New mobile-friendly giveaway on OMazing Kids! Enter to win your choice of a kids yoga game from Upside Down Games ……

Product Description:  

Upside Down Games are yoga-based educational games that help children establish life-long healthy habits based on physical exercise, intellectual activity, and social commitment. Their products provide opportunities for positive social interactions and build self-esteem & confidence. In addition, their games are designed to fortify the muscles and improve body posture, enhance balance, coordination, core strength, and focus. And of course, there are plenty of opportunities for laughter!

Here’s what I love about the games:

• they are yoga-based games….. there are very few out there that are so it’s great to see more!

• they go beyond just “poses” (LOVE the “quiz cards” in The Magic Path of Yoga that provide multiple-choice quiz questions relating to basic yoga history, nutrition, body knowledge, the environment & eco-friendly choices; LOVE how the “Mission Cards” in the Yogi Card game get kids to analyze the components of poses; LOVE that the instruction booklet in both versions of The Magic Path of Yoga includes basic anatomy info & how the booklet fans out in the travel version with the pose illustrations on one side & instructions on the back )

• they are well constructed (LOVE how thick the cards are in the Memo Yoga game & how easy the “spinner” is to spin once the cards are taken out the Yoga Spinner game……. many of the kids I work with have difficulty with fine motor skills so these details matter in making a game accessible)

• they are colorful (important for sustaining the attention of younger kids or those with special needs)

• the instructions for the different levels of play are fairly easy to follow and are printed on the box as well as on an insert in each game.

• the company has put thought into responsible manufacturing & materials (see their website for details)

• they made an effort to include illustrations of kids reflecting racial diversity

• their website has info for parents: http://upsidedowngames.us/parents/

• the company donates 10% of the proceeds to help economically disadvantaged children stay in school

Just a few suggestions for improvements:

• I wish they were “cooperative” games (where all the players work together to win the game) vs. “competitive” games…… or if alternative rule suggestions were provided for that method of play. I naturally adapt almost any game I use in speech-language therapy or kids yoga to be played in that fashion but folks who are not familiar with the concept of “cooperative” games may need some ideas for doing this. For example, in the Yoga Spinner game the “sad face” & “happy face” cause a player to lose a card by the another player taking a card from them….. rather than using these rules, I will be incorporating empathy & emotions activities for those spots. I have lots of social skill materials to pull from in my work as a SLP to be able to do this.

• Many of the games have OM symbols of varying sizes and prominence on them. This could be viewed as having “religious” connotations and could pose questions/concerns in certain settings. I am particularly sensitive to this working in a state agency & public schools.

• Some of the rules involve holding a pose for 10 seconds. It would be nice to see suggestions for modifying this for younger kids or those with special needs (ex: holding a pose for 2-3 breaths; or deciding as a team what the pose challenge length will be. I work with a lot of kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders that take written rules very literally)

•  Some would be best suited for those who work with the same group of kids over a period of time where you can start with foundational skills and build upon them from class to class or for kids who already have some experience with yoga. Although I LOVED all of the games & really wanted to keep all of them, I knew in my heart of hearts that four of them be too complex for the kids I work with at the J.D. McCarty Center. So I blessed two local kids yoga teachers who work in settings where I knew would put them to great use. Look forward to hearing how Katie Windom‘s & Rachel White‘s yogis enjoy them <3.

• Two of the games, Yoga Spinner & Memo Yoga, have received ratings by AblePlay. These are the two that I kept to use with the kids at JDMC. They are simpler so would be appropriate for even the younger yogis or those at a younger developmental level (obviously still using judgement for any contraindications for poses based on a particular child’s special needs or ability level).

• They also sent me a couple of their cute yogi keychains (not part of the giveaway….. but take a look at them here: http://upsidedowngames.us/shop/magic-yogis-keychains/

• Have a yoga studio or online boutique? Then you may be interested in their cool introductory promo package: http://upsidedowngames.us/shop/introductory-package/ (this is not part of the giveaway but was too cool not to share)

Purchase: Available on Amazon.com & on the company’s website: http://upsidedowngames.us/shop/.

Be sure to  “like” their page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Upside-Down-Games/144730338926645 for product updates & info about other giveaways. Follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidedowngames. View previews of a few of their games on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/upsidedowngamestv 

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Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review.  Opinions expressed are my own.Starting in 2013, a new component of reviews & giveaways hosted on OMazing Kids is that a review will be added on Amazon.com (for products sold on that site). See my Amazon profile at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1JKVLELLSX7FD?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_bb_pdp.

New Mobile-Friendly Entry: http://bit.ly/17Tut4T

• You may also enter via the Giveaway tab on either of my FB pages (look for the new “chevron” tab) (the entries all go to the same place so you only need to enter via one method). These will work on a computer and might work on mobile devices: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga/app_228910107186452 or https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways/app_228910107186452

• Only entries with all required information will be valid. See the Rafflecopter entry form for details.

• Helpful Info & Tips: To access the tab via Facebook or to use any of the FB entry options, you have to be logged in as yourself (not a fan page). This is my 2nd time to try out Rafflecopter. Folks had requested a simpler mobile-friendly entry option. After researching all the “free” options I could find, I’ve decided to try this out. I tried it out on my iPhone and it appears to work. In the event that you experience difficulties with the Rafflecopter entry tab, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry tab problems

• Each “giveaway” is handled separately on OMazing Kids. So there are no rules prohibiting previous winners from entering this or future giveaways. I really do read every entry in every giveaway carefully to insure that the products end up in the best hands to impact kids lives.

• In order to simplify the entry process, I have eliminated the “A Way to Give” portion….. unfortunately few folks were interested in going through the extra steps to do so.

Entry Deadline: 11:59pm CST on September 9, 2013.

Rules of Participation:

• Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
• Only USA entries are allowed for this particular giveaway.
• Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
• No purchase required.
• Comments submitted via entries may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
• Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
• The winner will be chosen from valid entries on September 10, 2013. NOTE: Even though I am using Rafflecopter, I will still be hand selecting winners to insure products end up in the hands of folks who will put them to the best use. Briefly tell me how winning this would help you & the kids. I take the time to read each entry so details count. It doesn’t have to be lengthy…. just heart-felt.

1 winner will receive one copy of the game they chose via the Rafflecopter entry.

• The winner will be notified via e-mail, will be posted on the blog post & will be posted on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. The company offering the prize may also post the winner’s name on their website, blog, Facebook page and/or other social media sites at their discretion.
• The winner’s address will be forwarded to the company and they will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners. Any questions about the prize should be directed to that company. After I e-mail the winner’s info to the company, it is their responsibility to mail out prizes. Please contact them first if you are concerned about not receiving a prize. If that does not resolve the problem, then feel free to e-mail me and I will glad to assist in whatever way I can.
• Prize Value: depends on game chosen (ranges from $29.95 to $8.95)

Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just a kids yoga game but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.