School may be out for the summer, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t always preparing for the following year. I’m sure most of us are in that awe phase of our children moving up, growing older; maybe their first year of kindergarten is around the corner, middle school, or like my son… High-School. I know there are a lot of teachers out there considering what the new year will bring as well and new ways to grasp school participation in an entertaining and productive way. So, I wanted to share with you something brand new from Haywire Group that I think all parents, teachers and even the children are going to love: The First School FUNdraiser Catalog of Games – It’s all FUN and GAMES!
Although, I honestly don’t think this should be limited to just school fundraisers, many churches and Early Education facilities could benefit from this as well.
It’s all FUN and GAMES! also comes with a Program and Marketing Guide to assist you in being able to set up the best possible promotion as well as giving you some fun ideas! One of the ideas in the Marketing Program I thought was really interesting was the Mystery Fundraiser! You give clues out each day to your organization, without letting them know exactly what the fundraiser is and it creates a buzz to get children excited and anticipating what it could be; rather than just being “Oh, great. Another fundraiser magazine.” Like my son, who dreads having to do them. When he saw the Catalog initially he had no idea that it was for a fundraiser, he thought it was a magazine and was asking for games! He was pretty surprised when I said it was a new style of fundraiser and honestly thought it was something that kids would really get into and have a lot of fun with.
Along with the ideas and program, it also is complete with a checklist, tax exempt documentation, sales packets and information on Free Games for Teachers / Free Games for Kids Program. So let me show you one of the games in the Catalog!
They bounce, they roll, but can YOU hit the target? Nine rounds of CHICKEN THROWING INSANISTY! Fun indoors or out.
This go anywhere game is a blast at the beach, in your backyard, in your neighbor’s backyard, at the local park, in your living room, while tailgating, while on vacation, or anywere good friends and fun can be found!
Flickin’ Chicken is a Family Game for 6+ and up to 4 players. The object of the game is to land your Flickin’ Chicken on the target within the least amount of throws as possible. The player with the lowest score after nine rounds is the winner! Here are some photos of my sons and I playing this really amusing game.
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| Mommy tossing the Target Disc for Judah. |
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| Judah tosses his Flickin’ Chicken at the Target Disc. |
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| Judah retrieves the Target Disc for Cody. |
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| Cody’s turn. (Judah is trying to distract him!) |
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| Judah laughin at Big Brother’s Chicken toss. |
Or you can check out this really amusing video on how to play!
This was a lot of fun, I am such a huge fan of Haywire Groups games. I have a ton of them in my closet! Here are some I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy with my family that you can also find in the Catalog!
Zip-It: An exhilarating, high-speed, two-player game with 24 letter cubes in a unique cloth pouch with colored scoring zippers. The ability to play on an airplane or train tray makes Zip-It the ultimate travel game! Each pouch includes a WEORDS dictionary of weird words that win word games! (This little dictionary has also won me lots of scrabble games!)
Fruitominos: A fresh, fruity and colorful twist on the classic game of dominoes! Twenty-eight beautifully crafted dominoes in a compact pouch make this a great game for the young and old. (My tot loves matching up the fruits!)
Tsuro: Create your own journey with Tsuro, the Game of the Path. Place a tile and slide your stone along the path created, but take care! Other players paths can lead you in the wrong direction — or off the board entirely! Find your way wisely to succeed. Stay on the path — your journey begins here. (This is one of my teens favorite board games!)
Feed the Woozle: Chocolate-covered flies and hairy pickles! Yummy! All players together try to feed the Woozle 12 silly snacks before the snacks are gone. Roll the die, place that number of silly snacks on the spoon, then take a silly walk to the Woozle — and don’t drop the snacks! Three levels of instructions add age-appropriate challenges to the game. Kids practice body awareness, fine motor skills, counting and cooperation! (We love this game!! You can see my review of Feed the Woozle here.)
Spot It!: There is always one, and only one, matching symbol between any two cards. Spot it to win! A sharp eye and quick reflexes are all it takes to play the five quick party games included in the grap-n-go tin. Its fast action and brilliant game mechanics will have you hooked. (I just wrote a review about this one recently. It’s funtastic!)
Bananagrams: The award-winning word game that needs no pencil, paper, or board. Fast and fun! Players race against each other to build crossword grids and use all their letter tiles first. Great for travel! (LOVE word games! This also comes in five other languages!)
You can see the list of featured games in the It’s all FUN and GAMES! Catalog on their website.
And just think, there are more than 100 of these wonderful, family friendly games that promote healthy entertainment for families and what I mean by this is not just sitting in front of the television. When families get together around the table and enjoy each others time, laugh together, play together – it’s strengthens the bonds of togetherness. When there is tension between kids, you can play cooperative games where they have to work together to solve the problem. The FUNraiser Catalog even has everything from word teasers, educational games, active games, survival games… there are even ZOMBIE games in the FUNraiswer Catalog. My son loves Zombies so this was a plus.
There is something for everyone and the point is that it’s a great way to raise money for education, where we really need it. Kids have no problem marketing games to parents because my son is always trying to sell me an idea to buy him a new game, so I’m sure they wouldn’t have any problem at all showing how much fun these games would be to other families where the funds go towards your beneficial program. If you are looking into ideas for a FUNraiser for your school this coming year, for your church or affiliation – this is probably the best one I’ve ever seen. Forget chocolate and holiday wrap, give kids something they really want – Games! And time with their families to share the fun.
Connect: You can connect with the Haywire Group on their Facebook Page and/or @HaywireGroup on Twitter. You can also find out more information on It’s all FUN and GAMES! FUNdraiser Program by visiting the website and downloading the 2012 Catalog.
