Happy Salmon will get your heart pumping as you run around the
room to match cards with the other players. When you find a match,
you celebrate together by performing the action on your card (high
five, fist bump, etc.), then you throw the card on the ground and look
for your next match. The first player to go through their 12 cards
wins. Happy Salmon works great across several generations and is
sure to put a smile on everyone’s face. 2 minutes, ages 6+, four to six
players (or up to 12 people with two copies)
Monster Match is a speed game. Every round, two dice are rolled
showing a number and a body part (arms, legs, or eyes). Players
quickly scan the 10 monster cards on the table to find one that
matches what is showing on the dice. Hundreds of speed games
are on the market, but Monster Match is unique because multiple
players can get a match each round. This allows younger kids to
participate and have fun. 10 minutes, ages 6+, two to six players
Beasts of Balance is a cooperative game where players work
together to build a tower of animals without any of them falling.

The beautifully sculpted animals interact with a downloadable
app, which keeps score for you and displays an interactive
ecosystem of the animals you’ve played. Beasts of Balance sells
MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES / MONKEY BUSINESS / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
While you certainly can’t go wrong with Monopoly, this
winter is the perfect opportunity to try out a new family board
game. Today’s tabletop games can be just as engaging as their digital
counterparts, requiring kids to move, draw, build, strategize and
most, importantly, enjoy themselves. Best of all, unlike Monopoly,
they don’t require a full night (or longer!) to complete.

Many game options are available, so we tapped an expert—
Dominic Crapuchettes, a professional board game designer and
founder of Maryland-based North Star Games—for his top picks for
off-screen family fun. Discover his game recommendations.

Family GAME
for $100, but the unique experience it provides is worth every
penny. 10-20 minutes, Ages 7+, one to five players
Rat-a-Tat-Cat is a simple strategy game that requires a mix
of memory skills, calculated risk-taking and a bit of interactive
CRYSTAL STAR ORNAMENT
What you need:
• Table salt
• Water
• Bowl
• Spoon
• Measuring cup
Science • Plate
• Pipe cleaners
• Cookie cutter – simple shape
like a star or snowflake
• Optional: food coloring
FUN FACTS:
Snowflakes are actually ice crystals that are formed high
up in the clouds when water freezes. They
always have six sides, but every single one of
them is unique.

Most sandy beaches are made up of billions
of broken quartz crystals. Quartz is a common
mineral found in rocks, soil and sand.

EXPERIMENTS 12 Washington FAMILY JANUARY 2021



no one will know any of the answers. Players write estimates to
a question, then bet on the estimate they think is closest to the
right answer. Part of the game is about making good estimates, but
a larger part is knowing which player to bet on depending on the
category. This gives kids a fighting chance to beat their parents at a
trivia game. 20 minutes, ages 8+, two to five players
Telestrations is a party game that combines drawing and the
classic “telephone” game. In round 1, each player gets a word to
sketch in a notebook before passing the notebook to their left. In
round 2, everyone looks at the sketch, flips the page, writes what
they think the word is and passes the notebook to their left. In
round 3, everyone looks at the new word, then flips the page and
draws a sketch of the new word. Rounds continue like this until
everyone has their original notebook. Then players go through the
notebooks and laugh at all the funny changes that took place in a
chain of sketches. 30 minutes, ages 8+, four to eight players
NIGHT bluffing. It’s a great way for kids to practice their addition skills
while having fun and interacting with others. 10 minutes, ages 8+,
two to five players
Wits & Wagers Family is a multi-generational trivia game where
BOY: CHBD / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Not only are STEM activities great fun for kids, they’re
also educational. And many of them, like this crystal-growing
experiment from Mad Science of Washington, don’t even require
special supplies. In fact, you probably already have what you need
in your kitchen cabinets. So grab a pretend lab coat and let’s begin!
WHAT YOU DO:
STEP 1: Twist your pipe cleaner into a simple star shape using a
cookie cutter as a guide to help you bend the pipe cleaner. Twist
another pipe cleaner around it to make a handle.

STEP 2: Measure 1 cup of warm tap water and pour it into a bowl.

STEP 3: Add ½ cup of salt to the warm water and stir until it is
almost dissolved; there will be some salt left at the bottom of the
bowl. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes. You have just made a
saturated salt solution.

STEP 4: Pour some of your solution onto your plate. It should just
cover the bottom. If you add too much, it will just take longer for
your crystals to appear.

STEP 5: Lay your star pipe cleaner shape in the salt solution on the
plate. Sprinkle some salt over the ornament. By doing this, you
are adding “seed crystals” that will help more crystals form.

STEP 6: Leave it to absorb the solution for 48 hours. You should
see crystals starting to form on the pipe cleaner. The longer you
Werewords is a mix between 20 questions and a secret identity
game. The goal is to guess a secret word before time runs out by
asking “yes” or “no” questions. But two of the players are shown the
word before the round starts. One of these people, the werewolf,
will deliberately try to steer the group in the wrong direction. They
win if the word is not guessed correctly. The other player will try to
get the group back on track without getting caught by the werewolf.

10 minutes, ages 10+, four to 10 players
Ticket to Ride is a light strategy game about making train routes
across the United States. It has engaging gameplay that strikes a
balance between luck, strategy and risk-taking. Ticket to Ride has
sold over 11 million copies since it was released in 2004. 45 to 60
minutes, ages 12+, two to five players n
— PJ Feinstein
leave it, the more crystals will grow. Hang it to fully dry and
enjoy your crystal star ornament!
NOW TRY THIS:
You can add a couple of drops of food coloring to your salt solution
to make colored crystals.

WHAT’S GOING ON:
By adding salt to the warm water and stirring until no more salt
dissolves, you have created a saturated salt solution.

This means that you have reached something called the
maximum solubility point for salt in water. At the temperature and
air pressure conditions where you are doing your experiment, you
can’t add any more salt to the solution.

By adding a few grains of salt or “seed crystals” to the pipe cleaner,
you are providing the salt molecules in the solution with something
to “grab onto.” This action lets them form longer crystals as the water
evaporates out of the solution that you made, resulting in some lovely
crystals on your ornament. Ice crystals can be seeded and form in the
same way as salt crystals—that’s why they look similarly festive!
Find another kid-friendly science experiment courtesy of Mad Science of
Washington at washingtonfamily.com. n
— PJ Feinstein
WashingtonFAMILY.com 13