Training Games: First Orchard
February 22, 2021
by Ambie Valdés
This is part of a series called Training Games, where I review children's games when playing (with modified rules) with my twin toddlers. This review was written when my twins were 17 months old.
First Orchard is a cooperative game where you’re trying to get all the fruit of four different colors into the basket before the crow reaches the end of the path. Each turn you roll a die and put that color fruit into the basket. If the basket is rolled you get to choose the color, and if a crow is rolled you move the crow. It’s good for learning colors and simple strategy with the choosing of the colors.
I’ve been “playing” a modified version of the game with my twins since ~14 months. I keep the crow and most of the cardboard pieces in the box and just bring out the basket, fruit, and sometimes the die. This is possibly Baby A's favorite game - when I bring out the box he gets very excited and then immediately puts the chunky wooden fruit pieces into his mouth.
Yellow fruit is in the basket!
For this game, I try to get my babies to put the fruit in the basket. I also name the colors as they’re playing with them. Both babies love playing with the fruit pieces - sometimes putting them in the basket, sometimes throwing the pieces around, and sometimes chewing on them - and they’re very durable so I don’t have to worry about the game getting damaged. I keep a hand on the basket so it doesn't get too damaged.
Putting the blue fruit in the basket
Chew Test
- Fruit Pieces: 5/5 - wooden and very durable; the blue and yellow pieces can almost fit all the way in the mouth, so be careful when playing with those
- Basket: 2/5 - cardboard and will get chew marks on it
- Path Pieces: 3/5 - thicker cardboard than the basket, but I haven't tested them
- Crow: 4/5 - wooden but slightly small, so I haven't tested it
- Die: 4/5 - wooden and very durable but can fit in the mouth
The next game in the series is Here, Fishy, Fishy!
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