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The holidays mean lots of cookin' together and game playin'. . . FUN!
Hello!
I don't think the holidays would truly be complete without some game-playing at my house. It is so fun to be able to take a break from routine and play games together. Of course, I am partial to anything that educates as well as entertains. Game-playing bonds the family and nurtures some great life skills too: taking turns, being a good loser, fair play, disaster of cheating, sportmanship, "you go first" mentality, and a host of other nice social skills that are so desirable!
We'd like to show our gratitude to you this Thanksgiving season. We know you keep us in business! Buy any 3 games from this email, and we'll to treat you to a FREE Tyco Beanie Baby! (retail price up to $10)—our way of saying Thank You to a very important person: YOU. This makes a great gift or stocking stuffer.
Take a look at the very fun games we've lined up to make your holiday together moments enjoyable:
*Chess Teacher
Learn as you play this classic strategy game!
*Blunders
Manners and good social skills in a fun game.
*Global Puzzle
You can't help but learn geography with this exciting cut-on-nation-lines puzzle!
*SomeBody
Human anatomy is fun and games! Cool vinyl stick-on organs.
*Sum Swamp
The best game for add and subtract skills—fun for kids!
We have lots of wonderful new quality toys, games and puzzles in our new online catalog!
Wishing you fun and learning in your "together time"!
Diane
P.S. You asked for it, and here it is! Children's Immune Booster—a super-effective liquid echinacea formula that is fabulous for flu prevention and treatment, plus colds and other bugs. You just use 15 drops! Tastes great and works great. My kids were raised on echinacea (instead of antibiotics) and I know it works!
One of the most popular games this year! This award-winning word game is fast and fun: just 5 minutes for a game. You can learn it quickly. All the letters come neatly sweetly packed in a little zippered banana purse that can be taken along easily! No pencil, paper or bulky board. Play at home, in restaurants, in campgrounds—great for travel too. Each player strives to make his letters into words, crossword fashion. Wildly popular!
Now, you may ask, which game? Bananagrams or Anagrams? Well, my preference is Anagrams, (below) because I love the way it is played—it is a methodical, but quick game in which your brain has to move into high gear, but it isn't a frenzy. Everyone plays together seeking to create words from the same central pool of letters.
But Bananagrams is the national favorite. So, you decide! Ages 7 to adult.
Popular as a Victorian parlor game, this old-fashioned letter game is our family's tradition whenever we get together for holidays! It is my personal favorite game—and the game I always want to play. I must admit I am a bit biased, having reigned as the "Anagrams Queen" until my children grew into smart teens who could beat me at it. My sister always provides a huge challenge to keeping that title as well!
The game is very simple and can be learned in minutes. Letter tiles are flipped over one by one, and as soon as a word comes to mind, you can claim it. All players are thinking and searching for words at the same time. This is a truly educational game, reinforcing good spelling and teaching vocabulary! Players are also studying everyone's already-created words to see if the addition of a few more letters would make a new word to claim as their own. This takes brainpower and is incredibly fun and challenging. Game set includes letter tiles, plastic storage tube, and instructions. (Product packaged with the title "Snatch-It".) Highly recommended!
Love word games? This short game is played somewhat like Scrabble. Take your letter cards and arrange them into words in this addictive award-winning game for ages 8 to adult. 1-8 players.
One of the most popular games of the year, and I know why: this fast moving game takes an instant to learn and uses your mind creatively for lots of group fun! Just deal out the cards to 4-10 players and then select the card in your hand that matches the card on the table, like comparing apples to apples. If your card is the closest match, you win. Which card matches "Dramatic" the best—tornadoes, Shakespeare, or the 4th of July? You be the judge! Endlessly varied and creative, we enjoy this game!
Big party box contains the entire collection of cards: a whopping thousand cards! For 4-10 players, ages 12 to adult.
Kids that can read can join in the fun of Apples to Apples with this Junior version. I like the junior version alot, because it is based less on knowing current events and names in the news or movies, and more just on the meaning of words, so I often opt to play this version! A big bonus is that is really increases vocabulary skills and the use of adjectives and descriptive words in writing. An excellent, fun and educational game that I highly recommend!
This fun, interactive card game teaches vocabulary by teaching 42 Latin and Greek roots. You will be able to decipher over 2,000 English words just by understanding the classical roots. It also teaches nearly 200 vocabulary words. How can a game really do this much? First you learn the roots, then you play at matching them to their English definitions in a simple "Go Fish" style game. Three higher levels of play follow. Level 1 has you creating words by combining roots to make English words and practicing dictionary skills. In level 2, try to outwit your opponent with advanced knowledge. Level 2 is played like rummy, combining three classical roots to expand your vocabulary. For ages 8 to adult.
Yes, just like bingo but lots more fun! Push down on the tile dispenser and out pop 2 picture tiles. Race to fill your picture card and you win! Energetic and exciting for young ones, ages 3 to 8 years. Zingo helps you think quick and identify shapes and patterns. A wonderful, fast-paced game that young kids love!
Zingo is a great game on its own, but team it with Spanish vocabulary words and it's really a winner! Contains both English and Spanish picture/word tiles. Fast playing fun for anyone trying to master basic Spanish vocabulary words.
I'm always on the lookout for a way to help beginning readers "get it". These card games give extra practice in a fun format. Rhyming cards make a set. Great ear-training for new readers trying to master phonics sounds.
Blunders—we all make them! Teach your children the social skills that will help them for a lifetime with this clever new game that makes learning manners and good social skills fun! Through funny and blundering adventures, you'll learn table manners, dining etiquette, confident introductions, host and guest skills, telephone manners, how to show respect and kindness, how to avoid gossiping, bullying, and teasing. 2009 Game of the Year Award. For ages 5 to 10 years, 2-8 players.
Children love games, so why not reinforce good manners the fun way? Covers manners at the table, on the telephone, in public places, sportsmanship, and being on time. The game can be played with or without parental guidance as the cards have descriptive pictures as well as words. Includes colorful game board, 100 manners cards, and playing tokens. For 2 to 6 players, ages 4 and up. Sure can't hurt!
Helping you get to know each other is the goal of this unique game and makes it most enjoyable to play. Find out your fellow players' past experiences, preferences, hopes and dreams, thoughts, goals, and plans. This is an entertaining way to get several generations talking and laughing together. Roll the dice, draw a card, and answer questions such as "Tell about an incident when you couldn't stop laughing" or "Where would you live if you could live anywhere? Why?" and "If you had a month to do anything you wanted to do, cost being no factor, what would you do?" This award-winning game is different every time you play it! A fun game of telling tales and sharing with family and friends. Meaningful play for the holidays! All ages, 2 to 8 players.
This game is fun and educational. We love it and here's why:
1) It only takes a few minutes to learn to play.
2) No one has to wait their turn, but all play together, searching visually.
3) All ages can become skilled at it.
4) It is a mind game and really sharpens your abilities to discern.
To play, 12 cards are laid out on the table and all players look for a set of 3 particular cards. The one who discovers a set gets to keep it. At the end of the game, the person with the most sets wins. Very challenging and fun, especially when Emily (at 8 years) could spot a set before her 26-year-old brother!
Learn to play chess with this great set for beginners! Each playing piece shows its name, exactly how it can move and in which directions. No reading required. Comes complete with playing board. A great start in a classic game!
What I love about Blokus is that it takes about one minute to learn how to play, but the challenge is always exciting. Simply place your geometric shaped pieces down touching only the corner of like-colored pieces. It sure takes some spatial thinking and brain activity to make this happen. All ages can play equally, 5 years through adult, and it only takes 30 minutes for a game. As Europe's 2003 Game of the Year, Blokus is even played in professional tournaments. We love this!
I have fond memories of this old fashioned game that gave me my first glimpse of classic literature and the authors who wrote the books. Each card deck features the works of 13 different writers for 52 cards total. (Note: spade, diamond, jack, heart symbols on cards.)
Hens and Chickens, Snap Trap . . . there are lots of names for this very old-fashioned game that little ones love. A spring holds the wooden disks in tension. Remove one . . . will it snap? Try another! The suspense builds, until finally the spring snaps and it is the next player's turn. The one who can collect the most disks is the winner. Adults and children can both enjoy this game, based on chance and skill. Our little boys from age 4 and up thought it was the greatest!
We played lots of games to choose just the right ones for our Christmas offerings this year! Sleuth is the game that my kids kept coming back to over and over. Solve the mystery of the missing gems by your powers of deduction and logic. Through strategic questioning, each player gathers his bits of information, then skillfully welds them together to form the clues which will provide the solution to the mystery. Clever question and skillful deductions make Sleuth an absorbing game for 3 or more players, ages 8 and up. A Family Fun Magazine choice, and a Parent's Choice award winner.
I didn't think it was possible to improve on the classic memory game, but here it is, and it is really fun! As Sherlock, you sleuth out the memory matches but as each match is made, it is replaced by a new card. Can you keep it straight in your mind!? It's not easy to find a game that is fun and challenging for both adults and kids, but this one is great, and definitely a memory stretcher! Played in just 15 minutes—I like that too! For two or more players, ages 5 and up.
Emily says, "This is always what I want to play when we play games!" Ammon says, "I think it is fun because you have to think about the numbers and move fast!" Developed by the Amish, Dutch Blitz is the one my kids always want to play. In this card game, everyone plays at the same time, trying to play off each other's cards to create a number run from 1 to 10. You have to move fast and think fast—blitzingly fast—so there is plenty of energy and excitement. For 2 to 4 players, ages 5 through adult.
Flip and stack this clever loaf of cards to build yummy sandwiches and double-deckers, but watch out for the sandwich-snacking thief who will snatch your lunch. Kids love this game, especially when the sandwiches they build are unique and disgusting (peanut butter/onion)! And for mommy's sake, this game develops sequencing skills, plus promotes reading readiness and visual discrimination. Most of all, it is just good plain fun for kids and adults! Includes 56 cards for 2+ players, ages 6 to adult. Award winning.
This ever popular game teaches the names, locations, and functions of body parts, a fabulous way to learn human anatomy! Game includes 4 game boards, each with a body outline plus reusable vinyl stickers to be placed on the body. You also receive 2 different sets of cards, one with just names of body parts for younger children, and one deck listing body part functions as well (no reproductive parts). Four increasingly difficult levels of play. Ages 6-12, but fun for all ages.
A game of suspense, strategy, and anticipation. Get rid of the high cards (rats) and go for the low cards (cats). A poker face helps! This extra-fun game requires skill, strategy, and awareness, challenging both young children and adults. My daughter Emily said: "This is the game I love to play with my friends, because it is fast, we laugh a lot, and it is simple to teach other people how to play!" Ages 6 to adult, for two or more players. Includes 54 cards.
If you love mazes, you'll love this amazing labyrinth game! It has intrigued my children over the years. The object of the game is to collect treasures in the maze's chambers, but wait . . . the maze is every changing! Each turn allows a play to slide a new maze card into the maze, altering all the other paths! The entire maze shifts at each turn, aiding some players and blocking others. A strategic game for children and adults! Includes quality playing board and cards, wooden playing figures and rules. For 2 to 4 players, ages 8 to adult.
Here's a fun game that all ages can play together without learning any rules! Plus, the whole game can be played in 10 minutes, greatly appealing to a busy mom who'd like to do something fun with the kids before bedtime . . . without delaying bedtime. The game is simply played by turning over two large cards from the deck. Each card has identical objects—only the colors and order are mixed up. Look extra carefully until you spot the one and only match. I am amazed that all ages seem to be on the very same level, from a 8 yr. old to adult, so kids can win just as easily as older siblings. It takes focused concentration and is great for brain building. You'll find this game to be a quick, challenging delight for 2-8 players, ages 5 to adult.
Nothing like doing it yourself to really learn! This game depicts colonial life with amazing accuracy. Become a colonial character and move your piece around the board, from shop to shop, collecting the goods on your shopping list as you visit the cooper, the silversmith, and other tradesmen in colonial America. Top quality!
Join the herd for 3 wild adventures! An extra special treat for horse lovers, but all children will enjoy learning about horses, how and why they live in herds, their breeds, markings and more. Multi-level play keeps children happily challenged and grows with them. Colorful game board, 55 horse cards, 4 horse playing pieces, 42 adventure cards, booklet with instructions, info about horses and a reading list. Ages 8 and up, 2 to 4 players.
Sounds like "Uno", and that is because this fun Bible-themed card game is played just the same way! Each card features a Bible character such as Moses, Ruth or Daniel. Instead of wild cards, there are "Do U Know" cards. Answer the easy Bible question on these cards correctly and you can change the direction of play. A refreshing new game for Uno-lovers! For ages 4 to 10 yrs.
We all want our children to be geographically aware, and this superb puzzle provides a fun, challenging, entertaining way to teach continents, oceans, countries, capital cities, and borders of the nations of the world! Each country is cut right on its own border lines, creating a unique puzzle piece. Tests proves geography skills soar after putting together this puzzle. Large 3 ft. x 2 ft. puzzle contains over 600 pieces! Great for the whole family-the ultimate geography lesson!
I've never found anything more effective or fun for really teaching U.S. geography in a meaningful way! Our children choose and play this game on their own above all other games. The beauty of Snapshots is that all ages can play together, and your knowledge of geography grows by leaps and bounds each time you play. The object of the game is to take seven USA vacations. You can drive, fly, take a train, or a cruise ship—depending on what cards you are dealt. Watch out though, as bad weather or airport closings may block your plans. Players travel from state to state, learning as they go. When they reach their vacation destination, all players learn more about national landmarks and tourist spots from a "snapshot" picture postcard that includes interesting facts. Game includes USA map, gameboard, plenty of picture "postcards," weather and travel cards, 6 plastic cars, and illustrated instructions. For ages 6 and up
If you are looking for practice in mapping skills and USA geography such as states, capitals, rivers, mountains, seaports, and more, then this is the game for you! Roll the dice and answer the geography question on the card by searching the USA map. Right answers race your horse and rider forward on a race track. "Tickler" questions add extra challenge. I love the fact that the instructions are so simple. This game is so easy to play, and yet full of learning value that keeps interest high! Ages 8 to adult, 2 to 4 players. Recommended by National Geographic . . . and me!
Winner of the Parents' Choice Classic Award, this highly educational game really only takes 3 minutes to play. That is my kind of game! Build a trail across America from state to state to win the race. You can't help but learn geography, states and capitals, and more. Game includes four 11" x 15" U.S. maps, 50 state cards, a sand timer, and rules. For two players, 8 years through adult. Also includes State Secrets, a clever strategy game for 2-4 players. Learn about cities, states, and natural features of the USA. A fun one!
Race the world learning geography as you play! Open one of the two big world map game boards, collect your country cards, and start the sand timer. Then you're off, joining other racers in a mad dash from country to country, across oceans and continents. A popular game for ages 8 and up.
Here's a fun way to learn the names, shapes and locations of each state in the United States, along with their noteworthy crop or landmark. Choose a card, then hurry and search for the state before the timer rings. Includes top-quality gameboard, mechanical timer, 150 colorful picture quiz cards (so even non-readers can play), die, and playing tokens. My own advanced version of the game is to use the "Find the Shape" cards to name the capital city of the state pictured. For 2-4 players, ages 4-7 years. A wonderful learning resource that my kids enjoy!
Facts and photos make these big geography cards interesting and fun of play with. Instructions included for two great games that will make you geography-smart! World Landmark cards feature "Not in My Atlas!" and "Country, Continent, or Capital?" Ages 8 and up.
Here's the ultimate travel package for those "are-we-there-yet" kids! Inside, find a reversible game board for checkers, chess, and backgammon, and more as well as dice, playing pieces,and instructions. Chinese checkers, bingo, mancala, tic-tac-toe, and other games—all in one portable package! 9-12 years.
How do you drill a 5-year-old? Fun is the only thing that seems to work happily in my homeschool. This clever game will have your children eagerly doing their math addition and subtraction facts. The game board looks like a swamp with alligators swimming nearby. Players move around the board by doing simple math problems to find out the number of spaces to move ahead. Named as one of the best educational games of the year because it is easy to play and it holds a child's attention well. The game includes a dash of luck, so children can actually beat Mom and Dad. For ages 5 and up, two to four players.
I am sure that I am not the only one who has experienced having a teenage clerk stumble through trying to count back change. This is a needed skill, and one that children don't just absorb from daily dealings. This game was my daughter's favorite, but as I played it with her, I realized there is far more here than I bargained for. Presto Change-O will teach your children how to make change, how to count change back, how to be comfortable using the right coins and bills while making purchases, and how to figure out if they are given the right change back. Rather than just being a "luck" game, children get ahead by being able to handle their money well and make change accurately. Includes full-color playing board, play cash and coins, dice, and playing pieces. If you have an ample supply, using real money would make it even more educational. This is a fun, ingenious, educational game that I highly recommend! Ages 6 and up.
Roll the dice and name your price! Shop for everything from skateboards to ice cream cones. Take turns purchasing, adding up prices, and making change. The first player to fill his shopping cart wins. Kids roll three dice and determine how much they will spend or earn by the way they read the dice. If I throw a 2, 5, and 9, and if I am buying, I'll want to call that $2.59, the lowest possible price. But, if I am selling, I want to call it $9.52. This calls for some strategy skills. Unlike a lot of shopping games directed to girls in malls, this is a gender-free game where the accent is on the math. Includes game board, coins, bills, calculator, and lots of shopping fun. 1 "AA" battery required for calculator. 3 skill levels, 2 to 4 players, ages 5 to 9+.
Games that teach—I love 'em! Here's a great way to play with math, and get smarter in the process! The object of the game is to discover the mystery number through a series of mathematical clues. For example, if the mystery number is "17", the card you draw might ask if the number has "1" as a digit, or if it is greater than "20", or an even/odd question. Clues are simple but they really get the brain in gear. As you search and eliminate your options, one player will chase down the mystery number first. Ages 6 and up, for 3 or more players (2 kids and a mom to oversee works great).
Muggins really helps you to think fast, do mathematical figuring in your head, and consider many possibilities—all great skills! A tactile delight with its 1" thick hardwood board with holes and grooves and its brightly colored glass marbles, this is a well-made, sturdy game—a good investment that will last long after all the cardboard games in their deflatable boxes have bit the dust. The object of the game is to get your marbles into a row before the other players do the same. Roll 3 dice and add, subtract, multiply, or divide the dice numbers. Then pop your marble into the hole that corresponds with your answer. Many answers are possible for each roll of the dice. Young children will like using the standard dice. A 12-sided die makes it even more challenging for older players. Because chance enters in with the roll of the dice, even the youngest player, not just the smartest, can be the winner. Recommended for ages 9-adult.
Bonus!Knock-Out Game on reverse side of the wooden board!
Add a little zip to learning those math facts with these fun games. Addition Games features 4 different cardboard gameboards, each with a unique theme. The easiest game is with a car race for learning the sums of 5, 6, 7 and 8. Draw a card, identify the answer to discover what space to move to. Games increase in difficulty to sums of 20. Multiplication Games practices all the multiplications facts with 4 games of increasing difficulty. A fun way to drill those math facts! For two to four players. Ages 5 and up.
Kids beg to play Over and Out, a very easy and fun card game in which you add or subtract card numbers, trying to stay under the "tip top" card number, such as 33 or 55. Strategy cards add a twist to make this one very fun educational game! Ages 7 through adult, for 2 to 8 players.
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Love to Learn! Homeschool Handbook
Your Guide to Setting Up a Homeschool, Selecting Resources, and Joyfully Educating Your Children
Need homeschool help?
Diane Hopkins has been reviewing and testing homeschool products for over 20 years and you can benefit from her experience. In this comprehensive guidebook, each grade of school is detailed with the best-on-the-market in curriculum for your homeschool and notes added on how to use these resources! Set up your school schedule, learn how to get your kids to take charge of getting their schoolwork done, and how to make your homeschool fun and meaningful. Reproducible forms are included.
Large, spiral-bound book introduces you to the 7 Hopkins children, and shows you how she taught and raised them homeschooling: the mistakes she made along with the successes. Full of family photos, personal stories, and wisdom—this volume will give you the help you need to get enthused, get organized and get going! More details and sample pages, click here!
This handy "candle" will outlast a 3 day emergency. Burns liquid paraffin for over 100 hours of light. It is also odorless and smokeless, making it a great emergency light source. Keep one handy with a book of matches taped to it for your next power outage. The liquid fuel is sealed inside, with only the wick exposed. You can extinguish, and use again and again. A very safe source of light! Set of 3 100 hour candles. Our Price $14.97 Going Fast!
I am Diane Hopkins, mother of 7 children (ages 12 to 32) whom I have had the privilege of homeschooling over the past 18 years. I'm a mom, just like you, and have those fabulous days and those not-so-good days like we all do. My hope in writing is to share experiences, and hopefully we can encourage one another in this wonderful, intense adventure of childraising--that is really what homeschooling is, after all.
