Fun and Games Books

I am an ESL teacher who bought this series to help me teach science to English Language Learners. The series is written for native speakers, not ELLs, but the student pages are uncluttered, and the language is not complex. Each text includes a variety of experiments and activities to teach key science concepts.

I bought this book for my nephew on his 5th birthday. He is very interested in trucks, cars and vehicles of all kinds, and has a keen interest in exactly how things work. He was really excited about this book and especially enjoyed manipulating the puzzle pieces. This is great educational toy.

Written avid player of bridge, chess, and mah jong expert Tong Seng Tjoa, Mah Jong Fun: A Handbook Of Classic Fundamentals Of Mah Jong is a basic and thoroughly "player friendly" guide to the popular game Mah Jong, teaching the reader the basics of how to play, what the rules are, how to compute the value of a mah jong hand, and more. Black-and-white diagrams of tiles used in the game visually enhance this straightforward and practical introduction for game players of all backgrounds. Mah Jong Fun is confidently recommended as an excellent resource for beginners.

This book has what a lot of children's craft books don't have--and that is, it's experience-based. Real kids are making these projects--not adults. The results that are shown are what happens when kids make things--not adults or experienced artists. The photographs show the kids actually doing the steps, so you can see their looks of concentration or delight. This book is also unique because it teaches more than how to make something. Most of the projects are based in specific ethnic groups' crafts so the author has presented information about the origins or the cultural significance of the project--presented in a "gee whiz" sort of way that kids can relate to. Often there's a song included, rounding out the experience. Another thing I like is that the projects are worth doing and worth having when you're done. Real moccasins you can actually wear, for example. Or things you can eat --there are some great recipes. And almost all of them have the all important giggle-factor that makes them so much fun for kids. As a grownup, I intend to use this book for myself--I want to try the cowboy braided belt and the moccasins and the sugar diorama eggs. It also makes a great donation to a school's art program or after-school program because the steps are so easy to follow, and the materials are so readily available (she urges recycling). Seems to fit a lot of age groups (including the baby boomer...)

This book has great ideas for the family! I also have the Creating Family Traditions book and it's just as informative.

This book has so many useable activities in it! I leave it on my desk for a substitute to use in case of emergencies! Some activities require a copied worksheet (master included in the book) for each student and some require only the word wall itself or flash cards of the high frequency words on your wall. We have had so much fun doing activities like Musical Chairs, Letters in Words, Word Wall Memory, etc. I can't wait to do more!

I am a 6th grade teacher, as well as, an adjunct teacher at the university level in the area of mathematics. I was looking for a book to use in my classroom, as well as recommend to my future teachers. Math Detectives is a perfect fit for any classroom. The projects and activities in this book can be adapted for any grade level K-6 and teach children number sense that is effective in all areas of mathematics. My 6th graders especially liked "Double the Folds", "Quick Reactions" and "The Biggest Fist". Each of these activities lend themselves to graphing and interactive extension activities. Great resource!

I run a math club at my children's school. I am always in search of activities to use. This book has great activities, especially for first through fourth grades. It would be a wonderful book to use at home, especially if your child doesn't like math. This would be a great way to show them that math is fun!

This book is great! It has so much fun stuff to do! Also it is cool to look at Miss O and friends' roms. Very cool!

This book is excellent for helping teachers to create a balanced literacy program in their upper-elementary school classrooms. I have used the techniques in this book for grades 4, 5, and 6, and they have worked wonderfully. The methods just make sense, and they can be incorporated into an existing language arts program.