Players:	2-10
Cost:	$22.99
Play Time:	10-20 minutes
Company Site:	www.otb-games.com
Skills:	Identify Shapes, Matching, and Take Turns
Awards:	Toy Man Online Award of Excellence | What the Stuff 4 Star Award | Best Games of 2011- Wired Magazine

For the record I do not mean shaking the booty or actually taking anything. I am talking about a game called Shake ‘N Take another amazing game from Out of the Box that has been a favorite in our house for 2 years now. The shaking is from this little egg with 1 die inside and the taking happens when that little die shows the ONE side with an alien face on it. What follows is a lot of fun.

This is a great game for any kid at any age though if younger you might be in charge of the Marker or at least supervise while they learn and play. Shake ‘N Take is recommended for ages 8+ but my son has been playing since he was 3. It is a great game for helping with identifying shapes, fine motor skills and taking turns! Plus its a whole lot of fun for any age.

I try to focus on the game and how it plays but every once in awhile I need to mention the box and the storage. This box has a place for everything and when everything is in its place nothing falls out. There is a snug spot for the dice, the markers, the erasers and the shaker dice. The game boards go right on top of the sturdy box which means you can store it on its side, upside down or right way up and nothing will spill. I LOVE boxes like that.

I will do my very best to explain how to play the normal way and then I’ll show you how I adjusted for my kids when they were 3. (When my son was 3…Diva is currently 3 and plays the adusted way)

Objective:

Be the first player to capture (or circle) all the aliens (or shapes) on your game board.

Setup:

Setup is different depending on if you have 2-5 or 6-10 players. We will go with 2-5 and I will try to put the 6-10 adjustments in ().

Make sure every person is sitting within arm’s reach of the two people on either side of them. Literally arm’s reach or a little closer. Everyone will need a game board and you’ll need both erasers but you will only need 1 Marker, 1 Shaker Egg, 1 Shape Die. (For the 6-10 player game you will need everything but still only 1 Game Board per person)

Younger players who are playing the normal way can (and should) use the side of the board with the shapes. Everyone else should use the alien side. This helps keep it fair.

Now choose someone to be the first Alien Hunter (or Shape Hunter). (For the 6-10 player game choose two people who are sitting exactly opposite each other) This person gets the Marker and the Shape Die. Then the person sitting to the right of the Hunter gets the Shaker Egg. (Of both players)

Play:

Now the fun part! I should say the fast paced fun part! You have to be quick…very quick at finding aliens or shapes. The Alien Hunter rolls the Shape Die and then has to find that shape alien (or just shape) on their game board. ONLY that shape. If the ? is rolled the Hunter can pick and announce the shape they want to Hunt for but has to flip the die to show that shape. (For the 6-10 player game both Hunters will roll and begin the hunt)

The Hunter can reroll the die at any time but can only find the most recently rolled shape. Once they roll their first shape the person to the right will begin shaking the Shaker Egg until the Alien Face appears. As soon as that face appears on the TOP of the die that person takes the Marker from the Alien Hunter’s hand. They become the next Alien Hunter and the Shaker Egg moves to the person on their right.

Play continues like this until one player has circled all of their aliens. For the 6-10 player game both Hunters will be going at the same time and it is possible for one player to be the Shaker and the Hunter at the same time. If this happens that person can choose to one or the other OR both at the same time! That is crazy! Also, talented… 

To Capture an Alien:

Capturing an alien means drawing a circle around that alien on your game board. The circle must ONLY be around that ONE alien and cannot include parts from other aliens. You don’t have to draw a perfect circle (because goodness knows I can’t) but it does need to be closed and it has to be clear which alien you circled too.

Shaking:

The player who is shaking the Shaker Egg must shake the egg so the die inside goes up and out of the bottom area and then let it settle for a second to see a blank side or Alien Face. You can’t just keep shaking until it comes close and let it fall…that is called cheating apparently.

Playing with just a couple people is really entertaining especially if you are playing with kids and adults. Kids tend to be a little faster and better at the Shaking and Taking…also ruthless! Adults are SOMETIMES faster at finding shapes but I think we might get a little sure of ourselves going in. That could just be me though…

Now if you have a 2 or 3 year old and want to play this game…or if you want them to play with their older sibling or by themselves which is nice…this is how you adjust the game.

Objective:

Be the first player to capture (or circle) all the aliens (or shapes) on your game board.

Setup:

Each person gets 1 Game Board and the youngest goes first. If you are working on learning shapes or reinforcing them use the Shape side. If your child is a bit older and knows their shapes they use the Alien side.

If there are more than 1-2 kids then select someone to use the Shaker Egg first. It does not have to be the person to the right but if you want it can be.

Play:

The first player rolls the Shape Die and identifies that shape. If they are learning and cannot guess simply tell them the name and make them repeat it. Then either with help from you or on their own if they can have them find that shape on their board and circle it. If they cannot make circles have them try their best and help them.

There is NO taking in this version though. Preschoolers have a hard enough time learning that to understand that this is just a game. Instead they shake the Shaker Egg until the Alien Face comes up then they tell the Hunter to Please Stop or they can yell Alien! or something that like. Then the Hunter has to Freeze and pass the Marker to the next player and the Shaker Egg moves on as well.

If they are really young you will have to help them identify a “match” to the shape on the die and point to it on their Game Board. Then you can either circle it for them or hold their hand to help them practice. It all depends on their skill level.

My 5 year old son can play this game normally just fine but we do not do the Taking part. He uses the Alien side of the board and we shake that Shaker Egg like we would for an adult or older child and he works really fast to find the shapes. My 3 year old Diva cannot do that quickly but she does know her shapes and has just started finding them on the Alien side of the board.

My kids play Shake ‘N Take a LOT and sometimes they just like to get the game out, roll a shape and find that shape on the Game Boards. I love that it is educational and fun at the same time. I think I love it even more because they can play by themselves which means I get a few moments peace and quiet.

“My childhood may be over, but that doesn’t mean playtime is.”
~ Ron Olson