Shelby's Snack Shack Game - A Review
Bud is a huge fan of board games and we are steadily building up a collection so when Learning Resources sent us Shelby's Snack Shack game we were delighted to receive it and he insisted on playing straight away.
Shelby's Snack Shack is a game for 2-4 players and is intended for children aged between four and eight. This is slightly older than Bud, as he is only just three, but I was sure that he would deal well with the game as I knew the focus of the game is counting and his number skills are developing quickly.
The first thing to note is the unusual shape of the box, this,added to the artwork and the high quality board used means that Shelby's Snack Shack has really attractive looking packaging which would make a great gift for any child.
The great design carries on into the inside of the box. When you open it up you are greeted by the base of the box, which provides the playing area, four stripey bowls, two spinners, a bag containing forty plastic bones and, my favourite of all - Shelby herself, a big plastic dog who's front paws act as tweezers to pick up the bones.
The bones are spread out in the base of the box and each player chooses a coloured bowl. The youngest player spins the red spinner first to reveal whether they get to collect bones, steal bones from their opponents, give bones back on to the beach or miss a turn. The blue spinner then tells you how many bones to collect, steal or put back.The instructions really are very straightforward and the winner is crowned when all of the bones have been collected, the champion is the player who has collected the most bones.
Bud loves this game, we have played it on a daily basis since it arrived and I'm so pleased that it requires him to count the number of bones as it is reinforcing numeracy all the time. Learning Resources say that Shelby's Snack Shack helps with the following learning areas:
- Hand-eye coordination
- Fine motor skills
- Number recognition
- Early counting skills
- Early addition and subtraction
I would definitely agree with this and I think the game really gives you the sense of learning while having fun. Bud did have trouble using Shelby as the tweezers to pick up the bones but was very determined to do it. He used two hands to hold the dog and was able to do it that way. I think this game would actually work from around two and a half onwards as, if a child can understand the concept of counting from one to five then they could be helped to play this game and it could help to improve their counting and reinforce number rules.
We've really loved Shelby's Snack Shack and it has fast become a game which we play all the time. I so enjoy playing games with Bud which allow small children to play in their own right without being 'helped' to win by an adult. He is very competitive at this game with only a few gentle reminders of the rules! From a mum's point of view the components and packaging of the game are high quality which makes me confident that it will last through the many more times we play it in the future.
Shelby's Snack Shack is available from Learning Resources and is currently priced at £19:99 which I think is good value for money for a game of this quality.
Learning Resources are running a giveaway to win your own copy of Shelby's Snack Shack. You can enter by filling out this survey. Closing date is Tuesday 9th July 2013.
We were sent this item for review purposes, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
We were sent this item for review purposes, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
