Our family has recently discovered a new card game called Check the Fridge and it’s fantastic because it not only makes my kids giggle like crazy, but it also works those all-important math skills!
I love card games for so many reasons!
Card games are affordable. They are great for travel. Tuck one in your glove box, purse, or pool bag and you’ll never regret it!
I cannot tell you how many times a card game has saved my bacon in waiting rooms and restaurants. I can remember one time we were waiting for AAA to come fix my car and we had a wild game of War to pass the time.
A great card game can be explained in a few minutes but played for hours. Check the Fridge is one of those games. (Sidenote: Check the Fridge was created by the folks who made Clumsy Thief– another family favorite!)
Check the Fridge: A Giggle-Inducing Math Game!
This post is part of the Growing List of My Little Poppies Game Reviews. Slowly but surely, I am making my way through our game closet and sharing our thoughts. Stay tuned for more posts in this series!
Check the Fridge: A Giggle-Inducing Math Game!
Check the Fridge has been such a fun addition to our game closet!
Part of the reason why this game is such a hit is the fact that it results in raucous fits of giggles.
Why?
Because there is a bluffing component in this game and it involves a card called smelly cheese.
And do you want to know an added bonus? When your kids play Check the Fridge, they are practicing math skills (double-digit addition)!
Basic overview:
Check the Fridge is a card game for 3 or more players, recommended for ages 8 and up. Check the Fridge is Go Fish-meets bluffing-meets math.
Components:
- 48 food cards (radish, eggplant, cauliflower, carrot, peas, smelly cheese)
- Instructions
Skills covered:
- Math skills (double-digit addition)
- Fun!
The object of the game:
In this game, players attempt to create sets of 25 veggie points while avoiding the dreaded smelly cheese card. A set of 25 is a set of three cards of the same food that add up to 25.
How to Play:
- Each player is dealt five cards
- The first player looks at his or her cards and then asks the group for one type of food. (“May I please have cauliflower?”)
- Other players assess their hand and places all of the requested card face down in the center of the playing space.
- If a player does not have the requested card, that player may “bluff” and place any card(s) face down on the playing space.
- The player who requested the vegetable selects one card/cards offered and adds them to his or her hand.
- Players whose cards were not chosen return played cards to their hands.
- Play continues clockwise.
- Players make sets of 25. A set is three cards of the same vegetable that add to 25.
- Smelly cheese cards will result in one point deductions at the end of the game. Players will want to “bluff” and send these cards to other players when the opportunity arises.
- The game ends when all sets of 25 are made and only the smelly cheese cards remain in play.
- Players receive one point for each set of 25. Each smelly cheese card is worth -1 point.
What did the kids think about Check the Fridge?
I don’t know about your kids, but my kids love an opportunity to bluff! And the fact that this bluff involves something stinky just adds to the fun. Kids holding their noses and sniffing the air adds an element of hilarity to this simple card game.
This game has been a huge hit in our home. My children have played it with friends and neighbors and they will often play with each other. It never fails to make them giggle!
Do you want to add more awesome math resources to your homeschool day?
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Do you love games and gameschooling?
Be sure to check out these related posts:
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- 10+ Amazing Math Games for Your Homeschool
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Do you want to see our gameschool in action?
Be sure to follow My Little Poppies because we share snapshots of gameschooling moments… and heaps of incredible books!
You are also invited to join the My Little Poppies Gameschool Community, a private Facebook Group for parents who wish to add more play to their family and/or homeschool routine.
Do you love SimplyFun games?
We do, too! In fact, we love them so much that I decided to become an official SimplyFun Playologist. If you want to check out more SimplyFun offerings, you can head over to my Playologist page.
