We have stock of this very handy item.  Email: info@brightideasoutfit.co.za

• Play value
• Packaging
• Size
• Price

Age guidelines have been included as well as sizes of items where possible.  This is a while stocks last promotion so do get your orders in soon.  Orders must be placed by 15 December at the latest to ensure deliveries before the Christmas shutdown. Email your order to Bridgid Thomas at info@brightideasoutfit.co.za.   She will confirm your order and send you banking details.

ANACONDA R130.00 Out of stock

Age 7 – adult

Make or break the snake.  This brain teaser, perfectly packaged for travel develops logical skills, strategic plannning, visual and spatial perception.  Place all puzzle pieces together on the board and recreate the snake from head to tail.  100 challenges from easy to expert.   Solutions included.  Measures 15 x 15 cm.

APPLETTERS R185.00

Age 10 – adult

This beautiful apple-shaped package is a domino word building game.  You don’t connect the dots you connect the letters.  2 – 4 players, play anytime, anywhere!  When you create your word it must start or end with the starting or ending letter of a word already on the table.  That’s the only rule.  Simple!  Fabulous for building word power.

BENDAROOS R135.00 (Exclusive to The Bright Ideas Outfit only)

Age 5 to adult

Amazing, flexible building sticks.  Shape them, wrap them, stick them. A 500 piece mega set including 250 rainbow colour Bendaroos and 250 neon Bendaroos, these wax covered super strong strings make for hours of creative fun.  Create flat constructions or 3D ones, stick them on your windows or patio doors.  Use your imagination.  We have seen some stunning ideas at our Toy Talk events.  Create small packets of mixed colours to take to restaurants etc or while travelling to keep boredom at bay.  Brilliant for eye-hand co-ordination and a real see, touch and feel experience.  Fun for the whole family and great when lots of children come to play.  Size of actual box 25cm x 25cm x 22cm x 5cm.

BRAIN BOX MY FIRST ABC R150.00

Ages 4 – 7

Brain Boxes are brilliant for stimulating visual observation and memory skills.  Can you remember what you have seen.?You have a limited amount of time to memorise the card.  Throw the dice and answer the question on the reverse of the card that has the corresponding number.  2 or more players.

This is Brain Box My First ABC.  Looking at the above example, the question may be, “How many ants can you see?”, or “What colour is the apple?” , or “How many words start with the letter ‘a’ ?”. Great for strengthening comprehension skills.  15×15x15cm box.  For the car, just remove a pile of cards and secure with an elastic band.  Don’t take the dice and timer in the car.

BRAIN BOX MY FIRST PICTURE R150.00

Ages 4 – 7

An outstanding visual memory game.  Take a look the picture side of the card until the timer runs out.  Throw the dice and answer the question with the corresponding number on the back of the card.  You have to remember what you saw in order to answer the question, eg. how many teddy bears were in the picture, or what colour was the ball?  10 – 15 minutes a game depending on the number of players. Two or more players. Great for strengthening comprehension skills.  15×15x15cm box.  For the car, just remove a pile of cards and secure with an elastic band.  Don’t take the dice and timer in the car.

BRAIN BOX WORLD R150.00 Out of stock

Ages 8 – adult

With the increased interest in geography  among our children since the Soccer World Cup, this game is a must for any household. An outstanding visual memory game.  Take a look the picture side of the card until the timer runs out.  Throw the dice and answer the question with the corresponding number on the back of the card.  You have to remember what you saw in order to answer the question, eg. how many stars appear on the flag, or what is the name of the capital city? etc.  Great for general knowledge and strengthening observations skills. 15 – 20 mins depending on the number of people playing. Great for strengthening comprehension skills.  15×15x15cm box.  For the car, just remove a pile of cards and secure with an elastic band.  Don’t take the dice and timer in the car.

BRAIN BOX MATHS R150.00

Ages 9 – adult 

An outstanding visual memory game.  Take a look the picture side of the card until the timer runs out.  Throw the dice and answer the question with the corresponding number on the back of the card.  You have to remember what you saw in order to answer the question, eg. how many thermometres were there, or what was the size of the largest angle?  Covers a variety of mathematical concepts from fractions to decimals, geometry, volume, mass, temperature, time etc. Fabulous for observation skills – noticing detail.  15 – 20 minutes depending on the number of people playing the game.  Great for strengthening comprehension skills.  15×15x15cm box.  For the car, just remove a pile of cards and secure with an elastic band.  Don’t take the dice and timer in the car.

CHICKEN SHUFFLE R130.00 Out of stock

Age 6 – adult

The chickens are down at the farm and each chicken wants to sit on her egg, but that’s not as simple as it sounds.  You need to shuffle the chickens around until there is one chicken nesting on each egg.  48 challenges and solutions, transparent sliding puzzle with handy storage compartment.  Measures 15 x 15 x 5cm.  Perfect for travel, no loose pieces.  A one player game.

COLOUR WONDER WINNIE THE POOH R99.00

Ages 3 – 5

Oh wow!  36 pages of specially treated paper and 6 different colouredfat koki’s. However, the pens only work on the treated paper.  On any other surface they are invisible.  Colour in the pictures – only Winnie the Pooh version available – and find hidden treasures in the pictures.  It’s magic!

DINKIE BOOKS R25.00

Age 3 – 5

Lovely A5 size books that fit neatly into your handbag.  The following are available:

-  Dinkie mazes

-  Dinkie dots

FILO R250.00

Age 5 – adult

This light as a feather, beautifully and practically packaged eye-hand co-ordination acitivity will have your child engrossed for ages.  Under the age of 7 your child will just doodle, pushing the ‘pen’ which is filled with a lace, into the ‘holes’ on the rubbery board.  The holes trap the lace with no knotting required and voila, you are on your way to making a picture.  Comes with 18 double-sided pattern cards for older children as well as a complete booklet with even more complex patterns and pictures to copy.  Copying one of these pictures requires counting and spatial planning – a brilliant mathematical activity that also stimulates all the eye-hand and fine-motor co-ordination skills for good reading and writing.  Creating pictures with Filo exercises the tripod grip for handwriting and gives fabulous proprioceptive feedback to the brain via the muscles and joints.  “How hard do I need to push?” A very soothing and creative activity.  Great for travel, the size of an A4 page and 5cm deep.  All the ‘pens’, laces and pattern cards are stored in the plastic, basket-like container with a clip on rubber mat.

FINGER FUN R75.00

Age 6 to adult

Using the tips of your fingers move/roll the marbles into the corresponding positions to match the pattern on the task card by manipulating them through the holes underneath the marble box.  Comes wtih two perspex covered marble boxes and doubles side task cards.  Play against each other or alone.  Brilliant for eye-hand co-ordination and fine motor control as well as working in the midline as one would when reading.

GIANT DICE R40.00

Ages  3 to adult

Use these useful giant dice anywhere for a quick game.  Throw the dice and call out items the same colour or shape.  Play adding games or subtracting games.  Do times tables with the number and dot dice.   Get your littles to throw a colour and find the item that is the same colour or shape, for that matter.  Get them to count the dots and then pick you that number of leaves, or find that number of stones.  Make it really practical and fun for them.  The dice come in a set (one colour dice, one number dice, one dot dice and one shape dice) and each dice is 3cm x 3cm x 3cm x 3cm in size.  Don’t leave home without them.

FUN ON THE RUN BOXES™  R175.00

Parents swear by Nikki Bush’s popular Fun on the Run Boxes™ for when they are travelling or are simply out and about.  They contain a number of items which translate into 25 different activities which are detailed on the information leaflet inside the box as well as listing the skills being stimulated.  Now available in three different age groups:

• 1 – 3 years
• 4 – 6 years
• 6+ years

Don’t leave home without one.  If you haven’t attended Nikki’s acclaimed Parenting on the Run Workshop yet then make a New Year’s resolution to do so!

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR R120.00

Ages 3 – 6

This lovely little first card game, packed in a sturdy tin,  teaches the days of the week.  Each player is The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  The caterpillar must eat his way through the week to turn into a beautiful butterfly.  If you put down Thursday, I must put down Friday.  If I can’t but I have a wild card, I can put that down instead.    15 - 20 minutes a game. 2 – 4 players.

LONPOS COSMIC R140.00 Out of stock

Ages 8 – Adult

A compact brain teaser game perfectly packaged for travel.  Spatial planning, eye-hand co-ordination, this multi-award winning game will get your mind really thinking.  The irregular puzzle pieces train mathematical and logical intelligence in your left brain.  There are dozens and dozens of challenges in the booklet and eight levels of difficulty.  Arrange the puzzle pieces according to the picture in the booklet – there will be some open spaces.  Your job is to fit the remaining pieces into the spaces.   Measures 12cm x 9cm x 3cm.

MONSTER CASES R95.00 (only available in red with yellow fasteners)

These are the best cases for the car as they not only fit perfectly at your child’s feet between the front and back seats, but they make a great little ‘desk’ too.  Fill them with activities and games for the journey.

Monster Cases are also ideal for toy storage at home.  I have had 15 of them for 15 years and they are as good as the day I first bought them.  I have one for Duplo, one for Lego, another for playough, plastic food, army, cars, doctor kit etc.  See how I have marked them with masking tape and a thick black pen.  It makes tidying up together with your child very easy, and toy storage is neat and tidy as the Monster cases interlock.  Stacking on top of each other at the bottom of a cupboard, for instance, uses up wasted space.  The handles lie flat when required.

These cases are not always available and we have waited six months for this consignment.  Buy them while you can.

NO SPILL BUBBLES R45.00

Ages 1 – 7

It’s a miracle – bubbles that can’t be spilt!  What a win for parents of toddlers who’s first reaction to bubbles is to pour them out.  Once the bubble liquid is finished, just replace with any cheap bubble solution of make your own.  Putting the wand in and out of the No Spill bubble container is fine-motor, eye-hand co-ordination, and blowing builds the foundations for the ‘p’ and ‘b’ sounds.

OOPS! R175.00

Ages 7 – adult

50 logic challenges provide hours of fun.  Simon the magician has lost his hat.  Can you help him find it?  The rules are simple.  One piece moves one step, two pieces move two steps etc.  The hat does not move and the head must land up on top.  All pieces are stored in the sturdy plastic box which has a lid that very cleverly folds back on itself.

SCRATCH-A-DOODLE 15.00

Ages 4 – 9

These fabulous activity cards work just like a scratch ‘n win card.  You get two cards in a set with a scraper in the shape of a pen – fabulous value.  Scratch away the lines of the simple picture and reveal a shiny shimmery layer underneath.

SCRIBBLE & DOODLE PAD BOY  R99.00

Ages 5 – 9

An innovative activity pad that comes with a very special ‘finger crayon’.  Dozens of fun activities and some blank pages at the back for your own creative ideas. Something a little different.

SCRIBBLE & DOODLE PAD GIRL R99.00 Out of stock

Ages 5 – 9

An innovative activity pad that comes with a very special ‘finger crayon’.  Dozens of fun activities and some blank pages at the back for your own creative ideas. Something a little different.

SMART ASS IN A TIN R120.00

12 years to adult

Smart Ass is a general knowledge game:  who is it, where is it, what is it?  There are 8 clues on each card, you can shout out the answer any time you like.  If you are right you win the card but f you are wrong you cannot guess again until the next card is drawn.  Eg.

Who is the Smart Ass in your family? Find out in this fun and outragous card game.  Each Who, What and Where card has 10 clues.  As soon as you think you know the answers shout it out, no turn taking here.  But, if you are wrong you are out.  If you are right you keep the card. The player who wins four cards first is the winner.  105 questions.  15 – 20 minutes depending on the number of players.  Packed in a sturdy tin, 20cm x 12cm x 5cm

WORD MIXER R75.00

Ages 8 to adult

Roll this unique letter mixer in the palm of your hand and lay it on the table.  List up to 10 words on the notepad supplied using the letters on the dice. The first person to complete their 10 words shouts “Finished!  Each letter may only be used once in a word. The person with the most number of unique words is the winner, ie. no-one else has the same words.  Scoring is determined by the length of the words.  Determine how many rounds will be played. The person with the most number of points at the end of the game is the winner.  The unique Word Magic Mixer is closed ensuring that the dice can never get lost.  The box is 15cm x 15cm x 4cm but the actual mixer has a flat,circular 9cm circumference.

ZINGO TO GO R150.00 (exclusive to The Bright Ideas Outfit only)

Ages 3 – 7 years

At last, a travel version of the very popular  Zingo, a classic bingo lotto-type game.  Fun for the whole family but easy enough that children can learn how to play without adult supervision very quickly. A drawstring bag is supplied for easy storeage of all items in Zingo to Goa when travelling.  There are 9 ‘robots/traffic lights’ which click/snap together to form a bingo board.  Three traffic lights each means three players can play, two each means four players can play etc.  The little car contains two picture dice. Shake it and see how the dice land.  If you have the picture on your board make sure you shout out quickly.  Then turn over the disc so that the picture is face down.  The first person to turn over all his discs is the winner.  As children get older you can play the first to turn over a horizontal/vertical/diagonal line is the winner etc.  10 – 15 minutes a game.  Size of box is 16cm x 16cm x 8cm.

ENJOY YOUR SHOPPING. Email orders to info@brightideasoutfit.co.za now!

We hope we inspired them, that we made their buying decisions easier by providing them with a short list of highly recommended items, and we hope they will never look at games and toys in the same way again.

Armed with a little bit of knowledge about child development and how to make a good choice, shopping for your children is so much easier.  Here are a few pics from some of the events.  I will share more about our top games and toys in future blogs. Watch this space.

Here is a short list of some of my top game recommendations that would be great “bridge-builders” during the long Soccer World Cup holidays. I have chosen them specifically because they:

• are quick and easy to play (no three hour marathon sessions here!)

• have no extra long and complex rules – the simpler the better

• are both entertaining and educational

• are games to play ‘together’ – with you and your child, or as a family – we are after a connection moment that builds your relationship, not just a few minutes of stimulation for your child.

NIKKI BUSH’S WORLD CUP TOP 20 GAMES:

To order email info@brightideasoutfit.co.za . Orders can be collected from us (near Fourways) or delivered anywhere in South Africa at a very competitive rate.

2 – 4 YEARS

Mega Peg ‘n Play (R145.00)

A fabulous giant pegboard with large plastic shapes.  Great for matching, stacking adn first stage threading (threaders have a plastic needle on the end for easy use) - a must for all preschoolers.

No Spill Bubbles (R45.00)

It’s a miracle – bubbles that can’t be spilt!  What a win for parents of toddlers who’s first reaction to bubbles is to pour them out.  Once the bubble liquid is finished, just replace with any cheap bubble solution of make your own.  Putting the wand in and out of the No Spill bubble container is fine-motor, eye-hand co-ordination, and blowing builds the foundations for the ‘p’ and ‘b’ sounds.

Zingo (R150.00)

A classic bingo lotto-type game.  Fun for the whole family but easy enough that children can learn how to play without adult supervision very quickly.  If you have the picture on your board of the yellow token that appears when you zip-zap the fun picture getter machine, make sure you shout out quick.  The first person to cover his/her playing board is the winner. As children get older you can play the first to cover a horizontal/vertical/diagonal line is the winner etc.  Up to 6 players. 10 – 15 minutes a game.

Bear Pairs (R75.00)

A wonderfully illustrated first matching game.  Find the matching pairs of bears.  For the littlies start off with the pictures face up and gradually move to playing the memory game with them face down.  There are two sets of each colour, eg two sets of polar bears with subtle differences such as one set has a fish and the other may be wearing a scarf. Ten minutes a game.

4 – 6 YEARS

Throw ‘n Blow (R140.00)

Throw & Blow, a fun first boardgame for the 3 – 5 year olds that is versatile (can be played by 1-4 people) and is unique in that it is a speech game – you blow your way through the game! Players must blow their tokens around the board, picking up matching action cards and following the fun instructions such as:  “Lick your lips as if they are covered in sticky chocolate,” or “Meow like a cat.”   Throw & Blow is great fun for everyone. 15 – 20 minutes a game. **Special on this month, click here for details.

Flip to Win Memory Game (R150.00) Five to nine years.

A fabulous travel version of the memory game.  Flip the elasticated windows open to see the picture underneath. 14 reversible game cards that slot into the back of the game for safe-keeping.  Elasticated scoreboards at the bottom of the game board so you can’t forget who is winning.  10 – 15 minutes a game.

Zingo (R150.00)

A classic bingo lotto-type game.  Fun for the whole family but easy enough that children can learn how to play without adult supervision very quickly.  If you have the picture on your board of the yellow token that appears when you zip-zap the fun picture getter machine, make sure you shout out quick.  The first person to cover his/her playing board is the winner. As children get older you can play the first to cover a horizontal/vertical/diagonal line is the winner etc.  Up to 6 players.  10 – 15 minutes a game.

Hungry Caterpillar card game in a tin (R120.00)

This lovely little first card game teaches the days of the week.  Each player is Teh Very Hungry Caterpillar.  The caterpillar must eat his way through the week to turn into a beautiful butterfly.  If you put down Thursday, I must put down Friday.  If I can’t but I have a wild card, I can put that down instead.    15 - 20 minutes a game.

6 – 10 YEARS

Ducks in a Row (R140.00)

The quacky strategy game.  Use chess-type thinking to get four ducks in a row, horizontally, vertically or diagonally.  Preschoolers will play this game very simply and quickly in 5 – 10 minutes.  Adults and teens love it too and a single game can take 10 – 20 mins as the level of strategic thinking increases.

Question Mark Junior (R140.00)

A wonderful general knowledge game with questions you can actually answer! Each card has three levels of questions on it enabling families with a wide age range to play together.  Level 1 is for beginners from 5 to 8 years.  Level 2 is for intermediate players 9 – 10 year olds.  Level 3 is advanced  for 11 – 12 year olds.  Colour in a space on your question mark pad if you get the answer right.  First player to 10 correct answers is the winner.  15 – 20 minutes a game.

My First Brain Box (R150.00)

An outstanding visual memory game.  Take a look the picture side of the card until the timer runs out.  Throw the dice and answer the question with the corresponding number on the back of the card.  You have to remember what you saw in order to answer the question, eg. how many teddy bears were in the picture, or what colour was the ball?  10 – 15 minutes a game depending on the number of players.

Flip to Win Hangman (R150.00)

Superb for travel.  All letters and parts of the hangman are on elastics so nothing can get lost!

10 – Adult

Sketch-a-Story (R199.00) Eight years and up

Think, draw, tell, laugh like hell! One of the few games that really requires you to use your imagination by throwing stories or tales together in seconds.  This two-part boardgame is played in teams of two. One member of each team is the drawer and the other the storyteller (they alternate with each turn).  The storyteller has to come up with a wacky tale using the pictures drawn by his/her team mate.  For a long game move around the board according to the rules.  For a speedy game, times the number of correct words used by 2, 3 or 4 and move that many number of spaces.

Ducks in a Row (R140.00)

The quacky strategy game.  Use chess-type thinking to get four ducks in a row, horizontally, vertically or diagonally.  Preschoolers will play this game very simply and quickly in 5 – 10 minutes.  Adults and teens love it too and a single game can take 10 – 20 mins as the level of strategic thinking increases.

Brain Box World (R150.00)

An outstanding visual memory game.  Take a look the picture side of the card until the timer runs out.  Throw the dice and answer the question with the corresponding number on the back of the card.  You have to remember what you saw in order to answer the question, eg. how many stars appear on the flag, or what is the name of the capital city? etc.  Great for general knowledge and strengthening observations skills. 15 – 20 mins depending on the number of people playing.

Box Maths (R150.00)

An outstanding visual memory game.  Take a look the picture side of the card until the timer runs out.  Throw the dice and answer the question with the corresponding number on the back of the card.  You have to remember what you saw in order to answer the question, eg. how many thermometres were there, or what was the size of the largest angle?  Covers a variety of mathematical concepts from fractions to decimals, geometry, volume, mass, temperature, time etc. Fabulous for observation skills – noticing detail.  15 – 20 minutes depending on the number of people playing the game.

Number Rings (R265.00)

This is an amazing number game.  Throw the three dice and cover the corresponding numbers with a coloured rin eg. 3, 5 and 2.  Alternatively, use mathematical operations to cover larger numbers eg. 3 x 5 = 15 plus the 2 = 17.  This game teaches creative use of number and strengthens mental arithmetic in a fun and exciting way.   Half an hour.

Indahoo (R150.00)

An hilarious three-round game  for teams using category cards (general knowledge) such as movie stars, movie titles, celebrities, famous places, famous authors, cartoon characters, book titles etc. The three rounds in the game consist of:

1. -  a describing round
2. -  a two-word description round
3. -  a charades /miming round

20 – 30 minutes a game.

Smart Ass in a tin (R120.00) Teen to adult (R120.00)

Who is the Smart Ass in your family? Find out in this fun and outragous card game.  Each Who, What and Where card has 10 clues.  As soon as you think you know the answers shout it out, no turn taking here.  But, if you are wrong you are out.  If you are right you keep the card. The player who wins four cards first is the winner.  105 questions.  15 – 20 minutes depending on the number of players.

Smart Mouth (R150.00) Eight years and up

Zip-zap the lettergetter and two letters appear.  These are the beginning and ending letters of the word you have to come up with.  The first player to shout out a correct word wins the letters.  For different age groups make the words longer. Eg. 7 – 8 year olds will make three letter words and thereafter they must be 4/5 letters or more. There are 6 different word games you can play with Smart Mouth.  Play on your own or with lots of players.  10 – 20 minutes depending on the number of players.

Bananagrams (R185.00)

At last, a modern Scrabble!  Very portable in its little banana shaped sack, and no playing board required.  Everyone builds their own crossword changing it and adding to it all the time and there are only two simple rules in this game.  Each round takes 1 – 15 minutes depending on the number of players – so two to three games in half an hour.  Great for building word power.  Very competitive.

Blokus Duo (R175.00) Seven years and up

A modern chess that isn’t chess.  Only one rule in this game – your 21 differently shaped pieces must touch each other and only corner to corner – that’s it.  It’s a thinking, strategy game.  Block your opponent while trying to dominate the board yourself.  Each game lasts about 10 minutes.

Why not join me for one of my playful and insightful parenting workshops in July: Beyond the Nappy Bag™, Parenting on the Run™ and Big Kid Fun™. Click here for more information or email info@brightideasoutfit.co.za to book.  This blog is also featured on www.jozikids.co.za .  Visit Jozikids for more information on places to take your children during the holidays.

However, you can still get the Thomas version of the same game, Thomas’ Shape Station Game from me or in any of the stores mentioned above. Once again, stock is limited. Both games retail at R199.00.

My publisher, Metz Press, has confirmed that 4 000 copies of my new book, Easy Answers to Awkward Questions (co-authored with Ilze van der Merwe) have been sold in just 3 months! I am thrilled with this figure which includes both English and Afrikaans versions. Wilsia Metz is taking the book to the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany in this month, so hold thumbs!

If you would like to place an order for any of the following, please click here nikki@brightideasoutfit.co.za  now:

• Future-proof Your Child (R140.00)
• Easy Answers to Awkward Questions (R125.00)
• Maklike Antwoorde vir Ongemaklike Vrae (R125.00)
• Thomas’ Shape Station Game (R199.00)
• Indahoo (R150.00)
• Sketch-a-Story (R199.00)
• Fun on the Run Box™ 3 – 6 years (R160.00)
• Fun on the Run Box™ 6 – 12 years R160.00)

** Please note, for out of town deliveries additional postage/delivery charges apply.