Snipe hunting is an activity in which some families take part in order to entertain their children by hunting for an imaginary creature called the "snipe". What was normally a fun outdoor activity has been transformed into a game that can be played indoors or out by Education Outdoors. This game is the new Snipe Hunt, a hide and seek type game that can be played with two or more players ages 6 and older. After having played it, I think this game would be suitable for anyone ages 3 and up, especially if a preschooler is playing with an older child or an adult.
Each game comes with two snipe . . . Smartin and Biela, plus a nest and four AAA batteries. Just gather two or more players and you have all you need to get started.
(Click any photo to enlarge)
Each battery-operated snipe has an internal timer. When positioned in the nest properly, the timer in each snipe will stop. Both snipe can chirp and has eyes that light up and flash. Our three children all seemed to think Biela was the cutest. Perhaps they just like the color red?
The weather has been too hot and humid to play outside, so we have been enjoying playing the Snipe Hunt game indoors. Since we had 3 players, one child would hide the snipe and the other two would see who could find it first. We kept the snipe turned off using the on/off switch on the bottom and turned it back on once the child knew where he or she would like to hide the snipe. Once turned back on, the timer starts inside the snipe. After several minutes have passed, the snipe would chirp and its eyes would flash in order to give the "hunters" some help with locating it. With two very cluttered bedrooms, there were tons of great hiding places for the snipe. The chirping is loud enough to be audible, but subtle enough to not make the snipe's location obvious.
Needless to say, our 8 year old son was the most skilled hunter. Between our 5-1/2 year old twins, our daughter enjoyed the game the most. The other two had enough of the game after 4 rounds or so at a time, but our daughter wanted to keep going. I think Snipe Hunt would make a great camping or party game because it can be played with two teams as large as you would like. It also teaches children to be quiet and really listen and to use their senses.
To learn more about Snipe Hunt, visit www.educationoutdoors.net. This game retails for $24.99 and can be purchased on Amazon.com, at REI, Eastern Mountain Sports, Borders, L.L.Bean, Uncommon Goods, and other specialty retailers.
Thank you to Education Outdoors for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.
