The vitamin industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. This means that some companies will often use cheap ingredients to increase their profits. There’s also the fact that not all children need to be taking a multivitamin in the first place. A supplement is just that – a supplement. A multivitamin supplements a healthy diet of fruits, veggies, and other whole foods. Keeping that in mind, taking a multivitamin shouldn’t be an excuse to eat more junk food. These are all important factors to evaluate others when deciding on a children’s multivitamin. Let’s jump in to discuss these and more.
There are many reasons why your child may or may not need a multivitamin. It’s an important topic to discuss with your doctor to make sure you’re taking any heath concerns into account. If your kid is a particularly picky eater, a children’s multivitamin may be an important way to make sure they’re getting the right nutrients. Children with dietary restrictions due to allergies or other issues may also need a multivitamin. If you do not have access to high quality whole foods, it may also be important to give your child a multivitamin.
Even if your child eats a well rounded diet that includes a wide variety of multicolored fruits and vegetables, meats, grains, and dairy, they might still need a multivitamin. That’s why it’s best to discuss it with your doctor, as your child may have a specific deficiency. For instance, a child who is unable to spend much time outside may be deficient in Vitamin D, meaning they likely need a specific single vitamin supplement.
When choosing a children’s multivitamin, it is important to look at a few things to ensure that your child is truly consuming the most nourishing vitamins. As it is impossible to list and compare every single ingredient of every single vitamin on the market, I want to empower you to go into the store and make the best choice possible. Here are some ingredients you should look for when you are choosing a vitamin.
Look for companies that source their vitamins from the whole food source rather than created synthetically in a lab. Whole food vitamins use actual foods to derive the vitamin. This means the entire vitamin complex will be used. Additionally, we know our bodies can absorb them because they are made from whole foods and our bodies can absorb whole foods. For example, Vitamin C is typically added to vitamins as ascorbic acid, which is only a fraction of the whole food vitamin. While in food, Vitamin C is a complete complex made up of ascorbic acid plus rutin, bioflavonoids, K factor and J factors, along with other substances. These other compounds help nourish the body and add in the absorption of the Vitamin C. I prefer to find a multivitamin created from spinach, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, apples, strawberries, sunflower seeds, shiitake mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, etc. for this reason.
The molecules that make up artificial dyes can actually affect our digestion. Since nutrients are absorbed through our gut, choosing a vitamin with artificial dyes can cause problems with absorption. This actually causes the vitamin to be useless. Shop for vitamins with no dyes or vitamins that use natural sources such as beets, carrots, or other fruits and vegetables for coloring.
When choosing a multivitamin for a child, their willingness to take it is an important factor to consider. A pill is typically not an option, but many gummy and chewable vitamins that taste good have high levels of sugar. The alternative to giving your children unnecessary added sugars, is typically to give them synthetic sweeteners. Synthetic sweeteners can cause a myriad of health problems and should be avoided. Look for a vitamin sweetened with a natural source like stevia or monk fruit. These options offer the best nutritional value for your child.
It is best to choose a vitamin that is sourced from organic whole foods that do not include GMO crops or any pesticide sprays. GMO crops with glysophates can be detrimental to your child’s health. Short-term exposure can cause problems with digestion and absorption of nutrients. Long-term exposure is linked to cancers and other chronic illnesses.
Artificial preservatives like polysorbate 80 can alter your body’s microbiome and cause inflammation. Nitrates are liked to thyroid and hormonal problems in children. Long-term exposure to nitrates is also linked to cancer and other chronic illnesses. With this in mind, find a vitamin made without any preservatives or made with naturally-derived preservatives. As the research on preservatives and their effects advances, there are many clean preservatives out there that companies have been using in their products.
Now that you have some information to help you peruse the shelves, I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite children’s multivitamins. Remember, what’s best for you may not be for someone else, so this list is not exhaustive, nor is it perfect. There are benefits and drawbacks to every product. What is most important is to make the best choice that you can to nourish your family.
Whether you decide that your child needs a multivitamin or not, I hope this post encourages you in your parenting! You are doing what is best for your kiddos and only you get to decide what that is. Is there a particular children’s multivitamin or single vitamin supplement that your kid loves? I’d love to hear your favorites in the comments!
]]>While no bug spray is perfect, as rates of insect-borne illnesses rise, with some debilitating like Lyme Disease, it’s important to consider efficacy, as well as safety or toxicity, when selecting your bug spray. The repellent you choose also needs to take into consideration where you live or are visiting, and what diseases and insects are endemic, meaning regularly found in a certain area.
This sounds like a lot, so I want to break down a little bit further to help you understand what is going on with bug sprays and share a few of my favorites. Consider this post a tool to inform and educate you on what to look out for in bug sprays, and how to choose a safe bug spray brand for your family. I know finding balance can be tricky, so let’s work on it together!
There are 6 top ingredients in bug sprays that are recommended by EWG and are EPA-registered. Let’s break them down:
Similar to sunscreens, concentration indicates how long the repellent lasts for, not how effective it is. Concentrations higher than 50% are not more effective than lower concentrations. The CDC recommends using concentrations less than 10% in no known disease risk area. In a known disease risk area, they recommend using less than 30%. If you’re in a high risk area, I recommending asking your pediatrician what the ideal concentration is for your kids. As a reminder, you should not use bug spray on babies younger than 2 months. Additionally, concentrations over 30% should not be used on children at all.
Another thing to note, because essential oil or botanical repellents are unregulated and have varying efficacies, they are okay to use if the risk of bug-borne disease is low. In high-risk areas, however, consider using more effective repellents. As always, it is best to avoid parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, or products combined with sunscreen.
Remember that when you combine bug spray and SPF, it lowers the efficacy of both. So, if you are in the sun and around bugs, be sure to reapply both products frequently.
Do you have a favorite bug repellent that is clean for the whole family? Let me know in the comments!
]]>A recent study published in JAMA showed that chemical ingredients from sunscreen were detected in the bloodstream after one single use. And sometimes, these chemicals even hang around for days after application. The study went on to prove that these toxic ingredients are also found in a woman’s breast milk after sunscreen use.
When you think about it, it makes sense. Sunscreen is something we apply all over our bodies, and reapply at frequent intervals. While we know it’s important to protect our skin from damaging sun rays, how can we do that safely?
First, let’s break down what SPF is. SPF, Sun Protection Factor, indicates the amount of protection against UVB, not UVA. UVB and UVA are both UV rays from the sun, however UVB rays cause sunburn and are the biggest contributing factor to skin cancer, whereas UVA rays play a more minor role in causing skin cancer, but penetrate the skin more deeply which leads to premature skin aging.
Now, onto selecting the best SPF for you. Studies have shown that SPF over SPF 50 may not offer much additional benefit or protection. While of course, keep this in mind when selecting your SPF, it’s even more important to look for a “Broad Spectrum” sunscreen. This indicates protection against both UVB and UVA rays. So my advice, prioritize a Broad Spectrum sunscreen, then stick around 50 SPF.
Spray sunscreen may not offer adequate coating and protection. Additionally, sunscreen sprays may pose chemical inhalation risks. I suggest using a lotion to mitigate those risks, and you’ll have more control over how much and where you can rub it in. Although a little more work, sunscreen lotions offer more protection in the long run.
Sunlight is so important for our health. After all, it’s the best and most natural way to get our Vitamin D. Keeping that in mind though, it’s also important to practice safe sun care to prevent sunburn and skin damage. Especially when you’re going to be in the sun for a long period of time.
To keep you and your family safe and healthy, Dr. Chen and I are sharing some of our favorite safe sunscreen options. These are ALL reef safe too! Note that what we’ve shared below is not a comprehensive list of toxin-free sunscreens – these are just our favorites and some of the best sunscreens on the market.
One final thing to note – not all sunscreens are created equal, including baby sunscreens. Whatever brand you choose, be sure to vet your products using the guidelines above and avoid falling prey to misleading marketing tactics.
Let me know in the comments below what sunscreens you’ve tried and which ones are your family’s favorite. Wishing you a safe and happy summer!
Stores are always lined with heart-shaped candies that may look appealing, but it’s important to check labels on the things we put on and in our bodies. Many of those adorably festive treats have tons of unnecessary ingredients that can harm our bodies in many different ways. If you’re trying to make better health choices for your family while still joining in on the holiday fun, use this as your guide to more mindful Valentine’s Day school treats. Your kids won’t know the difference, and other classroom parents are sure to thank you!
When you’re at the grocery store, use the list below as a quick reference on what ingredients to avoid. There are many brands out there that have great options (even some bigger name brands have been coming out with better options!), but reading labels is the best way to make sure you’re getting the healthiest option. Here are a few ingredients I like to avoid when looking at treats:
Artificial dyes have been shown to cause behavioral problems in children, while not improving the nutritional value of the foods they’re consuming. Allergic reactions are also linked to artificial food coloring. Studies done in rats have shown that Red 3 dye clearly poses a cancer risk. Other dyes have been linked to cancer by being contaminated with cancer causing agents. Overall, it’s best to avoid these completely. There are many natural food dyes available these days, and brands are beginning to use them more frequently. Trader Joe’s even has some candy that uses food-sourced dyes (just be sure to also double check the ingredients lists)! Note: Artificial dyes are often labeled as a color and then a number.
Artificial flavors have been linked to stomach problems, allergic reactions, and behavioral issues. They’re created to be less expensive than their natural counterparts, but at the cost of heightened risk of various health problems.
Artificial preservatives have been linked to hypersensitivity, allergies, asthma, hyperactivity, neurological damage, and cancer. These are used in many foods on the shelves to help keep them shelf stable for longer, allowing them to be sold for greater periods of time.
This ingredient is used to create the candy coating on some big brand candies. Its toxicity has been studied but its effects are not well known. It is a possible endocrine disruptor and many scientists have been speaking out against its use in candy for quite some time.
We know that it is recommended that the average person not consume more than 30 added grams of sugar a day. Did you know that a Snickers bar alone contains 20 grams of sugar? Our kids are likely getting way too much sugar on Valentine’s Day. Excess sugar consumption can lead to a myriad of health problems, including diabetes and heart disease.
*A small note I wanted to add here: One candy bar isn’t going to harm your child. One bad ingredient isn’t going to ruin your health journey. However, we are teaching our children (and ourselves) patterns and habits of healthier living that will continue into adulthood. By making healthier choices in general, we are practicing nourishing our bodies the majority of the time and allowing ourselves to be flexible when better choices aren’t available.
If you’re feeling super ambitious this year, consider taking some homemade treats to your family or neighbors. For some amazing chocolate treats, melt some dark chocolate with coconut oil, and pour over a dollop of peanut butter or almond butter in a mini muffin tin! Store in the fridge until you’re ready to wrap them and send them off with your kids! You can also use my Baking Swap Guide to modify your favorite cookie recipe. Wrap with some cute tissue paper and ribbon and your kids will be thrilled.
Treats aren’t the only way your kids can show love to their classmates. Bubbles, stickers, and small activity books are all some super fun things your kids can bring to class and hand out. Remember, if every kid brings treats, there will be a ton of sugar going into their little bodies. Limit that by sending your kids with toys to share with their pals. Some more ideas:
Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! I am so thankful for each and every one of you who have joined me through this journey of loving our bodies more by nourishing them with the products we use. Let’s continue this journey with our kids and raise them to love health too.
I know that babies are expensive already, and purchasing all organic, specially made baby food adds up. Organic food and the testing that they require is pricey and that cost is passed along to you, the consumer. Affordability is an enormous factor in choosing baby foods, so I would encourage you to try making your own baby food if possible.
As a new mom, I would often steam vegetables in large batches and freeze them in ice cube trays to make it easy to portion out. Choosing vegetables and fruits that are in season will make your food tastier and more economical. Since so many little ones prefer the sweetness of fruits over veggies, try mixing veggies with fruit to expose your baby to the health benefits of consuming greens.
I hope that this post has encouraged you and provided some good new information about how to make healthy choices when feeding your baby!
]]>The snacks you give your kids can depend on where you are or what you’re doing. At home, it can be easy to serve up fresh cut fruit—something rather difficult to do while stuck in traffic. Different snacks serve different purposes and my goal is to help you nourish your child, and provide you with some alternatives for every situation. Many of these could still be considered a “treat,” but are better choices for your family overall. Remember, moderation is key! Treats can and should be enjoyed by kids in the right amounts and at the right times.
Let’s hop in! Heres is a list of ingredients that I aim to avoid in snacks:
Two of the most common ingredients you will encounter are artificial dyes (hello Fruit Gushers) and excess sugar (looking at you, Chewy Bars.) Here is a bit of information on these two ingredients:
I’ve compiled the list of snack swaps below to keep your kiddos healthy and happy. This list should simplify your shopping trips and help you focus on being with your kids rather than worrying that what they’re munching on is healthy.
Here are some of my favorite “On-The-Go” snack swaps:
Instead of Go-Gurt, try Stonyfield Organic Kids:
Instead of Capri-Sun, try Hint
Instead of Chips Ahoy!, try Simple Mills Chocolate Chip Cookies
Instead of Ritz Bits, try Trade Joe’s Mini Cheese Sandwich Crackers
When at home, these swaps are quick and easy:
Instead of Hidden Valley Ranch, try Hope Hummus
Instead of Welch’s Fruit Snacks, try fresh fruit
Instead of Market Pantry Ice Pops, try Goodpop
While avoiding certain ingredients is important, it’s also a good idea to provide snacks that will keep your child full and not begging for more to eat five minutes later. I like to use this little trick below to create snacks that help my children have the energy to play and learn all day long.
Fruit + Protein + Fats + Veggie
This can look differently depending on where you are. If you’re on a long road trip, it may be a carrot and applesauce pouch with crackers and a cheese stick. At home, it can be a more elaborate spread of banana smiley faces made with cucumber eyes and hummus, nuts, and seeds. I like to get creative with mixing it up and this little chart is a great reference for coming up with new and exciting combos!
Thank you for reading along and learning about how to create healthy snacks for your kids. Hopefully this post has helped alleviate some of the anxiety around feeding your kids well, and shown you some new tips on easy alternatives to your kids’ favorites! Happy snacking!
]]>Most of the cold and flu medications that you’ll find in a pharmacy or grocery store are filled with unnecessary ingredients that can disrupt the gut. 70% of the immune system is in the gut, meaning you definitely don’t want to upset it while trying to fight an illness. The photo below shows some of the common cold products I used to buy as well as what I buy and give to all of my kids if someone is complaining of being sick. I always want to try and nip the illness in the bud and help my other family members from getting it.
To help you and your family members feel better, I’ve put together a list of common cold and flu medication ingredients that are worth avoiding. Plus, once you run out of a product, start to stock your medicine cabinet with some of the natural cold medications pictured below.
Artificial food dyes, which are made from petroleum, are frequently used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. By using them, brands hope to make their products more appealing to consumers. Synthetic food coloring is used more often than natural colorants because it’s cheaper and lasts longer. These artificial dyes have been linked to a variety of behavioral problems and are also known to be immune disruptors.
“The molecules of synthetic colorants are small, and the immune system finds it difficult to defend the body against them. They can also bond to food or body proteins and, thus, are able to act in stealth mode to circumvent and disrupt the immune system. The consumption of synthetic food colors, and their ability to bind with body proteins, can have significant immunological consequences.” (More information here)
If you look at the ingredients on the back of many cough syrup bottles or cough drop bags, you’ll likely see an artificial sweetener listed. Some common ones are sucralose and saccharin. Artificial sweeteners can lead to many health issues when they’re consumed regularly—and they can also be another gut disruptor. “It is known that the gut microbiota plays a key role in human metabolism and recent studies indicated that some artificial sweeteners such as saccharin could perturb gut microbiome and further affect host health.”
For those reasons, it’s smart to avoid products that have artificial sweeteners. They don’t add any benefit to help you overcome whatever bug you have and they can cause more harm than good.
According to the FDA, most soy and corn in the United States is GMO. In 2018, GMO soybeans made up 94% of all soybeans planted and 92% of corn planted was GMO corn. The FDA also states that, “Many GMO crops are used to make ingredients that Americans eat such as cornstarch, corn syrup, corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, or granulated sugar.” These ingredients are also used in processed foods and medications.
Look out for corn syrup and lecithin, two ingredients that you’ll likely find listed on the back of cold and flu products. These ingredients might be a product of GMO crops with glyphosate and are known to disrupt “the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids by gut bacteria.”
Preservatives are frequently used in food and pharmaceutical products to prevent or slow bacterial growth. They’re also used to protect products from spoiling. “Microbiota can be directly impacted by these commonly used food additives, in a manner that subsequently drives intestinal inflammation.”
Some artificial preservatives to look out for include sodium benzoate, which is commonly found in cough suppressants and polysorbate 80, which can be found in things like nasal sprays.
The biggest takeaway when it comes to choosing medications to give to your kids is that there are better choice products out there. If you can find a cough syrup or decongestant without artificial dyes and sweeteners, wouldn’t you rather choose that?
Dan Peterson, assistant professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, notes that a huge proportion of your immune system is in your GI tract. “The immune system is inside your body, and the bacteria are outside your body,” he explains in this article published by John Hopkins Medicine. And yet they interact. For example, certain cells in the lining of the gut spend their lives excreting massive quantities of antibodies into the gut.
If your child’s immune system is already fighting a sickness, it’s a great idea to avoid products that would further disrupt their gut. My go-to cold and flu products are shown in the photo above. You can also find discount codes for all the brands I love below.
Genexa: Take 20% off with code “JUSTINGREDIENTS”
Organifi: Take 15% off with code “KARALYNNE“
Mary Ruth’s: Take 20% off with code “KARALYNNE20”
Wellements: Take 15% off with code “JUSTINGREDIENTS”
]]>Well, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be so hard. With just the tiniest bit of planning, you can have a well-stocked fridge and pantry full of items and ingredients that you can feel good about sending with your child to school. Let’s get to it!
Lunchables are such a popular lunch item in the school cafeteria. And I get it—they’re easy and convenient, and at first glance, they seem like a pretty balanced meal.
BUT….
They also have meat containing sodium phosphate.
Sodium phosphate is found in processed meats and other packaged foods like cereal, cakes, fast food, processed cheese, boxed mashed potatoes, and soda (and more). The FDA regards it safe in small amounts, however, so many people eat these foods on a daily basis. Large-scale epidemiological studies have shown high levels of phosphates in the body are linked to heart disease, decreased bone density, premature aging, and kidney issues.
Other ingredients found in Lunchables:
A DIY Lunchable! Use crackers made with organic or sprouted grains. These aren’t sprayed with glyphosate, and sprouted wheat increases the availability of nutrients like folate, iron, vitamin C, B vitamins, and magnesium. Use cheese without added hormones and uncured meat without added sodium phosphate or nitrates. Combining a quality carb, fat, and protein will set your child up for the best success throughout the school day.
I try to swap other things besides food too. So many of the things classrooms require as part of their school supply lists contain unnecessary toxic chemicals. Do not feel pressured to buy these items when you can easily send in a better choice product. As a former math teacher, I can assure you that your child’s teacher will be grateful for any supplies you send in! You never know, you might teach them a new thing or two about better choices they can make in their own lives and their classrooms!
For instance, did you know not all cleaning wipes are created equal? Some are disinfectants, and some are simply surface cleaners. An all-purpose cleaning spray or multipurpose wipes are used to clean dirt, grime and spills. These are great for day-to-day, routine cleaning like wiping glue, crumbs, paint, crayons, etc. off desks and tables. They remove germs by cleaning an area. Cleaning surfaces regularly will remove germs and prevent them from growing or spreading. For everyday use in the classroom, cleaning wipes do a great job.
Disinfectant products should be used when someone is suffering from a contagious illness like the flu or when surfaces come into contact with blood, bodily fluids, or raw meat. To truly disinfect, the product needs to be used correctly, according to the instructions on the label, which typically requires the surface to stay wet for a full 4 to 10 minutes. Many disinfectants kill germs by using antimicrobial pesticides such as quaternary ammonium compounds, also known as “quats.” These chemicals can trigger allergies, asthma, and other health concerns.
I hope everyone has a safe and smooth return to school, whatever that may look like for you! Just remember, any and all positive changes you are making ARE making a difference! I’m here to help you at whatever stage you may be in your health journey. And while our kids may be starting school again, it’s never too late for us to continue our education about living a healthier, cleaner life!
]]>Playing games is a favorite tradition my family loves to do on Sunday nights! Holidays are a special time to be with family. So, with the holidays coming up, I thought I would share some of our absolute favorites to play. I’ve categorized them by interest of my kids’ age, which games my husband loves, which games I love, and which games we all love as a family:
Alhambra: “At the foot of the sierra Nevada mountains, one of the most exciting and interesting projects of the Spanish middle ages begins: the construction of the Alhambra. In the role of master builders the players try to hire experts from all across Europe to erect buildings for their Palace, who all insist on their “native” currency. The players have to be smart about their purchases to build the most impressive Palace in the end.”
Carcassonne: “Carcassonne is the perfect introduction to the modern world of board games. With its simple rules (place a tile, place a deeply, score points), should be part of everyone’s collection.”
Kingdom Builders: “In Kingdom Builder the players create their own Kingdoms by skillfully building their settlements, aiming to earn the most gold at the end of the game. A highly variable game board and varying scoring conditions will ensure that you won’t be playing the same game ever, unless you want to.”
7 Wonders: “You are the leader of one of the 7 great cities of the Ancient World. Gather resources, develop commercial routes and affirm your military supremacy. Build your city and erect an architectural wonder which will transcend future times.”
Coloretto: “The players draw cards from a card supply in the middle of the table. During the game, the players try to specialize in a few colors, as at the end of the game, a player can score plus points for only 3 colors; the rest score minus points. The more cards a player has of a color, the more points he scores. The player with the most points wins.”
Cover Your Assets: “Every time a stack is stolen it increases in value, making it a more enticing target to steal and harder to hold onto. The best way to protect a valuable set it to cover those assets with a new set of assets. You literally Cover Your Assets. See what we did there? This game is fast-paced, competitive, and a more than a little addictive.”
Code 777: “Crack your code first! You can see your opponents’ code, but not your own. Using answers to the included Question Cards plus your own logic ability, try to deduce which three numbers are hidden in front of you. Once you are reasonably sure, you make your guess! One point is awarded for a correct solution to your code. First player to 3 points wins!”
Coup: “In the not too distant future, The government is run for profit by a new “royal class” Of multi national CEOs. Their greed and absolute control of the economy has reduced all but a privileged few to lives of poverty and Desperation. Out of the oppressed masses rose The resistance, an underground organization focused on overthrowing these powerful rulers. The Valiant efforts of the resistance have created Discord, intrigue and weakness in the political courts of the nouveau royal, bringing the government to brink of collapse. But for you, a powerful government official, this is your opportunity to manipulate, bribe and bluff your way into absolute power. To be successful, you must destroy the influence of your rivals and drive them into Exile. In these Turbulent times there is only room for one to survive.”
Munchkin: “Go down in the dungeon. Kill everything you meet. Backstab your friends and steal their stuff. Grab the treasure and run. Admit it. You love it… Fast-playing and silly, Munchkin can reduce any roleplaying group to hysteria. And, while they’re laughing, you can steal their stuff.”
Karuba: “On the legendary island of Karuba there are huge temples and valuable treasures hidden away deep in the jungle. You are the leaders of an expedition, and must skillfully plan the paths for your adventurers. You will only be able to collect all the treasures in the jungle and reach the temples if your adventurers don‘t block each other, and if you can do better than competing expedition leaders.”
Kingdomino: “Dominoes with a Kingdom building twist! each turn, connect a new domino to your existing Kingdom, making sure at least one of its sides connects to a matching terrain Type already in play. The game mechanics for obtaining the tiles is clever: the order who of who picks first depends on which tile was previously chosen. Make sure to secure tiles with crowns- these royal treasures help to multiply the worth of your Kingdom at the end of the game! the game ends when each player has completed a 5 x 5 grid, and then points are counted based on number of connecting tiles and crowns.”
Splendor: “As a wealthy Renaissance merchant, acquire mines and transportation, hire artisans and woo the nobility. Create the most fantastic jewelry to become the best-known merchant of them all! Acquire precious stones to trade them for development cards. Use development cards to acquire more gem stones. Use your gems and gold to create the most fantastic jewelry, and appeal to the nobles to gain the prestige you need to win.”
Century Spice Road: “Introducing Century, a series of exciting and wonderfully addictive stand alone, mixable games. Each title is set in different centuries, from the 15th to the 17th, and depicts the major trading systems and routes of these eras. While quick and easy to learn, the century trilogy will fully engage even the most strategic players. Discover the beauties of the spice trading road and its colorful markets with the amazing artwork by international renowned artist Fernanda Suárez. Wrap your mind around simple and pure game mechanics combined with a touch of deck building system that lead to endless strategies and decisions.
Setters of Catan: “Your adventurous settlers seek to tame the remote but rich isle of Catan. Start by revealing Catan’s many harbors and regions: pastures, fields, mountains, hills, forests, and desert. The random mix creates a different board virtually every game. Skills – Clever trading, strategy, tactical skill, luck.”
Tsuro: “The board changes every time you play the game, making it unique and fun for adults and kids. Players are challenged to create and travel the Path as it builds before them. The Path is an ever-changing mystery. With each turn, the maze grows and you must anticipate other players’ next moves. The wisest player will remain on their Path.”
Code Names: “Codenames is a social word game with a simple premise and challenging game play. Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames. The teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the table. Their teammates try to guess words of their color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin.”
Ubongo!: “Bongo is a fast-paced, addictive, and easy-to-learn geometric puzzle game. Players race against the timer and against each other to solve a puzzle of interlocking shapes. The faster you solve the puzzle, the more gems you get. The player with the most valuable gem treasure after nine rounds of solving puzzles wins!”
Perpetual Commotion: “Perpetual Commotion from Goldbrick Games is an outrageously fast and incredibly addictive card game for 2 to 6 players. This easy-to-learn game takes about 45 minutes to play. The object of the game is to play your cards–as many and as fast as you can–into a common arena. To win, you must play faster and more aggressively than your opponents.”
Dixit: “Every picture tells a story – but what story will your picture tell? Dixit is the lovingly illustrated game of creative guesswork, where your imagination unlocks the tale. In this award-winning board game, players will use the beautiful imagery on their cards to bluff their opponents and guess which image matches the story. Guessing right is only half the battle – to really succeed, you’ll have to get your friends to decide that your card tells the story!”
Telestrations: “Each player starts with their own erasable sketch book, marker and word card. A roll of the die determines each player’s secret word. The timer gets turned and everyone draws their word. After 60 seconds, everyone passes their book to the player on their left. Then each player takes a few seconds to guess in words(s) what they see, and passes again… Just like the game of “telephone,” the outcomes are unpredictable and the laughter is contagious!”
Cash ‘n Guns: “The big heist may have been a success, but it all goes wrong when every crook wants a bigger cut. With this much money on the table, bullets speak louder than words! In Cash ‘n Guns, players will point foam pistols at each other and try to intimidate their opponents into letting them have the largest share. The bravest crooks enjoy the most money – but only if they live long enough to spend it!”
Disney Apples to Apples: “The Game of Goofy Comparisons. Now the whole family can experience the award-winning fun of APPLES to APPLES as they never have before, with the magic of Disney and some wonderful new twists. For the first time, Red Apple cards come to life with pictures from Disney theme parks, movies and Disney Channel shows.”
Spot It!: “Test your observational skills and hone your reflexes with the award-winning gameplay of Spot It!, a game of lightning-fast choices for a group of two to eight players… The game functions on a simple mechanic—fifty-five circular cards, each of which features a number of symbols and has exactly one of those symbols in common with every other card in the deck. With five distinct mini-games, you can be sure that Spot It! will be different every time you play, and because it’s always your turn, there’s never any downtime!”
Operation: “Cavity Sam is feeling a bit under the weather, and kids will love to “operate” and make him better. Use the tweezers to take out all of Cavity Sam’s 12 funny ailment parts that parents might remember — such as a wishbone, Charlie horse, and Adam’s apple. Players choose a doctor card and “operate” to remove that ailment from Sam, and collect the money if they can avoid the buzz. The player with the most money wins!”
Blokus: “Stake your claim and protect your territory with the Blokus game! It takes less than a minute to learn, but offers endless strategy and fun challenges for the whole family. Each player gets a set of 21 pieces – in red, blue, green, or yellow – then takes turns placing them on the board. There’s just one rule: each piece you play must touch at least one other piece of the same color, but only at the corners! The goal is to fit the most pieces on the board. The game ends when no more pieces can be placed down, and the player with the lowest number remaining wins!”
Exploding Kittens: “Exploding kittens is a card game for people who are into kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats. In this highly-strategic, kitty-powered version of Russian roulette, players draw cards until someone draws an exploding kitten, at which point They explode, they are Dead, and they are out of the game — unless that player has a defuse card, which can defuse the kitten using things like laser pointers, belly rubs, and catnip sandwiches. All of the other cards in the deck are used to move, mitigate, or avoid the exploding kittens.”
Sabateur: “In the far reaches of the forest there are old, long-forgotten mines brimming with gold, silver, and gemstones that are ripe for the taking. So gather your dwarf Clan and start building a path to the mines. But beware, one of the mines is guarded by a Dragon and the forest paths are filled with Trolls, traps, and other obstacles you’ll need to work together to overcome. But the biggest threats come from within — your team’s unknown Saboteur works for the other team, and the selfish dwarves are only out for themselves.”
Sequence: “It’s fun, it’s challenging, it’s exciting, it’s sequence! Play a card from your hand, and place a chip on a corresponding space on the game board. When you have five in a row, it’s a sequence. Learn to block your opponents or remove their chips, and watch out for the jacks – they’re wild! With a little strategy and luck, you’ll be a winner. For 2-12 players, ages 7 and up.”
Ticket to Ride: October 2, 1900 – it’s 28 years to the day that noted London eccentric, Phileas Fogg accepted and then won a bet that he could travel “Around the World in 80 Days.” Now, at the dawn of the century, some old friends have gathered to celebrate Fogg’s impetuous and lucrative gamble – and to propose a new wager of their own. The stakes: $1 million in a winner-takes-all competition. The objective: to see the most cities in North America – in just 7 days. Ticket to Ride is a cross-country train adventure game. Players collect train cards that enable them to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who can fulfill their Destination Tickets by connecting two distant cities, and to the player who builds the longest continuous railway.
Qwirkle: Qwirkle is MindWare’s must-have game and it is easy to see why! Simple to learn, yet strategic and exciting to play, Qwirkle is a favorite of all ages. Build lines of tiles that are all the same color or shape, with no duplicates. Score big by placing a tile that touches multiple pieces with matching attributes. Score even bigger by matching all 6 attributes and creating a Qwirkle!
And there you have it! I hope your family has a wonderful, fun holiday season. What are some activities your family loves to do together? Share with me by commenting below.
Just for you, I’ve created a free downloadable Holiday Gift Guide with my favorite gift ideas for each of the following categories. All products are hyperlinked for easy shopping! Discount codes included with some applicable for Black Friday, and some applicable until Dec. 24th:
Source: 1.https://heelthatpain.com/8-health-benefits-of-having-fun/
For my recommended top ten easiest grocery changes, click HERE.
For my gluten free guide, click HERE.
For my favorite supplements and vitamins, click HERE
For all of my cheat sheets and guides, click HERE.
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