Clubhouse Angry Birds: Screen-Free Edition

Let me start this post by admitting something.
I was the anti-angry bird Mom.
The game was on iPhones everywhere, and I refused to give in.
I especially refused to allow the bird addiction to reach my Clubhouse Kid.

Then he had a friend over for the weekend, and she just had to show him her pig hitting skills.
So it began.

After a few game plays myself, I realized it wasn't as nonsensical of a game as I had thought.
You have to actually think about where you're sending that bird. The launcher has to be angled the right way. They even have different birds with different skills, which means knowing who is best for which pig. I mean really, this game did require some skills.
So, I uploaded it and gave in.
Not entirely though.
My Clubhouse Kid has limited screen time,
and so we have found a variety of ways to bring the game "to life".

Daddy built the stand, which was a pretty simple task. We used a water balloon launcher for our birds. What were we launching at?

 Daddy prepared some boxes, and the brightly colored lime green balls were the pigs. Sure I had planned to add decorative pig faces to the balls, and found all sorts of wonderful templates on Pinterest.. but my Clubhouse Kid just wanted to launch birds. Who needs faces? This goes on for hours in our backyard, and everyone plays, including Daddy.

Since this was a rather large set up, it's not something that we do daily. On a much smaller scale we have some fun with birds in the house as well.

Angry Bird games are available at most retail stores and online (I have listed some of our favorites at the end of this post). We have collected so many different varieties of the games, I recently had to organize bins labeled birds, pigs, blocks and launchers.

We have a large cardboard "base" and my Clubhouse Kid spends a lot of time building massive structures, gently placing piggies throughout the design and then choosing the right launchers, and the right birds, to bring it all down. We've also been known to have family game nights where we take turns building and knocking down. Always fun :)

He has been known to add his own blocks and build towers all over the place. Sometimes he scraps the blocks all together and goes for a more natural look.

That's not all. These birds and pigs go everywhere in our house! Have I mentioned they have been in the bath tub? Birds can be launched from everywhere, and they all happen to be waterproof.

One of my favorites has had to be Angry Birds in the dark...
(light table anyone?)

Since I already mentioned family game nights, I have to tell you about the Angry Birds Card Game that has proven to be fun. No actual building of towers takes place. You "build" with the cards, and whoever gets rid of their cards first (by rolling the right birds for each card) gets to knock down King Pig and take home the victory! My 4 year old really enjoys this "big kid game".

Taking it back outdoors, we often have Angry Bird Egg Hunts! Who needs Easter to have fun with eggs?
I hide plastic eggs all over the yard, and inside of each egg is a clue or activity that has to bee done in order to find the next egg.

 

We find eggs,
follow clues,
complete activities,
and ultimately find the bird who did it all ;)

Angry Birds coming out of your ears yet?
Maybe.
Notice we have yet to turn on the iPad though.

Yes, his entire room is Angry Birds.
He loves these wall stickers. They can be moved over and over again, and still stay stuck to the walls when he's done.

Mostly he builds extravagant set-ups, and piggies get knocked out.

What kid doesn't want to build things up and knock them down?

For a Mom who was once anti-bird, I have adjusted well.
I even have my own bird now....

If you have Angry Birds fans in your house, and want to take them away from the screen... be sure to check out this Angry Birds Pinterest Board for more fantastic ideas.

Believe it or not, Angry Birds has not sponsored this post. These are really just products we use, and love, and want to share with you. Most of the items mentioned in this post can be found on Amazon. I have provided you with some affiliate links below for your convenience.

I'm off to take out a few pigs,
Ms. Liz