{Family Fun} Dr. Seuss App and Card Game Combined

My kids and I have been playing this SEUSStastic Dr. Seuss Fun Machine game lately. It’s a new app and board game combined, released just in time for Christmas.

If you have played any of the Dr. Seuss board games by Wonder Forge you’ll know they are all created in whimsical Dr. Seuss style. The Dr. Seuss Fun Machine AppPlay game by Wonder Forge is an excellent merge between digital and traditional board games created for families and preschool children.

What does it do?

The Dr. Seuss Fun Machine AppPlay game takes the simple matching game up 55 notches. You buy the game tiles at a store (or online here) then download the free app. The app works for iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.  There are also instructions for ways to play without the app. When using the tiles with an idevice there are several ways you can play. The three games are ‘matching, slap down and guess-a-roo.’ The app leads you through a few quick directions then kids can play solo or with others (1-4 players).  They slide handles on a machine displayed on the screen to tell them what cards to look for. Each card has a special color, shape and character on it so the app tells them a variety of things to look for in each game.  It has simple, medium and hard levels.

What did we think?

I loved that we could play this as a family. There aren’t many apps that do that well. Parents and kids can play together.  My older kids (ages 6 and 9) tried out the guess-a-roo detective style game by themselves but the other games are set up to encourage playing with others.  I also liked that the game tiles create a hands-on element. Sometimes younger kids can get frustrated trying to swipe the screen for games but as we played I helped swipe. Then my 2-year-old could find the card and he would tap the screen to say he found the match.  It is perfect for preschool ages (3-6) who are learning their colors, shapes and yes,…introducing them to the Dr. Seuss characters.

Proud moment:  I have to admit I felt all warm and fuzzy as my 2-year-old said “Seuss game” and I realized it was the first time he said the word “Seuss.”

My 2 year old loved finding the tiles. It would tell him to look for a shape, color or character and he could do the color and character really well. We are still working on his shapes and this game was a great introduction to them.


The idevice doesn’t really recognize the cards, my son just liked to set it on top once he made the match. Then he presses the green button to say he found the match and it makes a fun noise.  This is his face (below) every time he pushed the green button.

Here is a description of the game from Wonder Forge:
The Cat in the Hat is back ... with an app! Dr. Seuss AppPlay Games combine the classic fun of tabletop games with the dynamic play power of apps, all served up for iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. Match wits and make match-ups with these madcap mixes of family fun! Sturdy, colorful tiles pack up in a flash for quick bursts of Seuss fun ... near, far, or or wherever you are.

See all of Wonder Forge’s fun Dr. Seuss games here.
Follow Wonder Forge on Facebook for more Dr. Seuss fun and other game news.
This Dr. Seuss appPlay game can be found at ToysRus and other specialty stores or online at Amazon.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this game from Wonderforge for review purposes. All opinions are my own. I would gladly buy this game myself.

Tea Party in London Inspired by Matilda by Roald Dahl

My daughter just finished the book Matilda, by Roald Dahl.  She received a copy of the book while she was in London during her Happy Meal Chef apprentice experience with McDonald's.  They took her to The Stupendous Afternoon Tea served at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel in London.

The Matilda musical is currently playing in London (right next door to the hotel) so the hotel created a scrumptious tea service inspired by the story.

Just listen to a portion of the menu:  Ludicrously Lovely Lemon Loaf Cake, Tremendously Terrific Trifle and Fantastic Fondue.

Don't worry, Miss Trunchbull won't make anyone eat an entire chocolate cake like she did in the story.  My daughter had a lovely time at the tea. 

My daughter Elayna and friend Sarah enjoying the tea treats. Both are Happy Meal Chefs for McDonald's.

We've had the Matilda movie on our shelf for years but our daughter started watching it a few years ago and it scared her too much. She is older now (age 9) and really loved the book, especially the surprise ending. Now she is ready to pull the movie out again.

You could try making your own treats at home to go along with this story.  Try making up your own amazing alliteration on the menu to make it even more fun.

Peach Ice Cream Recipe and Books

It’s peach season!  We love peaches and books about peaches. 
This summer my husband read James and the Giant Peach to the kids at night. 
We have been on a Roald Dahl kick lately and I’ll share some of his other books and treats to go along with them this month.
We made peach ice cream to go along with this book.  Kids can help pour the ingredients in and mix it together. Then let your ice cream maker do the hard part. It tastes amazing! My husband created this recipe. It is not the healthiest but it is a once-a-year treat we look forward to, to celebrate our local Peach Days.

Recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Peach Coconut Ice Cream:



To print: Right click image above to save then paste into document program to print.

PEACH BOOKS
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH by Roald Dahl
My daughter is not fond of scary stories (she doesn’t even like most Disney princess movies because they have a witch) so I wasn’t sure how she was going to like this book because it is a little strange.  My husband did a great job of stopping to explain things as they read so she realized the aunts in the story were crazy, not scary. She laughed and didn’t want to stop reading when the chapters ended.

One of my husband’s childhood favorites is Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. My daughter memorized the entire book as a poem for a school book report in 2nd grade. Our kids love this book.  I happened to find a copy of the classroom size version (2ft x 3ft)  for 50 cents at a thrift shop. This is definitely one you’ll want to have in your library.

This weekend we get to go visit Grandma to celebrate Peach Days in Brigham City, Utah.  We’ll be stopping at the fruit stands along the highway, reading books with Grandma and making more peach treats.
Sharing this over at SNAP!

What is a Gruffalo?

When we went to London a few weeks ago for the Olympics my daughter found The Gruffalo book and a  stuffed animal to bring back as a souvenir for my son. They saw the puppet show of The Gruffalo story, by Julia Donaldson, at Hamleys toy shop in London.

The Gruffalo looks very silly and almost scary but my son adores it and sleeps with it every night and asks me to read the book over and over.

He giggles at the storyline where a mouse tricks several other animals not to eat him because he is friends with a (mythical) Gruffalo, but then a real Gruffalo shows up and the mouse has to trick him too.  I especially like how it points out all the parts of the Gruffalo (orange eyes, black tongue, green wart on nose, purple spikey back and more) so my son can point to all those spots as we read the story.
Apparently this book is very popular, especially in the U.K. and there is even a DVD of it. You can also find it in American bookstores or online at Amazon.

Practice Handwriting with Sidewalk Chalk

Sometimes my son (and I) feels like it is a chore to sit down and practice his handwriting. He is still learning to write his letters properly and needs a little guidance.  I love the handwriting sheets with lines and dashes printed on them. And I’ve also used a font to create our own worksheets for him to trace in the past. 

Then I found out about a software program called Startwrite.  Their program lets you do a lot more than just using a penmanship font.  You can create any words you want to go along with your theme or just print the letters your child needs help with. The program lets you print a red dot on the starting point of the letter and lets you customize colors and sizes. It offers a variety of borders and has additional clipart to let you insert onto your page or you can add your own artwork too. It also has print and cursive options.

I created several worksheets this past month that my son has had fun working on.  I say fun because it isn’t just a common workbook I picked up at the store, I customized the pages to his interests and things we are working on.
TIP:  I love to put practice sheets into clear page protectors so we can use dry erase markers and crayons over and over again.

Startwrite has so many different ideas to incorporate handwriting in the classroom and at home that they created a blog series called 52 Weeks of Handwriting. This week they are focusing on handwriting outside and in your yard.

Here are some of the things we’ve done to practice writing outside.

I made a sheet for my son to practice words that I knew he liked to draw.  He practiced the words on the sheet first then wrote them on our driveway with sidewalk chalk.  Then he got to draw a picture next to the words.  I love to see his pictures labeled, especially his rocket ship at the beginning of this post.

Then we needed some signs for our garden.  I created a custom sheet using Startwrite that had plant names on it. I left room for him to draw pictures on the side. 

Then I painted some metal signs green, then I had him write the name of the vegetables on each sign with a pencil (to make sure the letters were spaced well) then he helped me paint yellow over the letters.  Look at our cute garden signs now.

Startwrite has a free trial you can use your first time. The full version can be purchased so you can continue making more customized handwriting sheets. This really would come in handy for teachers and moms who like to help their child with handwriting at home.  Making customized worksheets really helps your child enjoy writing.

*Disclosure: I was given a free trial version of the Startwrite handwriting program which I downloaded from their website.  I was not given monetary compensation for my opinion or review of this product.