Hans Down, Spot It! Party is another fun version...

So a few months ago, I entered a contest for Blue Orange Games to name the Spot It! mascot.  Figuring no way would I win, I entered a name, the first one that popped in my head when I looked at the little one-eyed hand.  Unexpectedly, I get a facebook notification that I was indeed the winner.  Because of me and the thousands that voted, my kids can say their mom named Hans, the Spot It! mascot.

Not only was the fact I am now the coolest mom ever according to my kids, but I got prizes, too.  I received a $100 Amazon gift card in addition to Blue Orange's new game Spot It! Party.  Though I won this gift, it does not influence my opinion.

Spot It! Party is the original game with a few extra pieces.  It comes with a tangible Hans (for your children to fight over, invite to dinner, watch tv with), 55 playing cards,  the rules, and 8 card holders.  Rated 10 and up for 2 to 8 players, I continue to find it easy to play with my 5 and 8 year old boys.  I bring the cards to the soccer field and a variety of children aged 4 and up will play happily, independently and competitively.  The added tangible Hans brings the element of Snatching the hand when you are the first to find it and call it out.  However, Hans is a social dude; he gets around throughout the round as competitors (me and my husband included) fight for his attention by spotting him on additional cards.

As a family, we had a blast playing the Tower.  It is the simplest way to play, racing against the other players to match and call out a picture on the card, resulting in hopefully the biggest pile.  The Race (game number 5) is meant to be played with the card holders, but hasn't been as big of a hit as the Tower.  When asked what do you like about the game, my 5 year old answered, "Hans, and I like everything about it."

Therapeutically, Spot It! whatever version you choose, is a great game for the tool box.  Speech Pathologists can use it to target instantaneous speech, turn taking, pragmatics and articulation. Occupational therapists will love it for challenging skills in form constancy, visual scanning, visual memory, and hand eye coordination.

Though I was a little disappointed that the cards didn't come in a tin, like the other standard Spot It! card decks (the cards are continuously floating around the box) I still really enjoyed it.  The tangible Hans did add another fun element.  Plus I do love Hans.  I can't NOT love him, since I did have a hand at naming him...

Spot It! Party is available from Blue Orange Games for $19.99. Look for other versions of the Spot It! family for $12.99 and up.  Just in time for Halloween, there is a Spot It! Halloween that I just ordered through amazon along with the Educator Pack which includes Spot It! Jr., Spot It! Numbers, Spot It! ABCs and Spot It! Basic English.

BlueOrange ya glad you found Spot It?

I am a sucker for good games.  A while ago a friend introduced me to Spot It! by BlueOrange.  If you like HyperSwipe by ThinkFun, you might like this card game in a can too!

Spot It! is a super easy and portable set of cards with multiple pictures on each.  There are many versions to play, but we are into the "Tower".  In this version, you want to end with the most amount of cards. So the center pile is face up and you each start with one.  You then have to quickly call out a picture that matches one of your own to the top card on the Tower Pile.  And so on, and so on.

It addresses form constancy, the ability to see a shape and recognize it even if it is smaller, bigger, or even upside down.  It also can build on vocabulary, articulation, turn taking (or not), visual scanning and attention.  Then throw in basic counting, more or less than concepts, and you have a secretly educational game.

I love it.  We can play it as a family.  It is super quick.  We have pulled it out after supper, before breakfast, and between errands.  Though targeted for 7 and up, Mudge who is now 5, has been able to play.  He might not be as quick but he can make quite the pile.  And the fact it is small and in a tin makes me even happier since the room of games is quite full.

There are 13 versions of Spot It! like sports, jr., travel, alphabet, and more.  You can find it on amazon.com or at great little stores like BrainWaves in Narragansett, RI for around $10 and up depending on where you find it and which kind you pick up.  Try it out, I don't think you will be disappointed.