Woodsy Words Game Review
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Woodsy Words is a read and play game invented by Jill Gaynor and sold by Educational Insights. This is a neat and unique idea which has put a new spin on the classic Pick Up Sticks game. Not only does this game help a child strengthen their reading skills, but it also helps to strengthen their fine motor skills as well. Children are always open to playing games, so when I see games like this that enhance their reading skills or other academic/developmental skill in a fun way I am all in!
As you can see Woodsy Words sort of look like a lot of popsicle sticks- but on the end of each stick is a word! All of the pictures I took show us playing on the carpet- but you should play on a flat hard surface. We only played on the carpet for the pictures because my little guy was sleeping and my 3 year old doesn’t have good enough coordination to pick the sticks up without moving them all anyways!
To play, you need to grab all of the sticks in your hand and stand them up on a flat hard surface. Then let your hand go and all of the sticks will fall to the floor/table. Each player has a turn to read the word on the stick they wish to move. If they are able to read the word they may pick up the stick- but must not move any other stick on the floor. If they are successful in picking up their stick without moving any other ones, they may try again-up to 5 times. If you are lucky enough to pick up the “Bonus Stick”- the player may use that Bonus Stick to move any other sticks in order to pick up the stick they are wishing to obtain. The Bonus Stick may be used by the lucky recipient on every turn for the remainder of the game. Whoever has the most sticks at the end of the game wins!
There are several twists that you can use to play different variations on this game as well. At the end of the game you can ask the players to make sentences using the words on their sticks. You can also assign numerative value for the different colors on each stick and base the total winning number off of that as well. Additionally you can also assign a mandatory order of colored sticks that must be picked up. There are many ways to play this!
Looking at the pictures of Woodsy Words online before we received the product I was concerned that kids would break the sticks too easily, thus thwarting the purpose of the game. This is an eco-friendly game, and let’s face it- they are just sticks! When we received the game in the mail, I didn’t actually want to break a stick to find out- but we did try to bend the sticks and use them roughly- they are definitely pretty sturdy. They are made from bamboo. A child would have to purposefully be trying to damage the game in order to break a stick- and even then you would need an older child to actually break one. There really is no way to accidentally break these sticks.
Overall- we really enjoyed this game. It was nicer and more durable than I had expected, and is definitely a creative spin on a classic game. I love how easily this game incorporates reading and application in a fun way. Because of the nature of the game it does not take a lot of room to store this game. It would make a great game in a reading center, as well as a family game at home. I would personally buy it as an educational tool to encourage reading even more than just playing a game. This is a great idea for kids would struggle reading and get bored with monotonous practice! I really love games like this that come out because you can fill your family’s game closet with resourceful games which have such an important purpose-to promote education and have fun at the same time!
You can buy Woodsy Words online at Educational Insights.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I did receive a game to play. All opinions are mine.
