Who’s the Hero?
As the second month of 2019 begins and I for one, think about how this February I will endeavour to spend less time in front of a screen and more time actually doing fun things. Less planning, strategizing, heck, even thinking, and more time enjoying life.
I started out 2019 full of intent.
Whilst some habits take a little more effort to become part of our lives, such as drinking the 8 glasses of water as recommended by Nutritionists or walking those 10, 000 steps that my Fitbit tells me I should, there is one fun game I keep coming back to. When it gets to 8pm and everybody is winding down for the evening, we have been playing Rhino Hero several times a week. A firm favourite from the makers Haba, this game is about building towers of cards, racing to the top and becoming the hero of the day whilst monkeys, a penguin and a giraffe also try to be the winner instead of you.
Remember when you’d build a pyramid with a set of cards and all it would take was a sneeze for it all to come down? Well then, picture this: three separate structures all interlinked with monkeys swinging about ready to fall at any minute and jeopardize your plan for game domination!
Rhino Hero is a relatively short game, taking anywhere between 15-25 minutes this game is ideal for occasions when you want to play a game but don’t want have to think too much. You can battle your opponent, block them in so they can’t escape but also sneakily learn something else too.
Not only are the fine motor skills developed but younger players also learn about the techniques of balance too. Through game play the players learn that the heavier objects need to be closer to the centre to find a balance point (so tying in with Physics theory) Rhino Hero is an example utilising the strengths of kinaesthetic learners who have great eye hand coordination and are also great experimenters. Got a risky strategy for gameplay? Could be that you learn best by doing and this is a great game for that. Whether you want to spend some time together in a group to build the highest structure or play so whilst on your lunch break to unwind, board and card games are hard to beat.
