops only when he falls completely to the bottom of the bowl!
  9. The player who last successfully removed a noodle before the player who made the yeti fall is the winner!

ENJOY!

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Welcome back friends! 

Who wants some fresh, oven baked chocolate, chocolate chip pumpkin bread to enjoy on one (or more) of these beautiful autumn mornings? Maybe at a table with some coffee or tea and a good book? 

I know I do, so let’s bake some!

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt
  • 3⁄4 cup of unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 2 large of eggs
  • 1 15-oz can of pumpkin puree
  • Powdered sugar (optional)
  • 2/3 cups of chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Set an oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat it to 325F. 
  2. Grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with butter, then dust with flour.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Whisk until well combined, then set aside. 
  4. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until just blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and continue to beat until very light and fluffy, then incorporate the pumpkin.
  5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix on a low speed until well combined. 
  6. Fold in the chocolate chips and gently stir until combined.
  7. Divide the batter evenly into the two prepared pans, and bake for 65 – 75 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. 
  8. Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
  9. Place powdered sugar into a sifter and lightly dust the top of each loaf.
  10. Enjoy!

Baked Apple Cider Doughnut Recipe

Welcome back friends! Who wants some fresh and fluffy, oven baked, cinnamon and sugar coated apple cider doughnuts to enjoy on one (or more) of these beautiful autumn mornings? Maybe at a table with some coffee or tea and a good book? I know I do, so let’s bake some!

DOUGHNUT INGREDIENTS
  • 1 1/2 cups of apple cider
  • 1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup of dark or light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup of buttermilk (or milk)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
TOPPING INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup of granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Reduce let’s reduce the apple cider. In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider to a gentle boil and let it simmer over medium heat until thick and reduced to about 1/3 cup (about 15 to 25 minutes), then set aside to cool.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease the doughnut pans with butter or nonstick spray, then set them aside.
  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a large bowl, then set it aside.
  4. In another bowl, whisk the brown sugar, egg and sugar together until well combined. Then add the butter, buttermilk (or milk), reduced apple cider and vanilla; whisk again until well combined.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the apple cider mixture and beat until well combined and smooth.
  6. Transfer the batter into a disposable piping bag or a zip-top bag with a corner cut off. Pipe the batter into the prepare doughnut pans, filling each cavity 2/3 to 3/4 full.
  7. Bake the doughnuts for about 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, then remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer them onto a cooling rack.
  8. While the doughnuts are cooling in the pan, stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl and melt the topping butter in another bowl.
  9. Once the doughnuts have cooled to a comfortable handling temperature, brush or dip both sides of each one with butter and then dip each side in the cinnamon and sugar to coat.
  10. Enjoy!

*These doughnuts are best served immediately, but leftovers can e kept int he fridge for up to 3 days. Serve them warm or at room temperature.

How to Play – Monster Mash

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Monster Mash by Parker Brothers (and others) for up to 4 players! 

If you can’t tell from the packaging, this is a game from my childhood that my mom saved because we loved it so much! There are newer versions being sold now (like this one by Cra-Z-Art), but the premise is the same; press the button on the monster-maker, then find the matching monster and claim it before the other players do!

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • A monster-maker machine
  • 27 monster cards
  • 4 thwacker hands with suction cups
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Remove everything from the game box, and set the monster-maker machine on the playing surface so that everyone can see the monster that appears on it.
  2. Spread the monster cards face-up in the middle of the playing area so that no cards overlap and everyone can easily reach them.
  3. Each player takes a thwacker hand and the player closest to the monster-maker machine will press the button to start each new round.
  4. The monster-maker machine randomly selects and shows one monster for all the monster hunters to mash and capture. Look closely at the monster on the machine when the button pops up!
  5. Quickly all the players try to find the face-up monster card that matches the monster on the machine and mash it with their thwacker hand so that the suction cup picks up the card (if two players slap the monster card at the same time, the player whose thwacker hand is at the bottom of all the thwacker hands captures the card).
  6. If a player picks up the wrong monster card, he or she simply returns it face-up to the middle of playing area and everyone keeps hunting.
  7. The player who picks up and captures the correct monster card places it face-up in front of him or her. This ends the round everyone stops hunting.
  8. To start a new round, press the button on the monster-maker machine.
  9. If the monster-maker machine shows a monster that has already been shown and captured, players can try to capture it from the player that has it in front of him or her, unless that player mashes it first with his or her thwacker.
  10. Game play continues until one player captures 5 monsters, the first player to do this is the monster mash winner!

ENJOY!

How to Play – The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game by Educational Insights for up to 4 players! 

Zoey has loved this game since before she even knew how to play! She would pull everything out and play with the Squirrel and the acorns, honestly it’s surprising that there are no missing pieces! Then we learned how to play the game together, and she loves it even more! She loves picking up the acorns with the squirrel squeezer; we find it super fun and easy collecting and replacing the acorns to the tree stumps and back.

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • A game-board (part of the box)
  • A squirrel squeezer
  • A spinner
  • 20 acorns in five colors
  • 4 tree stumps
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Remove everything from the game box, then scatter the acorns onto the tree on the inside bottom of the box.
  2. Give each player a tree stump.
  3. The youngest player takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
  4. On your turn, hold the squirrel squeezer, spin the spinner, then follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
    • Color: If the wheel stops on a color, use the squirrel squeezer to grab a matching acorn and place it in a matching hole in your tree stump. If that hole is already full, skip your turn.
    • One acorn: Pick any one acorn from the tree and use the squirrel squeezer to pick it up and place it on your tree stump.
    • Two acorns: Pick any two acorns from the tree and use the squirrel squeezer to pick them up and place them on your tree stump.
    • The Sneaky Squirrel: Use the squirrel squeezer to steal any colored acorn you need in your tree stump from another player’s tree stump.
    • Sad Squirrel: Pass the squirrel squeezer to the player on your left and skip your turn.
    • Squirrel Storm: Oh no! A furious storm blew all of your acorns back into the tree! Put them back and skip your turn.
  5. If you’re the first player to collect all of the acorns to match the ones on your tree stump, you win!

ENJOY!

How to Play – Sophie’s Seashell Scramble

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Sophie’s Seashell Scramble by Educational Insights for up to 4 players! 

Zoey has loved this game since before she even knew how to play! She would pull everything out and play with the Sophie and the seashells, honestly it’s surprising that there are no missing pieces! Then we learned how to play the game together, and she loves it even more! She loves picking up the shells with the Sophie pincers; we find it super fun and easy collecting and replacing the seashells to the mats and back.

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • A game-board (part of the box)
  • A Sophie pincer
  • A spinner
  • 20 seashells in five patterns
  • 4 seashell snack mats
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Remove everything from the game box, then scatter the seashells onto the seascape on the inside bottom of the box.
  2. Give each player a seashell snack mat.
  3. The youngest player takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
  4. On your turn, spin the spinner, pick up the Sophie pincers, and follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn!
    • Pattern: Find a shell that matches the pattern (the color of the shell doesn’t matter) and use Sophie to pick it up and place it on your seashell snack mat.
    • One Shell: Pick any one shell from the seascape and use Sophie to pick it up and place it on your seashell snack mat.
    • Two Shells: Pick any two shells from the seascape and use Sophie to pick them up and place them on your seashell snack mat.
    • Big Wave: A big wave is crashing the shell-collecting party. All players lose a shell back to the seascape.
    • Hungry Otter: Use Sophie to take any shell from another player and place it on the matching space on your seashell snack mat.
    • Otto the Octopus: Take any shell from for seashell snack mat and place it on the table next to Otto. Spin the spinner, if you land on Otto or the pattern that matches the shell you chose you can take your shell back and take any other shell from the seascape. If you don’t land on Otto or the pattern that matches your shell, Otto tosses your shell back into the seascape.
  5. If you’re the first player to collect all of the shells to match the ones on your seashell snack mat, you win!

ENJOY!

How to Play – Hi Ho! Cherry-O!

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Hi Ho! Cherry-O by Milton Bradley! 

Zoey has loved this game since before she even knew how to play! She would pull everything out and sort the fruits by color or put the puzzle together, honestly it’s surprising that there are no missing pieces! Then we learned how to play the game together, and she loves it even more! She loves counting out the fruits; we find it super fun and easy collecting and replacing the fruit to the baskets and back. 

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • A game-board
  • A spinner
  • A puzzle
  • 10 “apples”
  • 10 “blueberries”
  • 10 “cherries”
  • 10 “oranges”
  • 4 baskets
INSTRUCTIONS (CLASSIC)
  1. Place each basket in the game-board hole to the left of its matching color tree/bush.
  2. Each player chooses a tree/bush and places the matching colored fruit in each of the game-board holes.
  3. The puzzle is only for co-operative games so place it back in the box.
  4. The player whose birthday comes next takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
  5. On your turn, spin the spinner, then follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
    • One Fruit: Pick one fruit from your tree/bush and put it in your basket.
      • Two Fruits: Pick two fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
      • Three Fruits: Pick three fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
      • Four Fruits: Pick four fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
      • Bird or Dog: Someone’s nibbling at your fruit! Take two fruits out of your basket and place them back on your tree/bush (if you only have one fruit, put that one back. If you have none, do nothing).
        • Spilled Basket: Uh-Oh! Take all of the fruits out of your basket, and place them back on your tree/bush.
  6. If you’re the first player to have all 10 fruits in your basket say “HI HO! CHERRY-O!” You win!
INSTRUCTIONS (CO-OPERATIVE)
  1. Place each basket in the game-board hole to the left of its matching color tree/bush.
  2. Each player chooses a tree/bush and places the matching colored fruit in each of the game-board holes.
  3. Break up the puzzle and place the pieces facedown near the game-board.
  4. The player whose birthday comes next takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
  5. On your turn, spin the spinner, then follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
    • One Fruit: Pick one fruit from your tree/bush and put it in your basket.
    • Two Fruits: Pick two fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
    • Three Fruits: Pick three fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
    • Four Fruits: Pick four fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
    • Dog: Remove one fruit from your basket and place it back on the matching tree/bush (if you have none, do nothing).
    • Spilled Basket: Remove two fruits from your basket, and place them back on your tree/bush (if you only have one fruit, put that one back. If you have none, do nothing).
    • Bird: Turn one piece of the bird puzzle face up. Every time you turn over a puzzle piece, try to fit it into the bird puzzle. If you can’t do this leave it face up until it fits.
  6. The players win if they pick all the fruits and say “HI HO! CHERRY-O!”, before the puzzle is completed. The bird wins if the puzzle gets completed before all the fruit is picked.

ENJOY!