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Monday, December 20, 2010

Any Scrabble whizzes out there?

The girls and I were playing Scrabble and had a nearly perfect game!! Well, nearly perfect according to our rules. There was only 1 tile left at the end of the game!

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We play a heavily modified version of the game that we like to call Kid Scrabble. Here are the rules:

1. You can play your word any place on the board where there’s room and it doesn’t conflict with other words (try to put it where you rack up the most triple word points, double letter points, etc.)

2. The kids help me count up their score each time (I figure it’s good math practice)

3. If a kid hooks her new word up with an existing word, there is an instant 10-point bonus

4. Phonetic spelling (if the kiddo comes up with it on her own and knows what the word is) is perfectly acceptable

5. Help is perfectly acceptable, when asked for. If a kiddo says “I think I can spell xyz, is that how I spell it?” or “I wish I had an xyzletter to spell xyzword,” you can help them get it right or trade them for the desired letter (hey I figure if they know what they need to spell a word they deserve to have it).

6. A small treat is doled out every 20 points

7. When everyone is out of words, the remaining few tiles are combined and you all try to put them somewhere on the board

8. Then the winner (the person with the most points) is congratulated and high-fived and everyone gets a treat

In this game, the only tile we had left was a “U” – does anyone see anywhere that it can go? It was driving Ro crazy that we couldn’t fit it in, and Ree said “Just put it on the blog, mama, someone will know.” Hee! The blank tile on the left of the board is a “T” and the one on the right is an “S”.

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PS: “jin” for “chin,” and “mace” for “make,” are the kid spellings in this game.

48 comments:

  1. Between the G & T on the bottom right, for "gut"?

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  2. I was going to say what Becca said. So, what she said. :-)

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  3. Above the R in the bottom corner to spell UR. Not a kid word, but a legal scrabble word!

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  4. Charles12/20/2010

    Gut is the most obvious, between the W and TEN would be wuten, German for angry

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  5. I was going to laugh that you used the word "mace" but "make" is good too.

    Does "um" count as a word in your book? I think you could use the m in "mace"

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  6. UM is on the official list

    http://phrontistery.info/scrabble3.html

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  7. can't you just use the P in cup to make up? Or am I missing something obvious?

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  8. Kati in CT12/20/2010

    UP off of CUP or MU off of MACE. It's never too early to learn the Greek alphabet

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  9. What a great game! Will keep that one in mind for the future. Love the high 5's and mucho treats!

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  10. I was going to say GUT as well!

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  11. I was going to say GUT as well!

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  12. I love love love love this post! I know what Maya and I are going to be doing over Christmas break ... what a cool game! We actually have Scrabble Jr. at home but I haven't been brave enough to open it up to see how you play b/c I thought there couldn't really BE a Jr. version of a game that just uses titles to spell words! Thanks for giving me the courage to try this out with Maya!

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  13. Anonymous12/20/2010

    I was thinking UP like some others said.
    Karen

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  14. After the O in Rose and make it rouse

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  15. Bottom right corner, GUT

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  16. Anonymous12/20/2010

    UP!
    - Jamie

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  17. Anonymous12/20/2010

    "Um" on top of the "m" for make.

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  18. Before the P - spells UP!

    I <3 Scrabble!

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  19. under the L at the top of the board for Lu?

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  20. Anonymous12/20/2010

    GUT UP UR UM UP


    S
    NUT

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  21. Anonymous12/20/2010

    i.e. SU (down

    NUT (across)

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  22. Anonymous12/20/2010

    Up-off of cup?

    Kathleen

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  23. By the way, I beat my undefeated MIL at Scrabble a few years ago with the word:gazettes on a triple word score. Oh yeah!!

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  24. Definitely run to Target and pick up a Scrabble Junior game! There are two ways to play(flipping the board over will give you an easy board and a more advanced board on the other side), depending on how advanced you want to play. I think they'd love Scrabble Jr!

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  25. I am a total scrabble fanatic so this post really hit home! I am going to give this a shot with the DD! BTW, if you have an IPhone you can play a scrabble game called words with friends...I am totally addicted and my biggest adversary is my big guy Justin...LOL If you have the phone and ever want to play (it is a play at your own pace kinda game, my user name is JJStarrandSpice.

    Hugs

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  26. how do you spell "lieu" like in lieu of sprite, i am bringing coke? or am i in total left field?? and they would LOVE junior scrabble-- i see new christmas present!!!!

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  27. I'm with the others here, use "P" to make up.

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  28. Anonymous12/20/2010

    Put it in front of the "P" that's at the end of "CUP"!!!

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  29. Anonymous12/21/2010

    I would put it after the "hay", but that's just me. My six year old would approve! Haha!
    Michelle

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  30. Bottom right between the G and T to make GUT.

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  31. Anonymous12/21/2010

    upper left on the end of "lie" to make the word "lieu"

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  32. I got either gut or "um" which is big at my house whenever I ask anything

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  33. On the top left corner by ROSE and NON - slide the last N in NON down and insert the U - then you'll have the word, NOUN. I love the way you and the girls play this. The educational value alone is terrific, not to mention the fun factor and the family time! Awesome!

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  34. Anonymous12/21/2010

    UK (United Kingdom)

    gul (rug design)

    "No" to lieu because it makes "UNON"

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  35. Next to the I near the top left - IU (phonetic for Eeeeeewww!)
    Next to the G at the bottom - UG (phonetic for Urgh!"

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  36. Anonymous12/21/2010

    How about "us" and "nugee" (phoenetic for noogie.)

    I crack myself up.

    Jamie

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  37. Anonymous12/21/2010

    And of course "mace" is a real word with several diverse meanings . . .

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  38. Anonymous12/21/2010

    plethora of product placement! yowza

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  39. Anonymous12/21/2010

    Not sure if anyone else has mentioned it already but, you need to find Bananagrams! It's Scrabble without the board. My family loves the game. We play it all the time. You can find it at Target, B&N, just about anywhere. We play it while waiting at restaurants & my kids use it to practice their spelling words.

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  40. Anonymous12/21/2010

    how about um???

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  41. you should get a game of upwards! Same concept but you could have put the u on top of another letter to change the word. (ie bit would become but)

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  42. Sarah Kate12/22/2010

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_peoples

    Yue.

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  43. Anonymous12/22/2010

    Use the P in cup...UP ??? I enjoy hearing how much fun the twinados are having !!!

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  44. Anonymous12/22/2010

    add it to lie for lieu is another suggestion. Great game idea. I didn't think my girl (one month younger than Ro and Ree could play this but now I am rethinking that!
    T

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  45. Beside R gets my vote. Goes with texting for "you are"

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  46. Anonymous12/23/2010

    Since phonetic spellings count, place the U in front of log to make "yule log". :)

    P.S. Hi M3! I've never posted here before. My daughter (7) and I enjoy your blog very much. She begs to see the video of the double face-plant in the Pacific ALL the time...

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