The Cat in the Hat has scattered things all over the house-can you pick up the
most things before Mother gets home?
OBJECT
To collect the most Picture Cards.
COMPONENTS
Game Board
4 Playing Pieces and Stands
40 Picture Cards
Spinner Card and Spinner Arrow
SET UP
1. Each player chooses a playing piece, puts it into a stand, and places it
at Start.
2. Each player uses the Player's Square closest to her/him.
Player's Square for Player 1 Picture Card
3. Players place one Picture Card on each space on the board, so that the background
color of the Picture Card matches the color of the space (e.g., place yellow
cards on yellow spaces).
PLAYING THE GAME
The youngest player goes first. Players take turns spinning the spinner and
moving the number of spaces shown. Play passes to the left.
PICKING UP CARDS
The first time that a player ends a move on a space with a Picture Card, s/he
picks up this card and places it on his Player's Square.
Players pick up an additional Picture Card when they end a move on a space with
a Picture Card that either:
· shares a letter with the top Picture Card on their Player's Square,
or
· matches the color of the top Picture Card on their Player's Square.
For example, if a player's top card is "dish," s/he can pick up a
Picture Card with a "d," "i," "s," or "h."
He can pick up "fish," "house," "hat," or "milk,"
but cannot pick up "net," "gown," "man," or "umbrella."
If this player has a card with a red background he can pick up a card with a
red background, regardless of the letters on the cards.
When a player collects a Picture Card, he stacks it on top of all the other
Picture Cards on her/his Player's Square.
A player may only use the top Picture Card on his Player's Square to make matches;
other cards can no longer be used and are kept stacked below the top card.
WINNING THE GAME
The game ends when the last player reaches Finish. Players count the number
of Picture Cards they've collected-the player with the most Picture Cards wins
the game.
EDUCATIONAL NOTES
The Cat in the Hat Game is designed for parents and children to play together.
The rules are simple and the game is played in the same manner every time, so
children can quickly become comfortable with the game. This game teaches and
reinforces early reading skills: children look for letters that form words and
learn to recognize words as they see them paired with pictures. The game also
features counting, matching, and introductory strategy skills. Since the game
is not over until the last player reaches Finish, every player stays involved
in the game until the very end.
PARENTS' RULES SUMMARY
Players take turns spinning the spinner and moving along the board from Start
to Finish. The first time that a player ends his move on a space with a Picture
Card, he removes that Picture Card from the board and places it on her/his Player's
Square. From then on, a player picks up another Picture Card every time that
s/he ends her/his move on a space with a Picture Card that shares a letter or
color with the top Picture Card on his Player's Square. When the last player
reaches Finish, the player with the most Picture Cards wins the game.
Copyright ©1997 University Games