2009 Mommy Brain Reports Games Gift Guide
✔= Personally reviewed  ♥= Mom Owned Business
The U-Play Mat: Dr. Jen created a brand new toy that helps kids learn while they play! The educational product was created to enhance interactive floor play between toddlers and adults. The U-Play Mat was designed by the pediatrician and mom of four. This special mat allows the child to sit inside the opening of the U and have full access to 15 clear pockets – filled with interactive flash cards. From theme-based cards around animals, foods, letters and more – adults can interact with the child and make learning all kinds of lessons fun! Plus, with the design of the mat, and the accompanying tote bag, there is no mess. It especially helpful in teaching special needs children! Perfect for children ages 1 and up.
$45. Can be purchased online at www.playthisway.com
Silly Socks Game (Pressman Toy – Chimp and Zee educational preschool games)
Ever wash a pair of socks and end up with one lone sock and wonder, where do all those lost socks go? Pressman Toy’s Silly Socks Game plays on this question while teaching young children skills such as turn-taking, matching and counting. Each player receives three different silly socks to start the game. Players take turns picking an item from the washing machine. If it’s a sock that matches one of the socks the player is holding, the player places the pair in the laundry basket. But be careful! If a player pulls out a pair of pants, they will lose one turn until they can try for silly socks again. The first player to collect three matching pairs wins! For 2 for 4 players; Ages 3-5 and up $15; Available now at Air Fun, Finders Keepers and pressmantoy.com
We were sent the Silly Socks Game to check out, and thought it was a very cute idea. It’s perfect for the younger kids! Easy to understand, and creates a lot of laughter when they pick out the underpants! It got my girls excited to do some laundry! ✔
Ring Around The Nosyâ„¢ (Pressman Toy)
Pressman Toy promises hilarious, fast-action fun with this colorful game that turns everyone into an elephant! Players put on their masks and put their rings on the playing board. Using only their trunk, players must scoop up the color rings as fast as they can onto their trunks. The first ring is the easiest, but it gets harder as players try to keep their rings on their trunks while picking up additional rings. The first player to get all three rings on their trunk wins. For 2 to 4 players; Ages 4 and up
$15; Available now at Toy Master, Learning Express and Boardgames.com
We were sent the Ring Around The Nosy game, and although a very cute game, that induced a lot of giggles when the masks were on, it was a little difficult for my girls to play. I’m thinking this one would be good for a little bit older children. (my girls are 4) ✔
Around the Table games include a line of award winning, PORTABLE conversation games that allow families to stay connected through fun, enlightening conversations. Questions cards attached to a carabiner clip allows for families to play anywhere! Family Talk game just recently won GAME OF THE YEAR award by Creative Child Magazine.  (In addition to multiple other awards …like Dr. Toy’s Top 10 games of 2008).
For the kids, check out our Buddy Talk and Teen Talk games. Conversation games created BY kids and teens FOR kids and teens. Easily clips to a backpack or overnight bag for fun game to play with friends! Awarded Dr. Toy’s best vacation products 2009!
All individual games retail for less than $10! Absolute perfect stocking stuffers. Great gifts for teachers, friends, family, everyone! Perfect game for families and NO NEED TO SCHEDULE GAME NIGHT!! They can be purchased at: http://www.aroundthetablegames.com/products.php ✔
We received a few of the Around the Table games, and have had a blast with them. There are no winners or losers, it’s just a great way to get a conversation going and keep it going.. It seems like it would be a lot of fun for parties, and other get together events!
The You’ve been Sentenced! game has family members from 8 to 88 laughing hysterically at the crazy sentences they create and have to defend. Now winner of 8 national awards, it’s a bargain entertainment value for parents during tough economic times! Teachers are writing us thank you letters.
Two comments: This is a perfectly clean game but if you throw in a 6-pack or a bottle of wine we are not responsible for the sentences you create! It is also inherently educational but please don’t tell the kids they’re learning while they’re laughing – That’s supposed to be our secret as parents!
$24.95 at http://www.mcneilldesigns.com/ybs.asp
We were sent You’ve Been Sentenced to check out, and unfortunately haven’t had a chance to play yet. It looks like a very cool game, and look forward to checking it out over the holidays! ✔
Check out the very fun party game called “I’ve Never…†The Outrageous Game of Truth and there are 2 versions of the game – one is for adults (21+) and one is for teens (12+).
Both games offer wonderful entertainment and laughter (without having to spend a fortune) and they can play the game in their home/apartment with good friends – no big crowds to deal with.
$19.99 – Both games are available at Barnes & Noble, Spencer Gifts, Urban Outfitters, Calendar Club, Go The Game Store and many smaller chains as well.
WheeGO is where treasure hunting meets hide-n-go seek, and kids 4-8 can’t get enough. WheeGO provides a turn-key exhilarating (“can we play again?!”) experience.   Each clue leads to the location of the following clue, culminating in an (included) treasure following Clue #10.  Along the way, searchers are challenged with brainteasers, rhyming games or a physical activity.  Each quest features a different WheeGO character, developed with diversity in mind. WheeGO assists in the development of sequential thinking skills, builds confidence and reveals the value of self-initiation.
$9.99 From www.wheego.com (or specialty retailers)
Lightning Bug Learning products are available at Amazon.com, The Learning Palace chain, and the Lightning Bug Learning website. Here is a link to a recent news clip on You Tube that features some of the above items.
http://www.youtube.com/user/lightningbuglearning#p/a/u/1/uTgKRerpGyw
SEDARAHC—the game of reverse charades.  It’s hot off the presses, just in time for holiday gift giving and game players are loving it!  Where normal charades is one person acting out words for the team to guess, SEDARAHC is the reverse—so the team tries to act out as many words as possible together for one person to guess.  It’s fast-paced and fiercely-fun team competition!
It’s the perfect new gift that will builds some absolutely hilarious and unforgettable memories with families, kids, dinner party-goers or among several close friends!
$24.99 at http://www.sedarahc.com
Travel the world with Little Passports! Little Passports is a global adventure for children aged 6-10, combining the best of offline media and online games. Each month our characters, Sam and Sofia, travel to a new country on their magical scooter and share their experiences with your child.  With a Little Passports subscription, children receive a monthly personalized package via postal mail that includes an adventure letter, fun souvenirs (e.g., origami paper, music CDs, puzzles, and traditional country toys) and access to our online Boarding Zone full of games and activities.  Little Passports also donates a portion of its sales to non-profits focused on helping children in other countries including SOS Children’s Villages-USA and Ubuntu Education Fund.
$10.95/month from http: www.littlepassports.com
Telestrations from USAOPOLY combines the age old game of “telephone†and popular drawing games into a hilarious new party game for any gathering! With no artistic skills necessary, the hilarity is guaranteed! Armed with an erasable sketchbook and an erasable marker, the fun starts with a roll of a die. To start the game, every player picks a card and simultaneously sketches out the word on their card before the timer runs out. Once they have completed their sketch, everyone passes their sketch pad to the player next to them.
Every player now looks at the sketch they received from the previous player and writes down what they think the drawing is and passes it to the next player.  Each player now looks at that word, sketches it out, and passes it on. This continues until everyone gets their own sketch pad back. After all the fun of drawing and guessing, each player can now see if their original word matches the final guess, or like the Telephone Game, see how it becomes amusingly different. The more players, the crazier it gets for a different game each time. Telestrations is for 4 to 8 players ages 12 and is available now at specialty retailers nationwide including Barnes & Noble and Go! Toys & Games for approximately $29.95.
Bambooga (for ages 8+) is a human puzzle game where players use color wristbands to bind their hands and feet to one another, leading to a sticky mess of people. The goal of the game is to crawl, walk, scoot or jump one’s way towards the finish line, all the while maintaining the connections that are determined by a shake of the Bambooga Shaker. Additionally, Bambooga is safe and eco-friendly, adhering to “green” manufacturing practices with second generation cloth material and sustainable bamboo construction. Even the packaging is part of the game.
Bambooga is the result of a Social Entrepreneurship Project sponsored by Kids Ark Foundation of Thailand. By purchasing Bambooga, consumers are not only receiving a great game at a great price, but they are directly providing positive opportunities to those who had very few. Bambooga uses mostly donated scrap material from factories in Thailand. It also employs villagers in a region where jobs are hard to come by. In this way, Bambooga preserves the Hill Tribe culture and at the same time aides Kids Ark to bring more education and job training to the area. For more information on Bambooga, and a video demo, visit http://www.uncleskunkle.com/products/bambooga.htm. For more information on Kids Ark, please visit www.kidsarkfoundation.org.
The retail price for Bambooga is $34.99. And it is available through many independent toy retailers, as well as the Uncommon Goods catalog, and online at Giftspool.com.
Remember the hand-made “cootie catcher†and “fortune-telling†game you played as a kid? Cahootie has put a modern twist on the classic game with nine interchangeable themes and bright colorful graphics, putting an updated, yet iconic toy into the hands of children nationwide to encourage interaction, bonding and connection in an overly high-tech world.
Cahootie encourages kids to unplug the computer, turn off the television, put away the video games and get their imagination going with this reinvented rendition of the beloved childhood tradition.
Available in local retailers and online ($6.99), Cahootie is a great birthday party goodie bag favor or conversation starter during recess, on vacation or on a road trip. www.Cahootie.com
New Games for Ages 4+
All-New CenterSOLUTIONS™ 2 Big Games – Designed to make learning fun, these new board games will help children ages four and up learn important basic skills such as visual discrimination and strategic thinking.
COLORS & SHAPES ROBOT RACE 2 Big Games — Learn colors and shapes with robot friends!
COUNTING Quest 2 Big Games — High seas adventures make counting fun!
Children are in for big learning fun with Carson-Dellosa’s new CenterSOLUTIONS™ 2 Big Games.Featuring a time-saving, ready-to-go format and directions printed directly on the game boards, 2 Big Games will quickly engage players with educationally sound, correlated instruction in exciting, easy-to-follow games that encourage kids to learn while they are having fun.
Developed with ease of use and quick clean-up in mind, CenterSOLUTIONSâ„¢ 2 Big Games open big and fold down quickly for easy storage. Measuring a giant 39†x 27â€, the two-sided game mats are laminated for durability and can be used indoors or outdoors. Each game offers two different levels of game play for 2-4 players and includes 45 game cards, one spinner, and four playing pieces.
$24.99 This game can be purchased on the Web at www.carsondellosa.com and at most leading specialty toy and teacher supply stores.
New Games for Ages 6+
TIME TO RHYME
A fun twist on classic lotto and memory matching games that sharpens visual discrimination, vocabulary, phonics and classification skills, Time to Rhyme offers four separate game boards and 36 game cards, allowing for up to four players. $14.99 MSRP
New Games for Ages 7+
ZOOM AROUND TOWN
It’s a bumper-to-bumper game of passenger pickups. Travel around town on a journey to collect the most passengers in each of their vehicles as you work on math skills and make choices that help to sharpen strategic thinking. The game set includes one game board, one die, one number cube, four taxis, four limousines, four buses and 40 passenger cards. Zoom Around Town includes English, French and Spanish-language instructions.
$14.99 This game can be purchased on the Web at www.carsondellosa.com and at most leading specialty toy and teacher supply stores.
WHERE DO I LIVE? – Ages 4+
—–2009 Parents’ Choice Award and Creative Child Preferred Choice Award—–
Everyone has a home and it’s the players’ job to get them there in this colorful memory-matching game. Designed for young children, Where Do I Live? features large, chunky pieces for little hands. Twelve homes complement 12 animals to strengthen visual distinction, classification, and recollection skills. No reading is required to play the games, making them perfect for ESL (English as a Second Language) and ELL (English Language Learner) children. 2 to 4 players.
$14.99 This game can be purchased on the Web at www.carsondellosa.com and at most leading specialty toy and teacher supply stores.
PIRATES’ GOLD – Ages 7+
—–2009 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award—–
Search out buried treasure in this swashbuckling, high seas adventure. Travel from island to island battling other players and collecting the most gold coins to win. Pirates’ Gold is designed to strengthen strategic thinking, basic counting, skip counting, and addition skills. Featuring a unique 3-dimensional game board that pieces together like a puzzle, the game is filled with swashbuckling pirates and a bounty of shiny gold. Pirates’ Gold includes 1 game board, 5 ships, 3 dice and 40 playing cards. 2 to 4 players.
$14.99 This game can be purchased on the Web at www.carsondellosa.com and at most leading specialty toy and teacher supply stores.
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