3D Memory Game

When considering gifts for my toddler this year, I remembered that she is getting to the stage where memory games are fun. We have memory cards of course, but over the years they seem to lose matches and also get a little worn.

I remembered that my sister had a cool Shrek 3D Memory Match Up game. There were five sets of matching figures and little cups to cover them up. Pretty neat. I don't remember at the time considering using other items under the cups. You could really use anything.

After searching for other kinds of 3D Memory games, I considered making my own. I found baby zoo animals and bought two packs. Then I searched around for cups. When I am looking for certain things out of the ordinary, I am reminded that it's all about supply and demand. Finding little cups to hide toys is not a common toy or even item. I did come across stacking cups and considered them for a short while. There are even mini stacking cups. But I didn't think they'd work for my baby animals, though I did get a mini set for my older kids to stack cups.

Finally I went to the Dollar Store and hoped I'd find something. I wasn't having much luck until I spotted these little Ramekin dishes. They were 3 for a dollar and made out of plastic. They seemed to be a good size for hiding the little animals too.

Now we have a 3D memory game too. Some animals work better than others, but for now starting with just a few matches will be best. I imagine just matching the animals up without hiding them will be a good activity for us too.

Water Hunt Game for Girl Scout Brownies

The Brownies have been working on the Journey W.O.W. Wonders of Water. I read about a game involving searching for water and wearing a baby doll tied to the child's back. The doll symbolizes the fact that many children are responsible for taking care of their younger siblings. The dolls were tied on with fabric I had in the house. It was about 12" wide and about 2 yards long.

The girls enjoyed the game and reading the signs. After the game they were working on water color paintings and making droplets of water with messages about protecting water for a bulletin board. As the girls were finishing their other projects, many of them asked if they could play the game again. I said sure! The girls even wanted the baby dolls tied on again and went out in search of clean water. Once the water was found, they came and showed us their success.

I would certainly recommend the game to others.

For #1 I had a dirty bucket with leaves and some water in it. For #2 I had a Rubbermaid container with a sandy colored piece of fabric in it to show the creek was all dried up. #3 had a full Rubbermaid container of fresh water. When you are done, the water can be dumped outside on some plants to not be wasted.