Family Fun with USAopoly Games {Crew Review}
If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you might already know that my family loves board games. We often schedule days just for playing games and our family plans holidays around game playing. It isn’t Thanksgiving if we don’t play a game. The girls know that there is going to be at least one new game to open and play at Christmas. Knowing that we love games, I was excited to see USAopoly on the list for Crew Reviews. They generously provided two games for us to enjoy: Tapple: Fast Word Fun for Everyone and Wonky: The Crazy Cubes Card Game.
USAopoly
I thought that I had never heard of USAopoly before seeing them listed as an upcoming vendor for the crew. Then I started poking around the website. I may not have recognized the name but my family actually had at least one game created by them! USAopoly has been publishing board games since 1994. Some of their games are themed games licensed from other companies. Really like Harry Potter? Firefly? Maybe you’re a family of Whovians like us. They publish themed versions of popular games. But, they also publish original games such as Wonky and Tapple.
Tapple: Fast Word Fun for Everyone
Tapple is a fast paced family friendly word game that requires no spelling! This would be a great game to play at parties as I think the more people playing it the more fun it would be. It is listed for 2-8 players and I think 6-8 would be ideal! And you can play as teams.
The Tapple wheel is made of sturdy plastic. The timer is a large red button at the center and the category cards are conveniently stored in the bottom. There are 36 cards with a combined total of 144 categories. Categories are divided into easier cards on side and more challenging topics on the other.
I thought we would be able to adapt this game so that all 6 of us could play but Supergirl’s disabilities made it more complicated that I first thought. We started by allowing her to have twice the amount of time. If the buzzer went off, which it did frequently for her, she got to tap it again for another 10 seconds. We also found that we had to be more fuzzy with the words because she didn’t quite grasp the concept of listing items in the same category but with different things. I think the more we play it, the more she’ll grasp the concept and then we will be able to just use the time adaptation and be able to play the game as a whole family.
Tapple isn’t just fun entertainment. The Tapple wheel can be used for school time too! I decided that since Supergirl wasn’t really able to enjoy playing the game with us we would use it make school a little more fun. USAopoly lists some suggestions for learning time with Tapple. I used it primarily to help her with thinking and processing. We turned the timer off and I would pick a category and encourage her to think of as many things as could with different letters. This helped her solidify the first letter/first sound connection. USAopoly also suggests using Tapple for spelling practice. That is on my list to try!
Wonky: The Crazy Cubes Card Game
This is a card game, but with a twist. The object of the game, like many card games, is to get rid of all your cards. Unlike other card games, this one requires you to build a tower. The tower is going to be wobbly because you are using odd shaped blocks. The object then is to get rid of your cards without toppling the tower. If the tower falls over, you must take three cards and play continues with building a new tower.
This game is very portable. The deck of cards, instructions and all nine blocks fit perfectly into the purple drawstring bag making this a great option to take on the go. I can see my family bringing this along to play while on a picnic. It would be great to bring along camping for those rainy days.
This is the game that I wasn’t too sure that Supergirl would be able to play. I was afraid her fine motor skills would not be up to the challenge of trying to balance the odd shaped cubes to create a tower. But she surprised me. We did have to adapt it by making sure we started the tower close to her but she was able to play the game independently.
Our Thoughts
As a family we are divided as to who prefers which game over the other. Supergirl loves Wonky while Tailorbear surprised herself and said Tapple was her favorite of the two. She said it was fun and she liked how she could take time to think of other words. Turtlegirl is divided and can’t make up her mind. I love the educational aspect of Tapple and found that I really loved Wonky. I do believe that these games will become a regular part of our holiday game marathons at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Details:
- The Vendor: USAopoly
- The Product: Tapple: Fast Word Fun for Everyone and Wonky: The Crazy Cubes Card Game
- Age Range: Both games are listed as for ages 8+
You can read my other Schoolhouse Review Crew Reviews to find more great products.
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