Blue Orange Games

We are a big fan of having a game night in our house. Game night could be anything from telling each other stories to building sculptures. It just means spending time together. My husband works, and I am a stay at home mom, so for him, watching her play games is a great way to show how she is developing and learning. I am constantly on the look-out for games that will be fun for all of us, while helping to educate our child. Zimbbos by Blue Orange, perfectly fits my criteria.

Refreshing and amusing, this stacking game can be played alone or team up with up to 4 players. Help those smiling little elephants to get piled up and create an originally shaped pyramid. Each player throws the die to find out how many elephants have to be placed on the pyramid, respecting the numerical order turn after turn. If the die shows a star, you get to chose between a joker (clown, bear, gorilla or a lion) or a balancing bar. You win if you place the elephant number 10 on the top of the pyramid and the pyramid stays up, it goes without saying.

We played for so long. I thought it was wonderful to try and get her to stack according to number. We even continued stacking them to see if we could get all of the pieces one on top of another, without having our "tower" fall. It was great fun. I love that the pieces are wood (no plastic in this game). I even caught my daughter using one of the elephants as a animal for another game. It got us together, and she was learning without even realizing it. Blue Orange games are so much fun, with choices for any age group. Blue Orange often wins coveted toy awards. They are an eco-friendly company, and they plant two trees for every tree used to create their wooden games. What's not to love?!

eeBoo Makes Learning Fun Again!

Learning and playing make up the day of most children. I learned very early that even in the simplest ways (like how i talked to my daughter), that like a sponge, she was taking it all in. This year has been a huge one for milestones of learning to write a little bit, learning numbers, letters and applying them to practical life. If my daughter suspects she is learning, she rebels, so we have had to make it fun (and a little bit sneaky). Enter eeBoo. eeBoo makes educational games and gifts for kids. All products are beautifully decorated with illustrations from children's storybook artists. There is a good reason that so many of their toys have been awared the Oppenheimer Best Toy Award. I love their motto

...eeBoo products inspire parents to get down on the floor to play with their children.

We own quite a few eeBoo products. I find that they are so deceivingly fun, that my daughter eats it right up and wants to play (learn) more. The Alphabet Cut-Out Letters have been wonderful. They are made from 90% recycled grey board and non-toxic ink. They come in a sturdy box , and your child can hold each letter. We currently use them as a fun twist on flash-cards. I find they make it fun, and she likes to tell us each thing she knows about the letter. The adorable animals on each card are a great reminder of what the letter is, and they really help to prompt her.

The Counting Animal Puzzles are 3 piece mini-puzzles with a number in numerical and written form, and a picture of an animal that corresponds to the number on the card. Puzzles are a great way to teach coordination, dexterity and problem-solving. These mini-puzzles are made from 90% recycled grey board and non-toxic ink. My daughter puts these together and proceeds to either tell us the number or count the animals and then announce with joy what number it is. Amazingly, after a few weeks of her wanting (yes, wanting) to do these puzzles, she saw the number 3 written in a book, and could recognize it. See, she was learning and did not even know it.

The Cupcake Game is a fantastic way for kids to learn patience (waiting for their turn) and even learning how to follow a recipe. The game is made from 90% recycled grey board and non-toxic ink. The child spins to add ingredients to make their cupcake. eeBoo has variations on this game like The Picnic Game and The Tea Party Game. Playing can definitely be educational. It was fun to watch my daughter learn that she needed to do what the spinner said, and she was pretty psyched when she won.

I cannot say enough good things about eeBoo, from the darling artwork, to the eco-conscious use of recycled materials. eeBoo is focused on helping you raise a socially, ecologically conscious, and educated child...who also happens to want to have a lot of fun in the process.