What happens when your whole family gets together after Christmas dinner? Football? Snoozing? Playing games?
A must-have game for your family is called Morphology. Your creative juices will get going on this game where you use the provided materials to spell out or illustrate the word on the card your team draws.
Morphology was invented during a snowstorm while Kate Ryan Reiling and her roommates were confined to their apartment in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They wanted a creative activity so they began playing around with the game pieces from Jenga® and Pente®.
This evolved into a prototype of the game that eventually one of Reiling’s professors wanted to have for himself and Morphology was born.
The game includes pieces such as string, glass beads, blocks and small wooden people figurines, among other items.
Players divide into teams and pick one “morphologist” to read and then create the word for his or her teammates. If they guess the word correctly within one minute, the team’s frog jumps ahead one space on the game board.
The website suggests variations to make the challenge a bit different such as using only your weak hand to build the words, using on the string in your creation or try to build the word with your eyes closed (after you read the word, of course).
The website also offers several challenges to get you into the spirit of the game. See if you can guess the following:
The game has won numerous awards including the 2012 Teachers’ Choice Award for the Family by Learning Magazine, Best Party Game 2010 from About.com, Dr. Toy’s Top Vacation Game of 2011 and Time Magazine’s #2 Toy of the Year in 2010.
You can buy the game from the website www.morphologygames.com or you can find it at your local Barnes & Noble or Marbles® the Brain Store today!
Marijo Tinlin is the Editor in Chief of Family First, one of the oldest family-oriented websites on the internet. She is also the author of the new book about patriotism and teaching our children to love this country. It’s called “How to Raise an American Patriot, Making it Okay for Our Kids to Be Proud to Be American” and features 13 interviews with patriotic Americans including Ed Meese, Erick Erickson and Jackie Gingrich Cushman. It’s available at www.raisinganamericanpatriot.com.
Answers: watching tv, volcano, umbrella
photos courtesy: Morphology website
