Megan
I am looking to make my yard more fun for the little ones. Any suggestions that aren't too expensive to making it more fun? We have a large back yard that is fenced in and safe for kids. We have some nice trees so it stays cool. I have hung swings but would like more. I want it to be fun for ages 1-5. Any ideas?
Answer
Kids are always in my backyard from newborns up to age 10. We have a big swingset but it is the things that you don't expect the spend the most time with.
Get a big box like a plastic deck box that is used to store cushions but make it a toy box. Stock it with balls, bubbles, wands, jump ropes, bats, tees, etc. Stuff that you can get from the dollar store. Also have a digging spot - not necessarily a sandbox, it can just be a spot in the yard of dirt or in our case, we have gravel under our deck that is a raised deck. We keep shovels and toy trucks under there and they spend hours in their hide out.
I sometimes give the kids ideas to do like hey, why don't you set up an obstacle course? Then they use all the stuff over again in a new way.
But truly, the most fun they have is when some of the parents join int. That always makes for a good time.
Kids are always in my backyard from newborns up to age 10. We have a big swingset but it is the things that you don't expect the spend the most time with.
Get a big box like a plastic deck box that is used to store cushions but make it a toy box. Stock it with balls, bubbles, wands, jump ropes, bats, tees, etc. Stuff that you can get from the dollar store. Also have a digging spot - not necessarily a sandbox, it can just be a spot in the yard of dirt or in our case, we have gravel under our deck that is a raised deck. We keep shovels and toy trucks under there and they spend hours in their hide out.
I sometimes give the kids ideas to do like hey, why don't you set up an obstacle course? Then they use all the stuff over again in a new way.
But truly, the most fun they have is when some of the parents join int. That always makes for a good time.
Discovery Toys- 1,2,3, Go! - need directions?
Mary
I bought this board game called 1,2,3 Go! by Discovery Toys at a garage sale and the directions are missing. Does anyone have a copy or just a bried explanation?
Answer
I found It!
1,2,3 GO! by Discovery Toys is a wonderful, easy board game that is a perfect tool for teaching beginning math concepts to young children, children with special needs/learning disabilities, or children that simply find math to be especially challenging.
Since 1,2,3 GO! is recommended for ages 3 and up, it is a great choice for parents who want to introduce the concept of playing board games to a young child. Its simple "rules" are very easy to grasp, and you can play 2-3 rounds of the game in less than 10 minutes, so it is wonderful for young children and their limited attention spans! Of course, if your kids are anything like mine, they will not find 1,2,3 GO! to be tiresome at all; we play this game over and over and they never get tired of it!
1,2,3 GO! is a game for two players and consists of a 11 by 9 inch red plastic playing board. The inner part of the board contains a shallow well (about 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches) that can be used for throwing the dice into when playing the game, and for storing the game pieces when the game is not in use. On one side of the board there are two arrows raised on the plastic; each arrow indicates a starting point for each player. Following in the direction of each arrow, 19 short raised posts/pegs go around the board on each side, meeting on the opposite side at a star/sun shape raised on the plastic. This star/sun shape indicates the end of the board/game.
Each player has a set of pieces, either blue or yellow. Each set includes 9 playing pieces; three #3 pieces, three #2 pieces, and three #1 pieces. The #1 pieces are a cylinder shape piece of plastic with a hollow inside; a #2 piece is a double piece of this nature (imagine two #1s glued together) and the #3 piece is a triple piece. When placed on the board, the #1 piece covers one of the raised posts/pegs, the #2 piece covers two pegs, and the #3 piece covers three pegs.
The object of the game is to be the first player to cover all of his/her pegs and reach the end of the board.
To play, the players take turns rolling a die. (The game comes with two; one numbered 1-3 one numbered 1-6.) Imagine first playing the game with the 1-3 die. Let's say you roll a 2 and must cover two pegs. You can do this either by using a #2 playing piece, or two #1 pieces, etc. However, since the pegs do not follow a straight line, you may have to use combinations of pieces to cover your pegs. For example, if you roll a 3 and your next available pegs create a corner, you cannot use a straight #3 piece, because it does not bend; you will have to use a combination of other pieces.
As they play the game, children will absorb the addition concepts used in the game. A young child will probably not understand the abstract concept that 1+1=2, but in playing this game, he/she learns that a #1 piece plus another #1 pieces covers/equals two, etc. and begins to grasp the concept that 1+1=2!
But it doesn't stop at 1-2-3......also add 4-5-6! You will first want to introduce the game using the 1-3 numbered die, but you can soon start to use the 1-6 numbered die for higher addition concepts! Along with the items mentioned, this game includes a green plastic Adding Tray with three grooved wells, numbered 4, 5, and 6. A player/child can insert the #1, #2, and #3 playing pieces into the grooves to determine which combination of pieces fill them completely and "make" that number. So when playing the game with the 1-6 die, the child may roll a 5. If it is a young child or a child experiencing difficulty with addition, he/she may not know that 2+3=5. But he/she can use a #2 piece and a #3 piece (or combinations of other pieces) to fill up the #5 section of the tray, then transfer those pieces over to the playing board to cover 5 pegs.
When I play this game with my 4 1/2 year old son, we play the conventional way; we each start on one side of the board and cover the pegs in order. We are introducing 2+ year old Katie to this game; when we play with Katie, we play in "random" mode; roll a 3 and cover ANY (as opposed to the next available) three pegs on the board. So you may alter the suggested "rules" of the game to suit your needs and the age(s) of the children playing. Or if a younger child is playing with an older child, the older child could use the 1-6 die while the younger uses the 1-3 die, etc.
Since this game simply involves rolling the die and covering the subsequent number of pegs, the game moves very fast. We can play the game 3 times or so in 10 minutes.
The concepts of this game are very easy for young children to understand, and the "rules" are so simple, making 1,2,3 GO! and ideal way to introduce the aspects of playing board games (following rules, taking turns, etc.) to young children.
I very highly recommend this game, and I strongly suggest that the other Discovery Toys consultants that are also Epinions members reading this (hi ladies!) purchase this one to show to their customers! We lov
I found It!
1,2,3 GO! by Discovery Toys is a wonderful, easy board game that is a perfect tool for teaching beginning math concepts to young children, children with special needs/learning disabilities, or children that simply find math to be especially challenging.
Since 1,2,3 GO! is recommended for ages 3 and up, it is a great choice for parents who want to introduce the concept of playing board games to a young child. Its simple "rules" are very easy to grasp, and you can play 2-3 rounds of the game in less than 10 minutes, so it is wonderful for young children and their limited attention spans! Of course, if your kids are anything like mine, they will not find 1,2,3 GO! to be tiresome at all; we play this game over and over and they never get tired of it!
1,2,3 GO! is a game for two players and consists of a 11 by 9 inch red plastic playing board. The inner part of the board contains a shallow well (about 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches) that can be used for throwing the dice into when playing the game, and for storing the game pieces when the game is not in use. On one side of the board there are two arrows raised on the plastic; each arrow indicates a starting point for each player. Following in the direction of each arrow, 19 short raised posts/pegs go around the board on each side, meeting on the opposite side at a star/sun shape raised on the plastic. This star/sun shape indicates the end of the board/game.
Each player has a set of pieces, either blue or yellow. Each set includes 9 playing pieces; three #3 pieces, three #2 pieces, and three #1 pieces. The #1 pieces are a cylinder shape piece of plastic with a hollow inside; a #2 piece is a double piece of this nature (imagine two #1s glued together) and the #3 piece is a triple piece. When placed on the board, the #1 piece covers one of the raised posts/pegs, the #2 piece covers two pegs, and the #3 piece covers three pegs.
The object of the game is to be the first player to cover all of his/her pegs and reach the end of the board.
To play, the players take turns rolling a die. (The game comes with two; one numbered 1-3 one numbered 1-6.) Imagine first playing the game with the 1-3 die. Let's say you roll a 2 and must cover two pegs. You can do this either by using a #2 playing piece, or two #1 pieces, etc. However, since the pegs do not follow a straight line, you may have to use combinations of pieces to cover your pegs. For example, if you roll a 3 and your next available pegs create a corner, you cannot use a straight #3 piece, because it does not bend; you will have to use a combination of other pieces.
As they play the game, children will absorb the addition concepts used in the game. A young child will probably not understand the abstract concept that 1+1=2, but in playing this game, he/she learns that a #1 piece plus another #1 pieces covers/equals two, etc. and begins to grasp the concept that 1+1=2!
But it doesn't stop at 1-2-3......also add 4-5-6! You will first want to introduce the game using the 1-3 numbered die, but you can soon start to use the 1-6 numbered die for higher addition concepts! Along with the items mentioned, this game includes a green plastic Adding Tray with three grooved wells, numbered 4, 5, and 6. A player/child can insert the #1, #2, and #3 playing pieces into the grooves to determine which combination of pieces fill them completely and "make" that number. So when playing the game with the 1-6 die, the child may roll a 5. If it is a young child or a child experiencing difficulty with addition, he/she may not know that 2+3=5. But he/she can use a #2 piece and a #3 piece (or combinations of other pieces) to fill up the #5 section of the tray, then transfer those pieces over to the playing board to cover 5 pegs.
When I play this game with my 4 1/2 year old son, we play the conventional way; we each start on one side of the board and cover the pegs in order. We are introducing 2+ year old Katie to this game; when we play with Katie, we play in "random" mode; roll a 3 and cover ANY (as opposed to the next available) three pegs on the board. So you may alter the suggested "rules" of the game to suit your needs and the age(s) of the children playing. Or if a younger child is playing with an older child, the older child could use the 1-6 die while the younger uses the 1-3 die, etc.
Since this game simply involves rolling the die and covering the subsequent number of pegs, the game moves very fast. We can play the game 3 times or so in 10 minutes.
The concepts of this game are very easy for young children to understand, and the "rules" are so simple, making 1,2,3 GO! and ideal way to introduce the aspects of playing board games (following rules, taking turns, etc.) to young children.
I very highly recommend this game, and I strongly suggest that the other Discovery Toys consultants that are also Epinions members reading this (hi ladies!) purchase this one to show to their customers! We lov
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