Timberdoodle: Rapelli Game

Mel's Thoughts:

Timberdoodle has provided us with another great product, the Rapelli game.  Rapelli comes in a big orange box, that also has a convenient carry handle.  It is eco-friendly, being made out of 100% bamboo, and it is very sturdy, which is important to me, as a Mama to boys (not a slam to boys, just a fact that sometimes my boys can be a little rough, especially my toddler).  This game is best suited for ages 4 years and up, and it's made for 2-6 players. 

We eagerly sat down to play one night this past weekend.  The game is put together really easily.  You connect the two bamboo halves together, and there are two attached stretchy bands that hold the tower together.  Then each player chooses a color of caterpillar that they want to play with.  My toddler liked this next step the best.  Each player has to push all his caterpillars all the way into a row of holes that are on the tower.  Then the game begins.  There are two dice provided that show what color of caterpillar and which direction to pull the caterpillar out, plus how many notches to pull it out.  Each caterpillar is flexible and a little stretchy....but still quite sturdy.  Whoever gets all of their caterpillars totally out of the tower first, wins the game.  It made for a very fun time.  Jacob loved it.  Jaden loved it when he could get his hands on a caterpillar....and he loved throwing the dice down the middle of the tower and yelling, "Tada!" when he picked the tower up to reveal the dice at the bottom....LOL.  

I really love this game, not only because it's fun to play, but because I can also get it out while we're working on school, and I can set it up for Jaden to work with.  Now, it's got small parts, so he needs to be supervised (due to choking hazards), but he can work at putting those caterpillars in and out of the holes, which helps to work on his fine motor skills, not to mention his color skills and directional/organizational skills.  It could also be a wonderful tool for learning how to count.  When being played, it allows the players to begin thinking about strategy, as well.  So, yes, I definitely recommend this game.

You can get Rapelli from Timberdoodle for $21.50.  In my opinion, it would make a great Christmas present for the children on your Christmas list.  Really, it might even make a great family gift.  


Melissa J's Thoughts

Because I have a 2 year old, I had set up a family to come over to our house to help us review Rapelli - - but they had to cancel because of sickness. So. . . . I recruited my husband to help me review the game. We're in our 30's, but we put ourselves into a child-like mindset--and had fun doing so!


We were both impressed with the sturdy material the game was made out of, as well as how easy it was to assemble and set up. The instructions were easy to follow, and I can see how children in the age group the game was created for, would really get a kick out of the game. How could they not with the cute little worms that are being pushed and pulled with every dice throw?  

The worms have alternating colors on them, separated by plastic pieces that keep them from falling all the way out or all the way in as the game goes on. The only "complaint" I would have, is those plastic pieces to make it sometimes hard to tug out or push the appropriate number of sections sometimes, without going too far. But that is easily adjusted as necessary. 

For parents, it could be the game that never ends. :-)  It reminded me of Chutes and Ladders, in which it can go back and forth for quite awhile. That being said, it's a game kids will love, for that very reason - though I can see younger children being upset if their worms have to get pushed back in. 


Rapelli is a great teaching game and is worth the money!  Not only will kids enjoy the game, it will cause them to use heir counting skills and that is just awesome! I can't wait until my daughter and daycare kids are old enough to understand how to play it. We will be using it for sure, in our homeschool years. Until then, maybe I can get my husband to play it with me again.  ;)




(Disclosure: We were provided with this product, free of charge, by Timberdoodle, in association with MamaBuzz, for the purposes of this tour.)