The Splash Attack Action Net is a blast!

Duncan Toys has provided me with the Splash Attack Action Net in exchange for an honest review.

The Splash Attack Action Net is an inflatable floating net for use in a swimming pool (or any body of water where you swim).  It retails for $17.99 and can be purchased HERE .

Each Splash Attack Action Net comes with a Splash Attack Water Skipping Ball and an instruction sheet for various game play options.  The net is brightly colored in red, white and blue, so it is easily visible on the water's surface.   Anyone can play this game, regardless of age.  It's fun for all!  You just inflate the net, place it in the water and let the fun begin! 

Follow the included instructions or make up your own game as you go.  You can use one net or several nets for larger groups of people.  The more the merrier!  Play solo and practice trick shots to hone your throwing skills.  Then show them off to your family and friends.  Divide a large group of people up into teams and compete to win, or play one on one.

If you don't want to let your net float freely in the water as you play, there is an optional weighted cord and weight that you can purchase separately which will prevent that.  But I thought that chasing the net around the pool was part of the fun.  It made it more of a challenge because it moved every time it was hit by a wave caused by us jumping, diving and just generally battling for the ball. And it's fun to watch the ball skip across the water as you try to hit the net. 

This game is a blast filled with lots of jumps, throws, tackles and splashes!  My family enjoyed it immensely.

LOOKING FOR A FUN OUTDOOR GAME THAT YOUR WHOLE FAMILY CAN PLAY, REGARDLESS OF AGE? MURBLES TO THE RESCUE!

Murbles was created by Murray Kramer, who kindly provided me with a 4 Player Activity Set of Murbles (Murray's Marbles) to test and review.  This set retails at $59.95 and can be purchased from the website at murblegame.com .

"What are Murbles?", you ask?  It is a very fun outdoor game that can be played and enjoyed by every member of your family, regardless of their age or level of physical fitness.  This game is perfect for little kids, tweens, teens, adults and even grandparents! EVERYONE can play!

There is nothing to set up, all you need are the Murble balls, so it is very easy to take along on camping trips, family reunions, to parties...anywhere you will have a group of people to play. They even come in a convenient carry bag, so just grab it and go!

Each Murble is 3" in diameter.  They are solid, high density plastic balls that weigh ½ pound each.

Murbles are made in the USA and are available in 20 popular colors.  When you order, you get to choose the colors you want for your Murbles, and even the color of the carry bag!  There are larger sets available to accommodate more players, or you can add additional sets to increase the number of players. 

You can view the rules of the game HERE, but basically there are 2 Murbles of each color except white target ball, of which there is only one.  Each player chooses a different color and one player, the challenger, also gets the white ball.   All players stand in a line, side by side.  The person with the target ball throws it forward, with an underhanded throw.  Once the target ball is thrown, the players cannot move from their positions in the line.  When the target ball stops rolling, the players take turns trying to get their balls as close to the target ball as they can.  The player who threw the target ball must go last.  All must use underhanded throws.   This is called a "ROUND".  The person who gets their ball closest to the target ball, receives 1 point for each ball he has closer than any other color.  Only one player receives points during a round.  At the end of each round, the players collect their balls and then return to their same position in line and a new round begins.  The player who received the point in the round becomes the one who throws the target ball (from his position) for the new round.

A round is 1 to 2 points; a set is when the first player reaches 10 points. A game is best 2 out of 3 sets.

The fun thing about this game is that so many things can affect the outcome of the round.  Tree roots, stones, dips in the terrain, etc. can send a ball off course.  A player can hit someone else's ball with theirs and cause it to roll either closer or further away from the target ball.  Even the target ball can be moved by being hit by a player's ball.  Only the position of the balls at the END of a round matters.  And you can easily modify the rules a little to suit the amount of players you have.  There are 5 of us in my family and we have a 4 player set, so we turned it into a 5 player game by making the person who throws the target ball be the 5th player.  At the end of each round, the one who gets the point becomes the target ball thrower and the previous thrower takes over that person's Murbles.  It worked for us!

My family absolutely loves this game.  We play it as a family and really enjoy it.  I have one son and two daughters, aged 5, 9, and 11; and this is something we can all enjoy together!  I highly recommend it!  Even the name is fun to say...MURBLES!



  

FUN CARD GAMES FOR KIDS FROM HOYLE AND STANDARD DECKS FROM BICYCLE THAT ARE A WORK OF ART

THE UNITED STATES PLAYING CARD COMPANY has provided me with these products in exchange for an honest review.  These products, as well as many others, can be purchased from the following websites:  https://www.bicyclecards.com  and  http://hoyleplay.com .
    

HOYLE is well known for playing cards.  But did you know that they also have card games for children?  

MONKEY MAY I?, SUPER ME! and SHARKS ARE WILD are 2-4 player games for ages 4-6.  They retail for $5.99 each.  Each game is designed to teach children important skills.  Monkey May I? teaches the art of self control, self awareness and how to make good choices.  From Super Me! children learn empathy, helping others and social skills.  Sharks Are Wild teaches children number sequence building and how to recognize numbers.    All feature colorful cards depicting cartoon monkies, people, and sea creatures.  Each game has instructions for two levels of play, so you can adjust the game to suit the players' ages and abilities.  They are easy to learn and very fun to play!  Monkey May I? and Super Me! have both been awarded the Mom's Choice Award.

SEAL SQUAD and MIXED EMOJIS are 2-4 player games for ages 6-8.  They retail for $5.99  each.  These games are also designed to teach children important skills.  Mixed Emojis helps children learn to recognize and express emotions.  It also helps improve memory.  Seal Squad teaches teamwork, decision making and simple strategy.  The colorful cards depict different emojis, cartoon seals and various sea creatures.  Each game is easy to learn and lots of fun! 

4 IN 1 FUN PACK retails for $4.00 and contains four classic kids card games:  Old Maid (for 2-6 players), Memory (for 2-6 players), Go Fish (for 2-4 players) and Matching (for 2-4 players).   Old Maid uses cards depicting fruits and vegetables for making pairs and learning to take turns.  Memory uses cards depicting animals to teach memory recall and animal identification.  Go Fish uses cards depicting colorful fish to teach number values and counting.  The cards are all designed for smaller hands so they are easy for little ones to hold.

BICYCLE has many new designs on their decks of cards that are so beautiful you could consider them works of art.  Photos do not do these cards justice.  

First we have the BICYCLE DRAGON DECK.  This retails for $3.99 and features beautiful hand drawn designs.  These cards would be a hit for any dragon lover. 

Next we have the BICYCLE AUREO DECK.  This retails for $4.99 and features a design inspired by an illustration by Leonardo Da Vinci.  Directly quoting from the description on Bicycle's website:   "In the early 1500s Leonardo Da Vinci illustrated 'La Divina' (The Divine Proportion) a book written by mathematician Luca Pacioli that described a mathematical theory called 'The Golden Ratio' which was used in Renaissance paintings and sculptures to achieve balance and beauty.  Da Vinci later called this section aurea or the Golden section. The gold foil and swirl designs of the tuck bring the Golden ratio to life in this unique deck of cards."

Next we have the BICYCLE STARGAZER SUNSPOT DECK.  This retails for $4.99 and features a large yellow and orange glowing sun on a black background.  They are truly beautiful cards with their bright eye catching design.

And finally we have the BICYCLE FOIL BACK CRIMSON DECK and the BICYCLE FOIL BACK COBALT DECK.  These retail for $9.99 each and feature a shiny foil back in crimson red and cobalt blue.  The colors are so beautiful and reflects the light as you play.