Browse the game aisle at any big-box toy store, and you’ll find plenty of options, even for the youngest players. But most of those games are based on licensed characters, include plastic or flimsy cardboard parts, and they bore grown-ups to tears.

The Bamboo Collection games from the Discovery Channel Store - Rapido and Rapelli - are a refreshing change of pace in all three regards. Made from bamboo, without a character to be found, these games are truly fun for the whole family.

First up, Rapido. This blogger gave a great description of how the game works: “The game itself is pretty simple. Everyone picks a colored cylinder and takes a tile with the colored dots on it. You put the rope on the floor or table in a circle (I recommend the floor); place all of the colored marbles inside the big wooden cylinder; lift the cylinder so the marbles go everywhere; and then see who can fill their cylinder with the marbles the fastest. The only trick is that you have to pick them up in the order they are on the tiles with the colored dots.” Another mother added: “It can easily be modified for younger players, by removing the time constraint element, or the element of competition, and there are enough marbles for everyone playing to each finish their patterns without squabbling over a particular color marble.”

Rapido is geared toward kids age four and older, but in practice the range differs. One mother lamented: “My youngest daughter looooves a good race so a game where you have to race to win is alright by her. Except when she can’t win…I think it was because each time she picked up a marble she would end up losing it out the top because she was tipping the tube and they were rolling out.” But since she herself was so pleased with the game, she added, “I’ll definitely be giving this game another chance in like a year when my daughter is closer to 6.”

On the other hand, this mother played the game with her not-yet-four year old son - with great educational results: “I admit that I wanted to review this game for the educational potential. [My son] has struggled with his colors. His pre-school teacher has noticed it and we’ve noticed it for quite some time…This game has helped. I have him tell me the color names as he picks up the marbles. Granted, it makes it much slower and less of a game, but it works. He’s definitely shown improvement in his color recognition and his teacher agrees.”

One blogger noted that “the enclosed rope is too stiff, making it difficult to really keep the marbles in the enclosed area. Since the marbles are so light, they tend to hop over or roll over the rope.” Other than that, the bloggers had no complaints about the construction or function of the game.

In fact, one mother reported that her kids “spent at least 40 minutes exploring the mechanics of the game, fascinated by how all the parts work, without the use of batteries, springs and plastic.” She went on to comment: “The game is beautiful for not only its natural materials, but also with its elegant simplicity…It’s the kind of gift I’m proud to give to another family as a birthday present.”

As big a hit as Rapido was, Rapelli might have been even more well-received. This blogger summarized the game perfectly: “The rules of the game are very simple: each person picks a color and puts their corresponding caterpillars into the tube. You then take turns rolling the dice which will give you a color and a direction to move with the number of moves. This directs you to move that colored caterpillar either in or out of the tube the number of segments show on the die. The winner is that last caterpillar in the tube.” Another blogger added: “If having players choose colors and sharing colors becomes confusing for some children, you can instead play with the goal of collecting the most caterpillars regardless of color.”

Not only was Rapelli fun for parents and older kids, the little ones enjoyed it too. One mother reported: “What we didn’t expect from Rapelli is how much my toddler son would love it! Too young to play with the dice, we put those away and let him have fun putting the caterpillars in the tree and taking them out (works his pincer grasp).” Another blogger agreed that the appeal of the caterpillars: “The caterpillars have elastic holding the segments together so they will wiggle when you shake them and look really cute. Even before playing the game the kids had fun playing with all the pieces…the only complaint we have is that the game will sometimes devolve into a caterpillar puppet show because the pieces are so cute and wiggly.”

The bloggers also lauded the use of bamboo in both games, as opposed to plastic or wood: “What I love about Rapelli most is the fact that it’s made from bamboo, a sustainably harvested material.” This blogger added, “Bamboo grows and matures quickly, making it easy to harvest and then plant another crop, unlike slow-growing trees.”

Check out Rapido and Rapelli at the Discovery Channel Store!