Orchard Toys new range of mini games – tested!

Orchard Toys have launched a new range of six mini games, they are portable and travel-sized, and are perfect for both at home and on the go. Although based on traditional family favourites, this range brings a fun ‘Orchard Toys’ twist and at just £4.99 they make great additions to the toy store of any youngster.

To put them to the test we sent a game to three MumsClub members to try with their little ones, here’s how they got on:

Crocodile Snap

Crocodile Snap with quirky animal characters including little J’s favourite superhero crocodiles, this is a fun twist on the traditional game of snap. Players shout out ‘snap!’ for matching pairs, but when they spot a pair of crocodiles they must ‘snap’ their arms instead.

Crocodile Snap is one of the new mini games by Orchard Toys.  The box is bright, inviting and immediately caught the eye of my four year old.  What caught my eye though was the “Proud to be British made” symbol in the corner.  Major brownie points!  The game is suitable for children aged between 3-8 years and requires a minimum of 2 players.

Little J and I sat down and opened the box.  The snap cards are easily separated from their packaging by pushing them lightly, which added to the excitement.  Although they are an ideal size for small hands, the density makes them more difficult than traditional playing cards to shuffle and keep in a pile.

The instructions are clearly written and printed on the box.  However, the first time we played, we did stop and double check we were playing it correctly.  The game is very similar to the traditional snap game.  The two major difference are,  each player places their turned up card in their own pile and  when two crocodiles are matched across the cards, you are to make snappy crocodile arms instead of shouting snap.

Our first game concluded quite promptly and without the snappy crocodile – which did lead to some disappointment.

After playing with three players, I came to the conclusion, the game is much more enjoyable with more than two players.  The instructions and rules make much more sense and there are more opportunities for the snappy crocodile.

It is an enjoyable game and ideal for packing in the suitcase for family holiday time.  At only £4.99 it is great value for money for the amount of enjoyment a family could get from this game.

 

Dinosaur Dominoes

Dinosaur Dominoes. With cute, colourful dinosaurs that appeal to both girls and boys this is a fun dinosaur game. Children enjoy talking about the different types of dinosaurs they can see on the 28 colourful domino cards.

We were very excited to receive Dinosaur Dominoes from Orchard Games, these games have been a big favourite in our house for many years and as a parent I like that they combine education with fun. Dominoes is one of my youngest favourite games so this was perfect for her.

We weren’t really sure what to do with the little dinosaur on the stand so he just watched us play and afterwards my daughter started playing with him.

As she was already familiar with the rules we got stuck in, we had great fun laying out our domino’s and the bright colours helped her to match up the pairs easily. She loved it and was keen to play again, this is also something I could play with my older son who is 7. As it is small we could also take it away with us or to a coffee shop when we take her out for the day.

A big thumbs up from us!

 

Penguin Pairs

Penguin Pairs features 32 colourful penguin character cards to match. Children can play alone or with friends, either way they will love matching the quirky penguin characters in their cool costumes from around the world! 

I love Orchard Toys, as they always end up being played with in more ways than the games or puzzles they were intended to be.

This lovely game contains a variety of cute little penguin pairs that are all brilliantly characterised in different outfits and themes. It’s a good old fashioned memory card game, so it begins with all the penguins laid out face down, and the object of the game is to turn two cards over at a time and try to match the pairs, remembering where all the different characters are.

My daughter has played both ways, with the cards starting face down and a simpler version with the cards facing up. I have to mention that when she played with the cards facing up, she had an absolute great time talking to all the different penguin characters and asking them if they’d like to help her find their matching friend. It’s also been a great entertainer during play dates, as it can also be a multi player game, with the winner being the one that matched the most pairs.

I love the fact that’s it’s a small game that can be easily packed in for travels and yet provides an impressive amount of entertainment! Penguin Pairs in yet another great game from Orchard Toys, that just shows sometimes the good old fashioned simple toys are certainly not yet outdated by their modern day technology rivals.

 

More in the range:

Little Bus Lotto

Little Bus Lotto is an animal-themed lotto game featuring 24 animal characters who want to board the Orchard Toys bus. While children collect the animal passengers, it’s a great opportunity to ask children about the activities the characters are up to on the bus. 

Jungle Snakes & Ladders

Jungle Snakes & Ladders. Players must avoid the snakes to climb the ladders to the finish line to join the cheeky monkeys! A lovely jungle- themed mini version of the popular family favourite.

Build a Beetle

Build a Beetle has been developed from the classic game of Beetle Drive, it features four quirky beetle characters which children need match, body part by body part. The winner is the first to build their beetle so as imagined, there’s lots of laughs to be had here!

 

The mini games champion Orchard Toys’ values of being fun and educational, appealing to both parent and child whilst keeping manufacturing here within the UK. They are made with 100% recycled board and paper, which is sourced from sustainable forests.

 

THANKS TO OUR REVIEWERS

Chiara Stone & family from  www.hoobynooworld.co.uk – Jewellery & Accessories to make you smile 🙂

Lisa Ruggles is a mum to Gemma (20), Zeeks (16), Jonathan (4) and step mum to Nicola (27) & Georgina (25).  She works in the family hot tub business, is a keen runner and blogger. www.rugglesatleisure.com & www.hottubstudio.co.uk

Suzy Olivier & family from www.mamaandbelle.co.uk