Play the Hilarious Game of Blurt! {Giveaway}

February 7, 2012 By 13 Comments

As the boys are getting older, family game night is taking on new meaning. This past weekend, I happened to be down for the count with some kind of bug….by Sunday afternoon, I was feelin’ restless. So, out came a board game. I happened to have a new one sitting on the shelf from Educational Insights, so we decided to give it a try. All I can say is I haven’t laughed that much in a long time. We were all laughing the entire game. I swear, the neighbors probably heard us laughing, yelling, and acting all crazy up in here.Blurt! is the name of the game. It’s a fast-paced word game that turns into a race around a game board. Setup was super easy with this game, and the instructions were easy to follow. I’m not one to enjoy reading the instructions for any game; I need more patience in that area. These instructions were fairly short and sweet, though. Each player has a colored game token. The card box holds all the clues; there are 1,800 clues total. Each card has an “easy” side and a more challenging side. A die is also included with the game, since each turn requires a roll of the die in order to figure out which clue to read off the card. The game board is very bright and colorful with squares for the track all the way ’round the board.The object of the game is to be be the first person to make it all the way around the game board. In order to move your game piece, you have to blurt out the correct word when given the clue. Each person takes his/her turn being the Reader. A roll of the die not only determines which clue to read, but it’ll also determine how many spaces the person who blurts out the correct word will get to move. The best part is that each player can blurt out as many words as he wants….making it sometimes quite energetic and hilarious. Of course, there are bonus blurts throughout the game in the form of one-on-one challenges between players who land on the same space or who land on the same color of space as their game token. There are also advanced play options. A Junior Version is even included for players ages 7-9.We could have played the Junior Version, since Jacob is 9, but we decided to go full-fledged, game on. We had a blast. Even Jaden got in on the action, although he mainly just wanted to drive his game token around the board like a car. We yelled out answers, challenged each other, laughed ’til we dropped, and just had fun. For us, it was nice to let go of the busyness of life for awhile, forget everything, and just laugh together. The game is also challenging for Jacob; it introduces new words to him, increasing his vocabulary. It makes him think; it made all of us think. Even smaller children have fun counting out the spaces for you when it’s time to move. The only thing I might change about this game is the die (the die does not have dots; it has whole numbers on each side). I know, it might seem petty…. but I like a regular die because I think it’s good for kids to visualize the dots and what number they stand for. Such a small issue, though, and honestly not one I’m worried about.Blurt! could definitely be enjoyed by groups, forming teams. It’d be an awesome party game, both for kids and adults. It’s geared toward ages 7+ and 3-12 players. You can purchase Blurt! for $29.99 from Educational Insights. I highly recommend this game, and give it 8 thumbs up from my whole family.

The awesome news is that one MamaBuzz reader can enjoy some hilarious family game time with Blurt! because Educational Insights is giving the game to one reader! Please leave a comment (see below) to enter, but then be sure to leave a separate comment for each optional way that you enter. This giveaway will end on Tuesday, February 28. The winner will be chosen, via random.org. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada only (void where prohibited). No purchase is necessary, and the odds of winning are based on a number of entries. Good luck, and have a wonderful day!

  1. What game makes your family laugh ’til you feel like you’re gonna drop? Share a comment.

Other optional ways to enter:

(Disclosure: I received this game, free of charge, from Educational Insights, for the purposes of review. All views/opinions remain solely my own.)

Filed Under: Educational/Homeschool, Family, Giveaways, Jr Highers, Party/Celebration Products, Reviews & Giveaways, School Age, Sr Highers, Toys & Games Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Sorting & Learning with Attribute Apples {Giveaway}

February 1, 2012 By 32 Comments

Working with companies like Learning Resources gives me opportunity not only to use and review educational materials with my kids….but it gives me opportunity to learn even better, more fun ways to educate my children and help them grasp concepts. When I first opened up this latest product, Attribute Apples, I really had no idea all the possibilities of learning with this bucket of 27 cute, plastic apples of all different sizes, shapes, and colors. The possibilities with this awesome little bucket are endless….and not just for my 4 year old.Attribute Apples come in a cute, bushel-like bucket with a cardboard insert that separates the apples. There are red, yellow, and green apples….some apples have stems with leaves, and some apples have cute little green worms. Jaden was ecstatic over the wormies, and frankly, so was I; they are so cute! The apples are small, medium, and large. Of course, the first thing Jaden and I wanted to do was sort the apples. We can sort by color, size, apples with leaves, apples with worms, apples with just a stem, etc. Not only can we sort, but after sorting, we can count the apples. We can count individually or by group. We can compare and contrast groups of apples, because there are relationships between the different attributes or features.

Pattern recognition is another learning activity with Attribute Apples. I can create patterns, leaving certain apples out, so that Jaden has to figure out the sequence and insert the correct apple. Other activities include describing the apples, picking out the one different apple in a group of apples, chain building with different apples that also have similar attributes, asking kids to pick out a certain number of apples with the same characteristics, etc.Here’s where older kids can come into the fun, as well….with Venn diagrams. Venn diagrams can be used to discuss and compare/contrast the different attributes and relationships between the groups. It’s so interesting that such a small bucket of 27 apples can offer so many different ways to learn.

The apples are a type of plastic with a rubbery sort of texture. They can easily be wiped off, a great feature with kids, especially if in a school setting with lots of little hands touching and sorting. They’re very colorful and realistic looking. The only thing I noticed and that I want to caution my readers about is that some of the apples are quite small, so if smaller children get ahold of them, they could be a choking hazard. However, the apples are rated for ages 4-12.

You can purchase Attribute Apples for $21.99 from Learning Resources. I highly recommend them, in both a homeschool and traditional school setting. They come with a very cool activity booklet that’ll spark ideas and inspiration for activities.

The great news is that one MamaBuzz reader will win their very own bucket of Attribute Apples. Please leave a comment (see below) to enter, but then be sure to leave a separate comment for each optional way that you enter. This giveaway will end on Wednesday, February 22. The winner will be chosen, via random.org. This giveaway is open to U.S. only (void where prohibited). No purchase is necessary, and the odds of winning are based on a number of entries. Good luck, and have a wonderful day!

  1. When you were younger, what was a fun way a teacher or parent helped you to grasp a concept that was difficult to learn? Share a comment.

Other optional ways to enter:

(Disclosure: I received Attribute Apples, free of charge, from Learning Resources, for the purposes of review. All views/opinions remain solely my own.)

Filed Under: Babies and Preschoolers, Educational/Homeschool, Giveaways, Reviews & Giveaways, School Age, Toys & Games Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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