Having Fun When “We’re NOT Almost There Yet" -- Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen

As much as I love our tradition of spending long holiday weekends with best friends at the beach, I dread the thought of sitting in traffic (especially when it’s sunny outside and I’m sitting on sticky leather rather than soft sand). When my kids were younger, games and activities that kept them busy were a backseat must. Though iPods, iPads, and their own sets of car keys have now replaced the necessity of boredom busters, I’m still always on the lookout for great travel games. Zingo! To Go, by Thinkfun, is a simple variation of Bingo with some clever car-compatible twists. Each player gets 2 to 4 sets of plastic “traffic lights” as their Zingo board. The lights click together to make a flat game board that’s easy to hold on a small lap. Kids take turns shaking a dice-filled “smart car” that displays two pictures of objects that may or may not be on each player’s game board.  Like Bingo, the first player to get three objects in a row (in this case, complete his traffic light), wins. But unlike most travel sets, nothing in Zingo! To Go is loose -- or lose-able. The game board images “flip” to show a blank side when called; the dice are enclosed, and there’s even a travel bag to store everything when you’re done playing. No reading is required so you 4 year-old can play just as easily as your 7 year-old. Each game takes only a few minutes so, if one child wins first, the next game will hopefully produce another winner. All in all, a good option for families on the road this summer. -- Wendy Smolen

Guest Blogger Wendy Smolen is co-founder of Sandbox Summit®, a series of conferences that explore the synergy between play and technology. The most recent Sandbox Summit was presented by MIT’s Education Arcade in May 2010.

Comments

[live online casino on June 30, 2010 at 02:42 AM]

When I'm three years old at time I fond of above toys. Sometimes I really miss those days.When I was free and if holiday at that time I played Zingo! To Go game with my friend. This game is like travel game.

[Treasure Hunts on July 05, 2010 at 10:18 PM]

Hi, thank you for your great post. I really appreciate the efforts you have put in your blog .
It is interesting and helpful. Good luck with it!!!

[click here on October 19, 2010 at 09:26 PM]

This will without a doubt be a very good one to keep the children interested in the games and spend some quality time with them. This will not not reduced their addiction to the gadgets but also get a chance to talk and have a good time playing together with the family.

[Tax debt settlement on October 20, 2010 at 04:58 AM]

This will without a doubt be a very good one to lay your hands at, as this would just make it to be a quite useful one while you are on the move or on a vacation and especially if kids are along with you. Though, the craze of these has been constantly been reducing due to the advent of more effective gadgets.

[designer girls shoes on November 01, 2010 at 10:11 PM]

When we are out on a vacation we do make it a point to have some good ones as this one, as it would help to have a good time playing even while we are on the move. The games like this are easier to play and at the same time helps have a good experience of playing with the family.