They say necessity is the mother of invention...and they are right. When Doreen Dotto, the mom behind the game uKloo, was having a hard time getting her son to sit down and read, she invented an alternative. Every child learns a little differently. Some kids enjoy sitting quietly, while others get a kick out of physical activity. This can present different challenges to a parent who is trying teach their child to read. What if you could combine activity with reading? In the grand scheme of things, as long as you get your early reader reading, it doesn't matter where they learn. Enter the game uKloo.
What is uKloo? It is an early reader treasure hunt game. The girls and I gave this game a try last week and it was an instant hit. The first thing that I appreciated was that the instructions are printed directly on the inside of the lid...nothing to lose.
The premise is simple, set clue cards throughout your home, then have your child follow the clues to a SURPRISE! The clue cards come in three difficulty levels, so the game grows with your child. The clues include "look behind the telephone" and "check in the mailbox".
My youngest daughter was the first to play. After I hid the clues, she ran around the house looking for the next clue to read. The key to success is the supportive "Picture Helper" page. This page shows the key words in picture...so when your child is trying to read the clue they can get a little help if they need. This is how they start to read the clues - on their own.
When she finally reached the end and the SURPRISE (a chocolate easter egg) she was ready to do it again. The true joy came when my eldest daughter came home from school and was able to read the clues and hide them for her younger sister.
The two girls laughed as they ran upstairs and downstairs searching for the SURPRISE! They even set up a treasure hunt for their dad! It is easy to see why this game is such a hit. It combines reading, physical activity and mystery...three things kids enjoy.
uKloo makes a great addition to our game cabinet. When I asked my girls for a quotation for this post they wanted me to tell you that "It is fun...really tell them it is a lot of fun!" We are already dreaming up ways to use this game when the girls cousin comes to visit, for birthday parties and rainy days!
If you are interested in finding out more about uKloo, like where you can purchase the game for your family or classroom, head on over to ukloo.com. Have fun!
