Fun and Games Books

Lots of action & glamour with a down-to-earth character, with so much humour I was laughing out loud! I haven't had this much fun from a book for a while!

I think my husband is jealous-- Christopher Brookmyre makes me laugh aloud. Often. Which my (surprise, we live in L.A.) screenwriter husband has noted. At times with an edge in his voice. But it's all fun and games. I am a fan of Brookmyre's other books, all worth reading. The sweetness underlying all the action is charming, as is the intelligence of the characters. Fully enjoyable, if a bit addictive.

I was planning our vacation to Los Angeles when my husband suggested we attend a taping of a TV show. I didn't know where to start looking for information so I went to the main library and asked if they had any books on attending TV shows in LA. I was surprised when they showed me "Appearing on TV Shows for Fun, Fame & Fortune" by Lee Ellis. It is a terrific resource. It lists over two hundred shows to be in the audience or as a contestant. We choose to the game show "The Price is Right." The book gives the ticket info and the way contestants are choosen. We got our tickets by e-mail and we were off to LA. When we got to the studio everything went smoothly and we were interviewed to be contestants. But,our luck was not to be, we did not hear our names announced to "come on down" as contestants. Even though we didn't get to be contestants it was a great experience. If any of you want to be on a game show or any TV taping, I sugguest you get this book. It helped me alot.

Lee Ellis' Appearing On Tv Shows For Fun, Fame & Fortune: A Guide For Audiences, Contestants & Guests is a very practical guide to entering game shows such as Family Feud and The Price is Right; talk shows such as The Jerry Springer Show or Politically Incorrect; PBS shows such as The Antiques Roadshow; Court TV such as Judge Judy or Reality TV Shows such as Big Brother and Survivor; or being in the audience of popular sitcoms such as Titus and King of Queens. Each of the many individual shows presented has about a two-page writeup, with ticket information, studio information, and clear instructions for becoming part of the show. Highly recommended for anyone with a serious interest in joining a television show audience, especially if the purpose is becoming a contestant!

Amusing stunt from 'Backwords - The Secret Language of Talking Backwards'

Try this challenge on your friends. You'll be able to beat even the most verbal, literate, verbose people you know - if they don't know the secret.
THE HUNDRED WORD CHALLENGE
"Here's a word stunt that both children and adults enjoy;
Challenge your friend to, 'say as many words as you can - that do not contain the letter 'A' - in 60 seconds.'
Time them with your watch. They will be able to recite 20, 30, at the most 40 words.
Then it's your turn. Ask them to time you, and say: "One, two. three. four, five, six....." - keep counting as fast as you can. You will surely beat them, with about 100 words.
By the way; the first number you will come to with an 'A' in it is 'ONE THOUSAND'."
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David Fuhrer is an expert on 'talking backwards'. That is; he can instantly repeat a sentence pronouncing each word as if it was spelled in reverse.
This year I co-wrote a book with him that was published last month under the title 'Backwords'. It starts with a tutorial on learning this special skill, but then extends to trivia, games, riddles, and other wordplay. I even include a short essay on winning strategy for the game 'Hangman'.
The book includes a bonus DVD with David performing his backwards-talking skill.
We enjoyed exploring the world of wordplay while we wrote the manuscript. We're proud of the result - it's lots of fun.
It's available on a certain book sale website named after a large Mythological female warrior.
- Marvin Silbermintz

Excellent book and extremely entertaining. Marvin Silbermintz is a long time writer for Jay Leno and the Tonight Show and he knows funny! Highly recommend.

I wish they had a similar book for Science. Because I liked the Basic Math book so much, I bought their Take It To Your Seat Science Centers Grade 1-2 book. It was a disappointment. But, the Math book is a great tool. My daughter learnt a lot; the book was easy to follow. I plan to use their Basic Math Grade 2 book too. It helps me teach my daughter through such books because it provides the structure and methodical approach.. Highly recommend it.

I love Evan Moor products. As a Kindergarten teacher, I am always looking for resources that provide enrichment skills to those students in my classroom who are working about grade level. This product provide both on-level and enrichment learning experiences for my students. Also, my students enjoy them! The assessments provided are also very good.

I love this book (what else can I say?)! Each lesson has different reinforcement tools to help your child remember spelling rules. The lists are age-appropriate; and while challenging, this book has proven to be the only one I've used that has given my child a sense of success in spelling (not his strong suit to begin with).

My only regret is that I didn't find this book until 3rd grade!

My school did away with the traditional spelling books last year and we have been creating every activity and homework piece this year. It has been a lot of work with few things being fun and often tedious. I piloted this book for three weeks with my students and they welcomed the change. They liked the varied activities and the challenges it provided. As the teacher, I like the natural progression of the lists. It fits in with my language arts curriculum with ease. It begins with simple vowel sounds and moves to the more complex then adding higher level spelling patterns third graders need to know. I can't wait to begin my school year next year so I can use it again.

My 4 year old son originally checked out this book from the local library. Every day he would request that we learn a new game. The book is filled with games for different ages and numbers of players so we are able to play games alone or as a family ( I also have a 7 year old son). We love to play games as a family and this has some great games for introducing your kids to cards and then it expands to more strategic games. I will note, however, that most of the instructions are listed in a page or two so it does not take long to learn a new game. This is a must for camping and also makes a great birthday gift.

Solo, family, and party games quickly and easily learned. Explanations and illustrations are clear and simple. Anticipates problems for new learners, recommends playing strategies. I cracked this open with my son (age 7) and we ended up playing "Eights" for two hours. Can't get any better than that! Looking forward to playing many of the other 50 in the book.

This four-book series is a goldmine for educators looking for practical ways to engage their students in substantive character education. The book's materials, developed and tested at one of our country's truly outstanding schools, merge solid academic content with character education. Together the books reflect a complete plan for engaging a school-community in the misson of character development. Central to the authors' [John Heidel and Marion Lyman-Mersereau] work and to the organization of the books is a school-wide, monlthly focus on a particular virtue, such as respect or courage. In this, the authors are addressing one of the core problems with our schools' efforts to respond to the current call for character education. Instead of psychobabble and talk of "inappropriate behavior" and "adjustment," their approach is a return to an older, richer language system of words, like "responsibility" and "cooperation," the language of character and human excellence.

Character formation has been described as what we do to help our young know the good, love the good adn do the good. These books address all dimensions of that description. The great power and benefit of Character Education is its appeal to the student's head, heart and hands.

This four-book series is a goldmine for educators looking for practical ways to engage their students in substantive character education. The book's materials, developed and tested at one of our country's truly outstanding schools, merge solid academic content with character education. Together the books reflect a complete plan for engaging a school-community in the misson of character development. Central to the authors' [John Heidel and Marion Lyman-Mersereau] work and to the organization of the books is a school-wide, monlthly focus on a particular virtue, such as respect or courage. In this, the authors are addressing one of the core problems with our schools' efforts to respond to the current call for character education. Instead of psychobabble and talk of "inappropriate behavior" and "adjustment," their approach is a return to an older, richer language system of words, like "responsibility" and "cooperation," the language of character and human excellence.

Character formation has been described as what we do to help our young know the good, love the good adn do the good. These books address all dimensions of that description. The great power and benefit of Character Education is its appeal to the student's head, heart and hands.

As a homeschooling mom, I recommend this book for all home educators. Even though it is a secular program, it uses religious icons and has quotes from different religions and uses religious figures.
Over a two-year cycle, students are introduced to a deeper meaning of common words, such as loyalty, commitment and wisdom. Students are not simply told the meaning of these virtue words.They are immersed in them. Each day there is a new activity which will give them greater experience and a deeper understanding of the concept behind the word. Activities range from journal writing to a structured conversation with parents, from creating a poster about virtue to listing ways students can practice the virtue in their everyday lives. Excellent program for a unit study. Looking forward to teaching year 2.

This series of books is something much needed in schools today. (Even home schools!) It is a secular character based program. The big difference between this and the other character based programs that I've seen, is that despite its secular nature, it still uses religious icons from diverse cultures as examples. There are quotes from many religious figures throughout. There are lists of books and stories, to use to further illustrate the points in the different chapters. It seems to be a well thought out program. I would consider it a unit study format. This makes it appropriate for diverse groups. I would recommend this book for schools or home educators. This would be good in a religious or secular environment. With the similar quotes from different religions it may even help breed acceptance of other religions. ....

My daughter LOVES these puzzles. I've been putting them in her lunch (not every day) since first grade and she thinks they are great. I plan to use the few remaining puzzles this year, now that she is in third grade, and I'm buying another book to use for her 5yo sister. These puzzles are easy to use--just tear out and write a little note on them. Each page has a puzzle on the front (e.g., a rebus, or a cartoon that depicts a word or phrase in a funny way), and a puzzle hint + trivia fact on the back. After school, I ask my daughter if she figured out that day's puzzle. If she didn't, we can figure it out together. She had trouble with some of them when she was 6, but when she was 7 she figured out almost all of them.

I also bought Library Lunch stories & they were a bit too advanced, and Hugs in a Lunchbox which were good but often religious & not funny. Clever Lunchbox Puzzles were my daughter's favorite.

Why don't more companies make these tear-out books for lunchboxes? I'd buy more if I could find more.

These tear outs are perfect to add to lunch boxes. My daughter(7 yrs. old) loves the jokes and puzzles. She and her friends try to solve them together. I like that she is exercising her brain and having fun at the same time.

Ms. Saltveit's book challenges its readers to think of new and creative ways to engage children and stimulate their learning throught the use of computers. She shows us that there are interactive activities that stretch children's imagination and creativity much further than a mere game could ever do.

Ms. Saltveit's work is the most practical and fun approach to computer education that I have discovered. Although not intended as a teacher's aid, I actually like it just as much as "Hit Enter", which was designed for teachers. Both books have been a big hit at our school (Marymount, Paris). The books erase any feeling that computers are too intimidating or complex. I'm looking forward to her next work.