Cabin Fever Reliever

'Weather' you are Snowed in, too hot to trot (ill) , Rained out, or injured

Cabin Fever Reliever is a 'holiday' my family came up with and has been celebrated for at least 5 years now. It's usually always in February, but sometimes postponed to March (depending when everyone can make it)

How did it start

Normally there would be a few snow falls by February and some people might not have been able to get out of the house. So my Aunt came up with the idea a few years back and its been a hit.

Cabin Fever Reliever is celebrated in February, normally on a Saturday or Sunday (which ever day and week in February) we can all gather, but usually seems to land around the weekend end before, of, or after the 19th .

For 2012 it was February 11. (tho' the original date was supposed to be the 18th as that's a family friend's birthday who joins us & my mother's birthday is the 19th, so they try to make it around that time.)

We snack, eat, drink & be merry, best of all we play a few games!

(sorry for so many games but i always try for a wide variety the familiar & not so. I have been working on a few other cabin fever pages to break up the mass of information on here The first one Cabin Fever 2-Competitive Fire will be out in December. I hope you have enjoyed this lens and find a new favorite game (or maybe even replace that over used classic one.. (Hail Monopoly)

Don't just save Cabin Fever reliever for the winter... Cabin Fever reliever is great for those that may have been or still are sick. Bring a game or 2 over to the house or hospital even. (Make a gift basket with a game for individual play, a deck of cards, travel sized games like checkers etc. & a book maybe with a few snacks and packs of soup.) Those with a broken part etc can get Cabin fever and those that are grounded..but they're not aloud that while on punishment... but it would be nice once they "get out of jail".

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Cabin Fever only needs a few supplies.

to write down who is in what group (to keep track) & what the scores are or a scoreboard

*Name tags or post it notes (for who am I or if you have a large group of friends meeting each other) Ie: Mingle time

*Writing implements {Pencils, Pens, (Dry erase) Markers

*score card, dry erase board or Paper (My uncle would use his presentation pad for drawing, and had some colored markers)

*Timer Usually games need just a 30 or 1 minute timer So if you have a kitchen timer otherwise just use the one on your Phone/Tablet or watch

Board Games depending on amount of people, even with a large group sometimes you just need to set up teams to play

Decks of Cards - if you prefer to have a poker type night. Play Hold'em, Black Jack heck Go Fish! You can even play Pokeno which is Poker and Bingo in one.

Prizes They can be silly ones or just some dollar store items to give out or something you made. If not for the adults then something for any little ones participating. (there should be more ideas on prizes later)

guess what character you are

This s a party mingling game

What you need?

*Sticky notes or those 'Hello My Name is" labels

* a few people (co-workers etc) other than yourself to write names etc (see some catergories below) on the labels

& if there's some extra labels have each person from your party write down one label each for next time.

(after you find out who everyone is)

*cup, hat or small paper shopping bag

(for the folded labels to mix them up & pick out of)

ON sticky notes or those "Hello My Name is" labels ,

my aunt & uncle had people from their office write down names of

*Politicians

*movie Stars

*muscians

*cartoon characters

*Athletes

*Tv seriesCharacter

*Actors

*animal (?)

Business people

(am I missing anything?)

You pick one out ..NO LOOKING

have someone stick it on your back

You can ask only ONE question per person at the party (to mingle) (however we seem to just be cliquey & ask one or 2 people that are in the room.

Then ask Yes or No questions.

Questions like:

"Am I a person"

"Am I Male"

Am I an actor etc.

Am I a Cartoon character

"am I dead" (if dead..."have I died in the past year)

Am I alive

Was I famous in the 80s

am I a classic (think cartoons like Smurfs, actors like James Dean, Muscians like Led Zepplin)

The person you are asking can only answer yes or no

a few of the 'characters' we had were Bill Clinton, Lady Gaga, former Pres. Bush, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, I was Garfield. Some of my Cousin's friend were the Iron Chef, Cher, & I think one was Hulk Hogan

other name ideas you can use besides what's in the above label....William Shakespear, Michelle or Pres. Obama, One of the Dips from Jersey Shore, Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Bruce Springsteen, This year I was Steve jobs

The most fun we have on Cabin Fever Reliever day is Playing Win Lose or Draw. It's a board game really with the cards but we don't play that way, we just pick teams and decide who goes first. Then among the teams themselves decide who out of them draws first etc.

It gets pretty funny especially with those that are very competitive. The last time we played I remember my cousin and a friend of his really slinging the insults (playfully of course) but we were cracking up as we had NEVER seen them like that.

Keep in mind you can use colored markers, unfortunately some people don't get a clue what they are for! draw in black but make grass green a heart red water or ice blue etc. And as one problem that came up previous to this year.. if you draw a watermelon.. don't draw the whole round thing (no one will have a clue) use a slice & color red w/ black dots for the seeds!

- Use REAL chocolate!

premium cocoa beans perfectly fermented & roasted then finished into a complex Dark Chocolate 60-70%

- Shaved with shaved chocolate you'll get the best consistency, plus it melts quickly & Cocoa powder alone can leave a grainy texture in the mouth

-Warm milk (or some hot water & warm milk)

Great news as well... make a batch of the mix and you can refrigerate it to reheat & enjoy next day. The flavor will infuse more & will probably taste even better.

If you want to add a bit of another flavor, add a pinch of cinnamon, Chile, or chipotle Chile, orange, peanut butter (that PB sounds good to me!) and banana or caramel! Heck you even make a Peanut & banana hot cocoa 'sandwich' :-) (dang that idea just made me hungry!)

a few other ideas I thought of... Coconut, Vanilla ice-cream or extract or Almond extract

Suggested Cocoa powders to use Ghirardelli or Godiva they are fine & will melt better and has the BEST chocolate flavor!

(I haven't included any amounts you'll have to work on that yourself depending on the amount of people you have around.

There's a few different versions of Farkle but I started with playing the Facebook App version so my directions are as such. (when I'm not playing on line and with a few people, I use the scoring card from the game which I did a screen cap of)

-Played with 6 Dice (If you have 6 or more people There's a FARKLE PARTY version of the game. It comes as a set of 6 different clored cups & dice. Play 1 per person or divide into teams.)

-players each roll one die To decide who goes first, Highest number goes first.

-must have at least a running total of 300 pts or more to 'bank' in a round (some Farkle games say 500, I started with the version on Facebook so I go for 300) record your score for the round and add it to your accumulated total and once your points are entered you cannot lose them.

-What is a Farkle? If you cannot set aside at least a 1 or a 5, in a round That's a Farkle & You lose those points in your running total for that round (but not your accumulated) and play passes to the left.

a Farkle can happen at any time (tho quite rare on a first roll)

-Must Say Farkle (Penalty? if you'd like you can make a point deduction for not calling it)

-3rd consecutive Farkle -500pts penalty

-Roll until no longer possible (if you are lucky enough to set aside all 6 dice, then Roll again to build to your running total, but Farkle & lose it)

(no 5s, 10s, pairs, trips, straight etc.)

The first to 10,00 or more wins (if 2 mor more reach the same time, player with the highest total wins)

-if you are lucky enough to set aside all 6 dice, you can roll again

for instance if you get a 'hand' like a Straight, 4 -6s & 2 -5s you roll again(keep in mind, the ONLY time you are able to get a straight is on the first first roll of all 6 dice)

MISCELLANEOUS

Depending on which Farkle Game you play the rules & scoring may vary.

Like Number of points you need before you bank. Some are 300 others 500 (sometimes more)

on scoring 4 of any number + a pair is 1,500

if the basic set is not your deal, then try Spicy Farkle, Twisted Farkle, or Hot streak (and I think there are a few other variations)

Here's where you can find the dice games

via Photobucket

MISCELLANEOUS

Depending on which Farkle Game you play there's differing rules & scores

on scoring 4 of any number + a pair is 1,500

Here's where you can find the dice games

make your own version

Scattegories is one of those games that if you don't have the actual game and no money for it, you can be resourceful in making your own!

There's suppose to be a 20 sided die (a single dice) which is how the letter is chosen; instead use small pieces of paper to write each letter and EXCLUDE Q, U, V, X, Y, and Z.

If you or someone you know does paper crafting or scrapbooking, see if they can make some nice small 'cards' with each letter without those noted above, that can be put in a small box, or bag something to mix them up (without getting mixed up too bad unless you get them laminated!)

Or do it yourself, get some cool looking alphabet stickers, (no larger than say 1/2 an inch) put them on a piece of cardstock then trim them out. maybe wrap them around with shipping tape to protect them for a few uses) Heck you can even use small gift cards & have the letter hiding inside it!)

Now you just need a small bag like a tiny gift bag, a box or cup. you can even use a change purse!

What You'll need

*Dictonary

*timer

*table or floor

*paper

*pens or pencils (make it more fun have colored pens markers or pencils & each person have their own color)

*Prizes (optional)

You'll need to write a few of the categories (5-8) on pieces of paper and mark them with a number.

have someone choose the number of one of the lists to use those categories in your first game.

Now you'll need categories here are some I've come up with:

Occupation,

Bathroom Item,

Kitchen Item,

Reason you're late,

color,

something you wear,

Beverage

Fruit

Food

Vegetable

something you'd Shout

God

Place

verb

Fish

Animal

Movie

Profession

Sport

hobby

Random Word

automobile (or piece of machinery)

Book title

Author

Drink

Toy/Game

Boy's Name

Girl's Name

Country

U.S. Cities

State

Musical Artist (band, group, solo etc)

Celebrity

Adjective

School Supplies

Insect

Breakfast food

Furniture

TV Shows

Something Found in the ocean

President

Product name

School subject

Ice cream flavor

Stones/Gems

Foreign cities

Musical instrument

Restaurant

Things in medicine cabinet

Things in a woman's purse

Weapons

weather

Songs

desserts

Emotions

Composers

Mythological Characters

Movie Quotes

Item found in bedroom

Candy

Sentence using only words that start with the letter

'Surprise Category' _______any ideas_______

see links for instructions on how to play

While usually the prize thing is a sore subject to bring up, not everyone does it but it's always fun to get a 'trophy' some sort of goody for winning.

Depending on the games you play weather team or individual (or you can do both)

You can come up with assorted ideas for prizes

PRIZE CATEGORIES

Winning team

Team with most points after ?? Rounds

Team who wins game 1 (game 2, game 3 & so on)

Individual that gets most correct answers

Best individual performance (win lose or draw or a charades type game)

for individuals that can be anything.

*it needs to be something that can be used by men or women

(or you can get a few assorted items at dollar & discount stores) and let the winners pick their own, heck for more fun make all the prizes toys & other games!

Get a special 'big' prize for the big winner (if you total points from all games) of the night!~

Have 1 tournament game (or make the whole of the night a tournament) & have something special for that.

I would LOVE to hear your ideas please include them in the comments

You can even play a game that includes the 'prize' in it!

Pokeno , which is Bingo, with playing cards!

We use red solo cups and make one for:

4 corners

X

T

L

H= 2 side columns & middle row

'round Robin'

Full card

across ,down & horizontal

in addition (its been so long I can't really remember) I think we used to also have cups for the poker wins as well

Straight

Flush

Full House

Royal Flush

'House' cup (which was an extra cup everyone had to put a penny or nickle in but this was won along with the full card, which was saved until the last game played of the night)

We also used to literally 'save our pennies' and put maybe 3-5 pennies in each cup before each round. If no one gets that category the cup does not get emptied it just keeps building (like the real lottery)

• TEAM win maybe a gift card for that team to go for lunch/dinner together
• put some items together in a gift basket

  Food items (chocolates, candies etc) Shower, hair or nail products

• Gift card for a movie

  or

  'movie gift basket' a DVD (on sale), box of movie candy, popcorn, and a bottle of juice, soda or water

  make your own ticket with the movie's title on it & include a viewing room number & a theater name

• 'Big Prize' of the night can be a gift card (one of those visa or master card types so it can be used anywhere.

  (Remember to give them receipt)

• Team prize buy multiples of same item (maybe in various forms like 2s, 3s, & 4s, (depending on how many people have to be on each team for games etc.
• If you only have enough money to supply the party, I'm sure you have paper around the house.

  Make up your own award certificates, with each category and then just write the person's name in later

• Do something like the arcades do now & days, buy a roll of raffle tickets

  give those out for each win an individual gets & team (just be sure to give one to each member of the team)

  Only have a few 3-5 prizes on hand & the person with the most tickets picks their prize first.

  Also if you are playing a 'betting game' give out 10-20 of the tickets to use for bets

What kind of games do you and your family like?

Do you play games like the one my Aunt had us play in our first cabin Fever day?

It was to get everyone to mingle etc.

During Hurricane Sandy, I lived like that did on that show revolution (well sort of) for 5 days without power! Its not 'fun' but if you have the supplies needed you can be worry free.

You may have checked this lens out for the main reason of My families Game day Cabin Fever reliver, but what about if there is an emergency? Major snow storm with power outtage (and maybe you can't get out of the house)

That's the idea of this section or some of it can also be used for just your deck or even camping, (I'll have to remember to post a note in my Road Trip Lens about the Candle.

1. Candles ~ Make an Emergency or camping candle with ALTOIDS tin

   (which makes it Portable as long as you have a pocket in your pants or coat!)

   If you regularly use candles, save the wax that's left over (instead of melting new candles to make this one

   If you have an unscented candle and want a scent to it be sure to get an essential oil you like the smell of to mix with the wax.

   Emergency/ Camping Candle

   (This can be for Anything.. Camping, Emergency or reuse on the outdoor table plus you are recycling and being creative in a way as well.)

2. Lantern (Coleman's are best) & an extra battery or 2

   (best to have 2) one for the room everyone will be gathered in as well as the bathroom

3. Matches & Flashlights
4. Batteries (for flashlights, and anything else that may need them)
5. Hand radio
6. be sure to charge all cell phones and such items (hand held games, laptops etc) before the possibility of a power outage happens.
7. Canned food & Packaged food (that will not perish)
8. Ice (to keep cold food like milk etc in the fridge cold)
9. Book (a physical one) to read
10. Notebook or paper + Pen or pencil.

    Why? because with this you can use it for writing stories or jokesanything that may go on during the time you are not able to power up.

I want to play cranium and give it a try, but the closest I've got to one of the games, is on line at a Starbucks. There are so many versions (especially for kids), I don't think I'd even know which one to buy as for adults to play.

I would think the one that has the most variety to it would be the best (I see something about drawing, sculpting and so on so it sounds interesting) Sadly I have no idea if it would be possible to play with a big group (think at least 10 or 15 people but sometimes there are more).

Do you have any games you or your family made up, any non-Game ideas for the page? Please let me know

You can find a listing of Cabin Fever Reliever games here. (And a few more likely to come) Official

Need Replacement Pieces? The best keywords to put in an Amazon or Ebay search in (& exactly like this)

"replacement game pieces" in the Toys & Games category

Though I do have a couple option in the link below

Cabin Fever Reliver Games suggestions via Amazon.com Widgets