Summer is here - warm
days, swimming at the pool, lake or sea side! Picnics! Vacations!
Fishing trips! Lots of outdoor fun! Well, many times Summer
brings opportunities to enjoy the outside, but sometimes along with the
enjoyable weather, there comes rainy days, too! So, what does a family
do when rain spoils their plans? There are so many creative and fun
things to do on a rainy day - let's take a look at just a few!
Who says picnics have to have nice
weather?!! Why not have a picnic indoors? Next rainy day, call
a friend and invite them to pack their favorite picnic food, pack your
own basket and spread the blankets on your living room floor for an indoor
picnic your kids will never forget! As you pack your basket, have
your kids get out the paper and scissors and make some ants - who says
they have to be black? - because what is a picnic without a few small visitors?!!
Be sure they also make a sun - sunny days are perfect for a picnic . .
. even if the sun is only a paper sun! Spread your blanket, add your
art and get ready for lots of fun!
After the picnic dinner is enjoyed,
get out the games and enjoy a rotating game time where you play one game
for 20 minutes and then switch to another game - if you were able to find
someone to join you for your picnic, it makes the game time even more fun
if you have to pick up the game at the place the other players finished!
I had the opportunity to review some great games - perfect for an indoor
picnic/game event!
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Old MacDonald
had a farm
Manufacturer - Hasbro/Milton Bradley
Ages - 3 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages memory skills as well as animal/sound recognition
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two ways to play add to the fun!
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fun farm animals children will be able to identify as well as the sound
they make
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option for kids to match mother and baby animal
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colorful, dimensional
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sounds and music make this a truly fun game!
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batteries accessible only with a screwdriver
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Silly Gopher Golf
Manufacturer - Hasbro/Milton Bradley
Ages - 3 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages large muscle development and hand/eye coordination
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silly gophers and sounds add to the fun
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batteries accessible only with a screwdriver
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Pooh Memory Game
Manufacturer - Hasbro/Milton Bradley
Ages 3 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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colorful, loved Pooh friends add to the fun
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encourages memory and recognition skills
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Go Away Monster!
Manufacturer - Gamewright
Ages - 3 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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colorful, dimensional game
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encourages memory, sharing, taking turns, helping others - excellent!
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Dora the Explorer
Big Easy Game
Manufacturer - University Games
Ages - 3 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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colorful, colorforms game - unique and tremendously fun!
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game board is a giant floor mat, adding to the fun
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encourages counting skills, basic Spanish, taking turns and playing by
the rules as well as simple problem solving
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clear easy to follow rules
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Dr. Suess' ABC Game
Manufacturer - University Games
Ages - 3 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages letter recognition and learning sounds of letters
clear, easy to follow rules
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Silly Noises Animal
Sounds Game
Manufacturer - University Games
Ages - 4 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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colorful, somewhat zany, fun game!
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encourages animal recognition, matching sounds to animals, taking turns,
imagination and creativity
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clear , easy to follow rules
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two ways to play add to the fun!
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Green Eggs
and Ham Game
Manufacturer - University Games
Ages - 4 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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builds on the book, Green Eggs and Ham
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clear, easy to follow rules
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K-9 capers
Manufacturer - Gamewright
Ages - 6 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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colorful, silly, K-9 cards add to the fun
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encourages counting skills, memory
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Dog Dice
Manufacturer - Gamewright
Ages 6 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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unique spin on the old game of bingo
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fun images on the dice and bone shaped markers
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colorful dog bingo board
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encourages matching skills
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Mouse Trap
Manufacturer - Hasbro/Milton Bradley
Ages - 6 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages playing by the rules, thinking skills, developing strategy,
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colorful, unique game parents likely played when they were children
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Hands Down
Manufacturer - Hasbro/Milton Bradley
Ages - 6 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages playing by the rules, thinking skills, developing strategy
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exciting game parents likely played when they were children
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Stone Soup
Manufacturer - Gamewright
Ages 8 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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follows the old story - stone soup
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includes a recipe for stone soup
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encourages taking turns and keeping track/paying attention
clear, easy to follow rules
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Battleship
Manufacturer - Hasbro/Milton Bradley
Ages - 8 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages thinking skills, playing by the rules, developing strategy,
taking turns
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fun game parents likely played when they were children
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available in electronic edition for sounds and more options!
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Stratego
Manufacturer - Hasbro/Milton Bradley
Ages - 8 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages thinking skills, playing by the rules, developing strategy,
taking turns
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again, another game parents likely played when they were children
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Lord of the Rings Chess
Manufacturer - Hasbro/Milton Bradley |
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Coca Cola Chess
Manufacturer - USAopoly
Ages - 8 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages thinking skills, playing by the rules, developing strategy,
taking turns
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chess is a classic game all children should learn to play, the Lord of
the Rings and Coca Cola settings add to the fun
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Coca Cola Yahtzee
Manufacturer - USAopoly
Ages - 8 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages strategy, addition, playing by the rules and taking turns
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yahtzee is a game parents likely played as children - one they continue
to play, the Coca Cola features on the dice make this game much more
fun - excellent choice for families and friends to play together!
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Go to the Head of the Class
Manufacturer - Winning Moves
Ages - 8 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages learning trivia, playing by the rules
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three levels of questions so the entire family can play together
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Tri-Ominoes
Manufacturer - Pressman
Ages - 8 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages strategy, counting skills, paying attention
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clear, easy to follow rules
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this is a game children and their parents can play and enjoy together
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Risk
Manufacturer - Hasbro
Ages - 10 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages strategy, thinking skills
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clear, easy to follow rules
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MindTrap
Manufacturer - Pressman
Ages - 12 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages recalling facts and thinking skills
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options for individual or team play
Family
Camp In is another option to enjoy with your children and
friends when the weather doesn't cooperate for an outdoors camping experience!
Call your friends, ask them to bring their sleeping bags, blankets or pup
tents and get ready for lots of memory making fun! Set up your tents in
your living room/family room or make "tents" with blankets and chairs.
Roll out the sleeping bags and roast hot dogs and marshmallows over your
stove top - if you have a gas range and ONLY with parents supervising.
If no gas range is available, have kids build a "campfire" with sticks
and make "flames" with paper, microwave your hot dogs and then put them
on sticks and pretend to "roast" them - it will be lots of fun your kids
will never forget!
After dinner, pull out the monopoly
games and have a monopoly tournament!
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Monopoly Jr
Manufacturer - Hasbro/Milton Bradley
Ages - 5 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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simpler version for children of this classic game
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encourages children to develop counting, adding, basic strategy and playing
by the rules
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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encourages dog/animal recognition
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provides interesting information about each dog/wild animal breed
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colorful, interesting game board provides a fun "twist" on a classic game
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Bible-opoly
Manufacturer - Late for the Sky
Ages - 8 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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object of the game is to build the first early church and help the other
players to do the same
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provides interesting information about the early churches
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again, provides an interesting "twist" to the familiar game of monopoly
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Looney Tunes Monopoly
Manufacturer - Hasbro/Milton Bradley
Ages - 8 and up |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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Looney Tunes characters and game board add to the fun
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unique Looney Tunes rules make game more interesting!
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clear, easy to follow rules
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Peanuts Monopoly
Manufacturer - USAopoly
Ages - 8 and up
National Parks Monopoly |
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Favorite Features:
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clearly marked for age intended
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these two options allow for the fun of the Peanuts characters and setting
or a "tour" of National Parks
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clear, easy to follow rules
I had no idea there were so many truly excellent options
when it came to playing Monopoly! These games add a fresh take to
a familiar old game!
