For today's edition of Favorite Things Friday I bring you a guest post from my sister Sarah who blogs at Sorry Sarah. I, too, LOVE this game and I'm not sure why I didn't think of featuring it earlier.
I am absolutely in love with the game Apples to Apples.
If you have played it, I'm sure you understand why. I don't believe I have ever had as much fun playing a "board" game as I do when I play Apples to Apples. The things that make this game so amazing are:
1) If you don't laugh while playing, you were born without the fun gene
2) It's not competitive. Which is important. Because I am competitive, and being competitive often ruins the game experience for me.
3) It requires no real skill. Yet, it's still (shockingly) educational. In fact, I have used it in my classroom many times. And, every single student from grades 5-8 is completely in love with it. Case and point, they will sometimes even borrow it from me so they can play during lunch recess. It's that good.
Here is the gist of how to play the game. There are two types of cards: red cards that have the names of people, places, and things on them (nouns) and green cards that have descriptive words on them (adjectives). Each person playing is dealt 7 red cards. Players take turns sitting out a round and playing judge. The first person to be judge turns over a green card. For example, the green card might say cranky. The players then each need to put down a red card that they think best exemplifies the word cranky. Some red card options might be: toes, Al Pacino, the Eiffel Tower, having a baby, etc. The judge must turn each red card over and decide which red card he or she thinks fits best with the green card. The person whose card is chosen gets to keep the green card for that round. The first person to 6 cards (the number varies depending on how many people are playing) wins.
It is a blast.
As far as being educational for the students, they get acquainted with a lot of words they are otherwise unfamiliar with. The great thing about this game is that each green card lists at least 3 synonyms of the word and each red card from their hand that includes a short (usually humorous) explanation about who or what is named on that card.
For example, today some 5th graders who were playing turned over a green card that said virtuous. I'm 99% sure than none of them knew what virtuous meant before today. But, somehow, I have a feeling that after a particularly humorous round of Apples to Apples they're more likely to remember the meaning of that word in the future.
Truly, though, the best part of the game is the laughs. To be honest, when I am judge, I always choose the red card that is the most absurd or makes me laugh the hardest. For example, if the word "exhausting" was turned over and someone put down "peanuts" I would laugh my butt off and choose peanuts for sure. I mean, you have to admit, that's funny stuff.
With the holiday season fast approaching, I recommend you buy this game. Buy it as a gift; buy it for your monthly game night with friends; buy it for your Christmas family get-together. Just buy it. Buy it, play it, love it, and thank me later. Or, you know what? Don't even worry about thanking me. We can skip that step and move straight to, "You're Welcome!"
I am absolutely in love with the game Apples to Apples.
If you have played it, I'm sure you understand why. I don't believe I have ever had as much fun playing a "board" game as I do when I play Apples to Apples. The things that make this game so amazing are:
1) If you don't laugh while playing, you were born without the fun gene
2) It's not competitive. Which is important. Because I am competitive, and being competitive often ruins the game experience for me.
3) It requires no real skill. Yet, it's still (shockingly) educational. In fact, I have used it in my classroom many times. And, every single student from grades 5-8 is completely in love with it. Case and point, they will sometimes even borrow it from me so they can play during lunch recess. It's that good.
Here is the gist of how to play the game. There are two types of cards: red cards that have the names of people, places, and things on them (nouns) and green cards that have descriptive words on them (adjectives). Each person playing is dealt 7 red cards. Players take turns sitting out a round and playing judge. The first person to be judge turns over a green card. For example, the green card might say cranky. The players then each need to put down a red card that they think best exemplifies the word cranky. Some red card options might be: toes, Al Pacino, the Eiffel Tower, having a baby, etc. The judge must turn each red card over and decide which red card he or she thinks fits best with the green card. The person whose card is chosen gets to keep the green card for that round. The first person to 6 cards (the number varies depending on how many people are playing) wins.
It is a blast.
As far as being educational for the students, they get acquainted with a lot of words they are otherwise unfamiliar with. The great thing about this game is that each green card lists at least 3 synonyms of the word and each red card from their hand that includes a short (usually humorous) explanation about who or what is named on that card.
For example, today some 5th graders who were playing turned over a green card that said virtuous. I'm 99% sure than none of them knew what virtuous meant before today. But, somehow, I have a feeling that after a particularly humorous round of Apples to Apples they're more likely to remember the meaning of that word in the future.
Truly, though, the best part of the game is the laughs. To be honest, when I am judge, I always choose the red card that is the most absurd or makes me laugh the hardest. For example, if the word "exhausting" was turned over and someone put down "peanuts" I would laugh my butt off and choose peanuts for sure. I mean, you have to admit, that's funny stuff.
With the holiday season fast approaching, I recommend you buy this game. Buy it as a gift; buy it for your monthly game night with friends; buy it for your Christmas family get-together. Just buy it. Buy it, play it, love it, and thank me later. Or, you know what? Don't even worry about thanking me. We can skip that step and move straight to, "You're Welcome!"
Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!
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