Snake Oil Game Review

I've said it before and I'll say it again....we LOVE playing board games at our house!!  It's the perfect way to spend quality time together while having a fun time and just hanging out!

We have a huge collection of favorites, some we tend to play over and over again.

I've been excited to share with you that we have found another great game to add to our very large collection...Snake Oil by Out of the Box Games.

Out of the Box Publishing feels games should be fun so they set out to create innovative party, card, and board games that are fun and engaging to play with friends and family. 

Their website is catchy and bright and their games are categorized by: Party, Quick, or Engaging.  There is also an interactive Game Finder that let's you find the perfect game based on the number of players, ages, and type of game.



The idea for the game Snake Oil came from the Old West.  Back in the day, sneaky snake oil salesmen would be able to get the most skeptical customer to buy their product.  In Snake Oil, that is what the players get to do...convince the customer they should buy their, sometimes crazy and weird product.

Thoughts of an 11-Year Old:  Snake Oil is a very fun game, and it has lots of silly results. It is a Pitch-A-Product game, and it can get very goofy. Here is the main idea of the game.

Players One, Two and Three draw cards to create a hand of six. 

Player Two draws a Customer Card. "I'm a snake! Sell me something I need!"

Players One and Three look at their cards and combine two to make a silly product. 

Player One holds up cards. "I'm here to sell this snake a Spine Cloth. You can use it to..."

Player Three holds up cards. "I'll sell you an even better item called a Tail Hat. You can use it to..."

Player Two hands the Customer Card to Player One. "I'll buy the Spine Cloth."

Player One wins because they received the most Customer Cards after everyone was a customer once. 

I think Snake Oil is a really fun and cool game. Everybody gets an armload of silly, and they can use it to really invent something useful, or something only an Alien would want! And, as they say, laughter really is the best medicine!

My Thoughts:  We have really enjoyed playing this game together.  It has been challenging to think out of the box and make each other laugh.  I think it would make a great Christmas present.  Even though the recommended age is 10, I think if child can read, they will be able to play this game.

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Out of the Box Games.  Snake Oil has a suggested retail of $19.99 and can be found online at various retailers.  It's recommended for ages 10 and up and for 3-10 players.

You can also find Out of the Box Games on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.





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©2010-2014 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Gravity Maze Review

A few weeks ago we received a really fun and challenging new game to play and review.  It's called Gravity Maze by Thinkfun.

This fun logic maze is geared towards ages 8 and up.  Only one person can play at a time, but it's still fun for the whole family.  We had fun helping each other out when they were stumped.

Includes is 1 game grid, 10 gravity maze towers, 3 marbles {2 are extras}, 60 cards with challenges from beginner to expert, and instructions.

Playing is simple.  First you select a challenge from one of the 60 cards.  We started with beginner. Next you set up the towers on the game grid to match the card.  Then you determine where the additional towers should be placed. Last, you drop the marble from the start position and see if it ends in the target tower. If it does, you win!

It's simple, yet fun and challenging.

Thoughts of an 11-Year Old: It is a lot like the game Rush Hour - where you have to get the object from one place to the other following a grid. It is also exciting like Rush Hour - you can actually do things in addition to just switching things around. There have been situations where I have found different ways to complete the challenges. The possibilities are ENDLESS!  I really like it!

Find Out More: You can find out more about the Gravity Maze online at Thinkfun.  It just $29.99 and great for ages 8 and up.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.



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Strength Stack 52 Review

Last month I was contacted by Michael Volkin, the creator of a really cool fitness card game called Strength Stack 52.

At first I wasn't sure how this fitness card game would relate to my blog, but after a little research I realized that this simple deck of cards would be something that a wide variety of people would be interested in, including homeschool families like ours!!

Strength Stack 52 will give you a full body workout, regardless of your fitness level.  Everyone from beginners to advanced can use it.  And what really drew me to it was that -

* There is no equipment or gym membership needed
* It's a deck of cards so it's portable
* It's very affordable
* It's versatile.  It can be used solo or with a group
* It's fun and challenging at the same time

Each card is color coded by muscle group: blue is cardio, red is core, pink is back, yellow is legs, orange is arms, and green is chest.

Each card is suited for playing games, numbered from 1 {easiest} to 51 {hardest}, and has a skill level classification (B= Beginner, I= Intermediate, and A=Advanced)  

Each card has an exercise, silhouette of the exercise being performed, a description of how to perform the exercise and a suggested number of repetitions.

And finally, each card has a QR code. When scanned with a smart phone it will display a video of the exercise being performed. A link is also provided on the card so you can watch the video by typing it in browser.

So after receiving it and looking through the deck, I went to the Strength Stack 52 website and looked up a few fitness games.  They have a ton listed on their website.  I also put aside the Advanced cards since Funny Bunny would be playing with hubby and I.

The first game we played was War.  The player who throws the highest card wins and all losing players must perform the exercises on the cards that were thrown.  We had fun with this one.

The next game we played was Fast and Furious.  The goal is to be the first person to get rid of your seven cards by performing the exercises.  It was fun and tiring, and we were cracking up trying to be the fastest, but of course we were all losing form and Funny Bunny was going crazy...lol!  It's hard to do sit ups while laughing.  ;)

The last game we played was Memoriods.  It's kinda like Memory but with a twist.  This one took forever and we ended up quitting because we were all so tired by then. 

My Thoughts:  I would totally recommend Strength Stack 52!  I love that it's affordable and easy to use and can be used by a variety of people, regardless of fitness ability.  It was also fun to use as a family and got us up and doing something together.  I also like that I can take the stack into a room and just use it by myself.  I am a firm believer that you don't need fancy equipment to get a good workout. 

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Strength Stack 52.  Strength Stack 52 is only $16.95 for the deck of 54 cards.  In the deck you get 17 beginner, 17 intermediate, and 17 advanced cards, along with 1 wild card.  There is also 1 Anatomy of a Card, and 1 promo card.  You can also purchase the Expansion Deck for $16.95 and Insane Deck for $16.95.  Or you can save 20% and get the Tri-Pack for just $39.85.  You can also find Strength Stack 52 on Facebook.  Strength Stack is recommended for 16+ but Funny Bunny is only 10 and she had a great time playing.

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©2010-2014 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Chess House Review

Funny Bunny has wanted to learn how to play chess for a while now, so she was excited to receive the Starter Chess Learning Kit from Chess House!!

The kit is really nice and everything fits inside a zip-up case!  The kit includes:

* Elliott's Chess School DVD 1 - Pawn Level

* Solid plastic chess pieces with 3 3/4" regulation size king

* Roll-up chess board

* Chess bag that holds all 32 pieces, roll-up chess board, and DVD 

The chess bag comes in black, green, navy, green camo, and tan camo.  We received tan camo.  Doesn't it go nicely with Funny Bunny's decor?  ;)

Once opened you can see there are compartments for the chess pieces, DVD, and rolled up chess board. 

The board was easy to take out and unroll and laid nicely on the table.

At this point, the DVD was essential!!  The only person in our home who knows how to play chess is hubby, and he is far from an expert.  We found the DVD to be wonderful and easy to follow.  

It features an introduction of the chess board and of each piece, strategies for each piece, and a booklet with practice positions and exercises for every topic on the DVD.  This was really the best part!

Topics include:

• Intro to Chess (board, names of pieces, values)
• Pawns
• Rooks
• Bishops
• The Queen
• The King
• Knight
• Castling
• Pawn shields and when to break it
• Development

This video series is designed to lay a solid foundation, building the basics of playing a great chess.  If interested, there are three more levels in the Elliot's Chess School Series.  Elliot does a great job of introducing the viewer to the game and explaining in simple terms how to move pieces.

The DVD is not made to watch straight through and then play a game of chess.  After each topic, you open the booklet and play the described exercise.

For example, after learning the pieces and their values, you play a game where you race to see who can set up their pieces on the board first.  Then you play a game where one person calls out a number and each player gathers their pieces in any combination to equal that value.

After mastering one topic, you then move the to next.  I like this concept.  Below is a sample of the video.

Thoughts of a 10-Year Old:  I have been enjoying Chess House.  A couple of years ago we borrowed a chess program from a friend, and ever since I have wanted to play chess.  And I think this really helped me learn how to play, step-by-step, and now I'm a pretty good chess player!  It gives lots of tutorials and it has a few mini games for each piece until you master the game of chess.  There are six levels: Pawns, Rooks, Bishops, Queen, King, and Knight.  I like this product so much and it has helped me to become a better player!   

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Chess House.  The Starter Chess Learning Kit retails for $49.95 but right now is on sale for $39.95.  It is ideal for all ages, and would make a great gift!

My Crewmates are also reviewing Chess House, so you can check out what they think HERE.

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©2010-2013 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

The Presidential Game Review

We LOVE board games! So when I found out that we would be receiving a new board game called The Presidential Game, we were all very excited!!

This game is geared toward ages 11+ to adults and can be played with two or more people, so it is perfect for us!

It arrived in a beautiful box and includes the following:  1 20" x 30" GAME Board, 1 Score Pad, 3 Blue Dice, 3 Red Dice, 80 Politics Cards, 40 "Write-Your-Own" Politics Cards, 150 Republican Votes (red chips), 150 Democrat Votes (blue chips), and 1 Electoral WebMap™ Calculator Access Code.

I quickly opened it, laid everything out, and read the directions aloud to Funny Bunny and hubby...then I read them again to myself at least two more times.  I wasn't totally understanding it all so I figured it was the type of game you have to just play to understand what to do...so we just played and thankfully got it!!

It did take playing through a few turns to grasp the strategy of it all.  And there is strategy for sure!

Here's how it's played.

You first split into two teams, so as long as you have at least 2 people, you can play this game.  Funny Bunny and hubby played on the Democrat side and I played on the Republican side.  The object is to win the election by getting at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes. 

The number of weeks until the election determines how long your game will last.  It was noted that 30 weeks {or 30 turns} takes approximately an hour, so since our first game was close to bedtime, we went with 10 weeks.

You have to decide if you want to go Campaigning or Fundraising on each turn, and although there is plenty of strategy involved, there is chance as well.  Included are Politics Cards and those offer different scenarios that either hurt or help your team.  They even include several blank cards to add your own situations.  Here's one that Funny Bunny made and hid toward the top of the deck to surprise us:

News gets out that your dog's name is Maisy.  Soon, everyone in Florida is naming their dogs Maisy too!  Add 3 votes to Florida.

To score, there is a score pad included, but I found it a bit challenging to add and subtract scores on every turn, so we used the Electoral WebMap™ Calculator on our iPad while playing.  It was much easier and we liked the visual.   

In the end *I WON*, even though hubby and Funny Bunny fundraised and won California, Texas, and Florida.  California went back and forth between us until I finally gave up and started campaigning other places. 

We've really had a fun time playing this game and Funny Bunny is learning a lot from it, even if she doesn't realize it. 

Thoughts of a 10-Year Old:  I like The Presidential Game a lot.  It seems like now that I've played it I understand how things work more.  I think that it was a really good game and it's fun to play.

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at The Presidential Game.  The Presidential Game is $35. 

My Crewmates are also reviewing The Presidential Game, so you can check out what they think HERE.

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©2010-2013 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Dig It Games: Mayan Mysteries Review

Kids seem to be playing games all the time...on the computer, iPad, iPod, DS, Wii, PlayStation, and more.  With all this technology, playing games seems inevitable.  I try my hardest to find educational games and that is why I really like Dig-It Games!

Founded by professional archaeologist and former middle-school teacher Suzi Wilczynski, Dig-It! Games develops educational games that promote creative thinking, independent learning, and cultural understanding. 

Dig-It Games offers two different games, Roman Town, which we reviewed two years ago and Funny Bunny still plays from time to time, and Mayan Mysteries, which we are reviewing right now.

Mayan Mysteries blends action and mystery with history and learning, presenting players with a unique adventure through the fascinating world of the ancient Maya. Visit excavation sites, decode glyphs, explore the mysterious Maya calendar, and more.

Funny Bunny seems to have really enjoyed this game so I'll let her tell you more about it.

Thoughts of a 10-Year Old:   When I first heard that I was getting Mayan Mysteries, I was super-excited because I had previously reviewed another Dig It game called Roman Town, and LOVED it!

When you first start Mayan Mysteries, the game takes you to a comic strip that basically tells you the prologue of the game.  Then you can choose one of the characters with an exclamation point over their head and they will either give you a minigame or a challenge.

The challenges contain little passages that give you information on the Mayan culture, and then once you've finished reading them you answer questions about the passage.

Ladrone, the looter of the famous but rare ballplayer figures, leaves several clues behind, which you can look at in the Clues section.

There are lots of math games and I really learned a lot about Mayan culture.

After you've completed everything in a level, there is a Level Challenge, which you have to take in order to move on to the next level.

The only thing I don't like about this awesome game is the fact that once you complete level 2, you have to wait for Mayan Mysteries 2 to come out! :(  It is a really great game and I learned a lot and had fun playing it!!!    

My Thoughts:  Funny Bunny really enjoyed playing Mayan Mysteries and I liked that she was so determined to complete the game, she didn't mind working on the math, solving the puzzles, and taking the quizzes.  Some of it was really challenging for her too and she really had to think.  She used several sheets of scrap paper for her work.  Plus she learned some great information about the Mayan culture.

Both of us wish there was more playing time included with the subscription.  Funny Bunny probably played the game in 4 or 5 sittings that were about 1-2 hours long.  And as she mentioned above, the mystery is not solved at the end...you have to stay tuned to Mayan Mysteries 2.  When she finally finished the game, I heard her yell, "What?!"  Of course she now wants me to purchase Mayan Mysteries 2.  ;)



Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Dig It Games.  Mayan Mysteries sells for $21.99 for a single user 1-year online subscription, $9.99 for the iPad, or $299 for the classroom edition.  It's designed for grades 5-9 {or ages 11 and up} and includes about 12 hours of playing time.

My Crewmates are also reviewing Dig It Games: Mayan Mysteries, so you can check out what they think HERE.

©2010-2013 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Family Time Fitness Review

Are you homeschooling your children and wish you had a local and affordable P.E. option for them?

We have had a couple options in the past.  A Community Center about 30 minutes away use to offer free P.E. classes a couple times a week and I had heard they were pretty good but many times disorganized and chaotic.

Then our local YMCA started offering homeschool P.E. but they soon increased the prices and it wasn't close to being affordable, especially for those families with multiple children.

We now even have a Certified Personal Trainer and Child Fitness Specialist in our local homeschool group who just recently started classes.  Again, this is great, and her group rates are by far the cheapest, but for families who already have their schedules full, it's another day out of the house driving back and forth. 

What about an AFFORDABLE Physical Education program that you can do at HOME with ALL of your children...even their friends?

The Fitness 4 Homeschool Curriculum allows homeschool parents to teach physical education without previous knowledge of physical education and athletic development. Their program, designed by experts in fitness training, nutrition and body movement, is designed to suit every age and ability level while affordably fitting into your budget.  

How does the Fitness 4 Homeschool Program by Family Time Fitness work? 

There are 260 planned lessons that teach you everything you need to know with minimal preparation time.  It is easy to follow and can be done inside or outside, with small pieces of equipment likes a jump rope and ball.

It can be done 3-5 days a week for 30-45 minutes each day, but really it is up to the family and totally customizable.  Here you can see the Core Curriculum Scope and Sequence.  

The curriculum includes:

*  A Startup/Training Guide
*  260 PDF Lesson Plans
*  Over 200 Video Demonstrations
*  Assessment Tools to help track progress
*  Encouragement Emails
*  Access to online webinars and more

My Thoughts:  Are you wondering how this family with just one child likes the program?  We love it!  And you know that Funny Bunny isn't the only one using it...I have to get involved too!  It's not only a great way for this out of shape momma to get moving, it's also been a fun activity for us to do together!  I just can't wait until the weather cools down so we can do it outside!

{Note how it is simple to substitute Maisy's toys for jump ropes!}

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Family Time Fitness.  The Fitness 4 Homeschool program is only $57!  You pay the one-time cost for your whole family and you get the entire program and guaranteed lifetime access to these videos as they update them.  They never charge  subscription fees or annual renewal fees.

My Crewmates are also talking about Family Time Fitness, so you can check out what they think about it HERE.

Disclaimer:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.

Flashnote Derby Review

Funny Bunny has been taking piano lessons for two years now.  She has completed four lesson books and is about half way through her fifth.  She loves to practice and can play songs by ear, which she got from hubby.  {I should note here that I have no musical ability whatsoever!} 

Something else she does really well is memorize the songs she is learning.  While this may seem great, combine this with learning by ear, and you have a child who doesn't necessarily read all the notes. 

We have flashcards but they are pretty boring and rarely get used.  But recently I heard of Flashnote Derby, and had to check it out.

Flashnote Derby was designed by a music teacher, for music teachers and their students. 

Flashnote Derby is a fun app in which students respond to note name flashcards in order to urge their horse and jockey on past their opponent. Answering quickly and correctly will cause their horse to gain ground, while incorrect answers will cause it to fall behind.

The game is fully customizable to allow for any desired notes in the treble or bass clefs to be included. You can select ranges of notes, or several individual notes to focus on specific areas that need work. The amount of time the player is given for each flashcard can be increased or decreased depending upon their age and level of experience.

At the end of each race, students can review the notes they missed and see the correct response. 

My Thoughts:  This is a simple and fun app for children.  I like that every aspect of the game can be customized: speed, number of questions, and the notes.  It's great for beginners.  The positive reinforcement is good and it is nice that any incorrect answers are reviewed.  And you can't beat the price!  I really think this is a great tool. 

Thoughts of an 8-Year Old:  I like Flashnote Derby because it helps me learn my notes.  I started out slow with just a few notes and after I did good on those, I added more.  Then I added notes for both hands and that was a little harder.  

Find Out More:  You can find out more about this app online at http://flashnotederbyapp.com/  It is currently on sale for only $0.99 and aimed at ages 5 to 12. 

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

 

Fractazmic Review

Last year I had the opportunity to review a really cool math card game by I See Cards called Pyramath and today I am going to tell you a little about another card game of theirs called Fractazmic. 

From the website:  Fractazmic is a comprehensive interactive fun lesson in fractions that gives your child unlimited practice at their individual level.

Each brightly colored card displays fractions, along with eye catching graphics, to ensure reinforcement. Players will quickly identify the fractions on their cards and calculate their way to fun and learning! Fractazmic teaches fractions, numbers and measurement.

Funny Bunny is just now learning more about fractions in math and after playing a couple games with her, I am realizing I don't know my fractions as well as I should.  Hmmmm.... 

Well, thank goodness the creators made the game fun and easy to play by including cute pictures on each card.  So if you aren't sure what 3/8 or 7/16 are, you can figure it out by using the picture.  This is great for beginners. 

The deck of 60 cards has three suits in three different colors:

Green: Tenths (1/10, 1/5, 3/10, 2/5, and 1/2)

Blue: Twelfths (1/12, 1/6, 1/4, 1/3, 5/12, and 1/2)

Red: Sixteenths (1/16, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, and 1/2)

Fractazmic can be played with 2-4 players (or just one) and is recommended for grades 1-8.  Players take turns trying to make suits by adding fractions and summing to one.  The deck can be used to play a couple different games though, one of which you can see being played below.

And if your child is new to fractions, you can use only one set of cards like we did.  Using all three suits was a little overwhelming for Funny Bunny so we played with just the Blue cards.  As she gets better, we will add in more cards. 

Thoughts of an 8-Year Old:  I like Fractazmic because it helps me with fractions and I am now better at them. I think the blue cards are the easiest to play with.  The blue cards show a carton of eggs, the red show inches, and the green show a water jug.  Fractazmic is fun and easy to play and I hope we can review yet another I See Cards game soon!!!  

Find Out More:  You can find out more about Fractazmic online.  A single pack sells for $6.95 and you can buy packs of five or ten for a group or class.  And if you would like to try to play the Fractazmic Speed Version for free, you can try it here.

My Crewmates are also reviewing Fractazmic, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Disclosure:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the products to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.