When we were kids, we played a game called sipa. Sipa means "kick" in Filipino, and basically you use your foot to keep a metal washer or a small rattan ball in the air. You can play alone or in a team, and it's a very popular game in the Philippines. There are many versions of the game, including the Malaysian sepak takraw, and it's not an easy game to play at all. Recently I was invited to review a game that reminded me of sipa -- only it's a lot easier to keep in the air since you use a floppy beanbag, and you can use almost any part of your body. It's called the Myachi Hand Sack, and it's a lot of fun.
The Basics
The Myachi Hand Sack is a small, rectangular beanbag that kids can toss around by themselves or back and forth between friends, in any combination they choose. Up and down, from one hand to another, from hand to foot and back again, the possibilities are endless -- but according to the rules of the game, you can't use your palms.
The Bongga
These are fun little beanbags in some really cute designs (3Po loves the skull design on his, and there's even a Valentine design with pink hearts for girly-girls). There are several design "series", which gives your child the added fun of building a Myachi collection, and they're inexpensive so it's hard to say no. They're nice and solid, and long enough to spread out onto the back of your hand (no palms, remember?), which makes tossing these things up and down surprisingly satisfying, much like squeezing a tension ball. With practice, you can do some pretty amazing stuff! It's easy to see how kids can get obsessed with doing all those tricks. Best of all, it's a toy that gets kids moving indoors and out.
The Blah
At 5-going-on-6, 3Po and Jammy are on the young side for this product. They can barely meet the "no palms" rule for more than two or three tosses, much less do all the cool tricks that they saw on the DVD, which is kind of frustrating for them. So if you're buying this for a child, make sure they're a bit older.
The Bottom Line
The Myachi Hand Sack is a fun game that builds coordination in kids and gets them moving. What's not to like? Plus, it's pretty cool!
I received a sample in order to review this product, but no monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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