Sports and Hobbies Books

These are good activities for kids when a "time filler" is needed. Each activity is fun, educational and sometimes physical. Kids love the competition.

ISBN 1878257528 - A 1993 recipient of the Parents' Choice Award. The first reader review of this book, suggesting it's perfect for long car rides should probably be disregarded. The Events are almost all too physical to do in a car!

Funny - and surprisingly challenging - events to compete in, 73 in all, make for great it's-too-cold-outside or rainy day entertainment. Parents may well find themselves losing to the kids, without losing on purpose, because these are not events most people will have spent any time practicing. From Floss Writing to the One Foot Marathon, everyone will find their niche and have fun doing it!

If you happen to get a copy that doesn't have a stopwatch, there is a free catalog available from Klutz listed on the last page of the book. You can order a watch, other books from Klutz and lots of other fun stuff.

I have always loved any book from KLUTZ, always entertaining and tons of fun for both kids and adults! "Stop! the Watch: A Book of Everyday, Ordinary, Anybody Olympics" has lots of fun activities to do with a friend. The pictures are hilarious to look at and the instructions are easy to follow. The stop watch (batteries included) that comes with the book is easy to handle and easy to use.

Do you think you can set a world's record? Well, let's see! The book includes 73 events you can do, separated into four categories:
*Solo Events
*Meet the Clock Solo Events
*Two-Person Team Events
*All-Day Events

Entertainingly fun, here are a few examples of the kind of crazy activities you might try your hand at beating the world record of:
*Sing "Happy Birthday" to Rumpelstiltskin five times. Has to be loud, completely understandable and bear some resemblance to music.*
World Record 5.81 seconds

*Count by 6s until 12 seconds have elapsed. Exactly.*

*Sing the first verse of "Jingle Bells", alternating each word between partners.*
World Record 5.38 seconds

This book is really great. It comes with a sturdy stopwatch that you use to time yourself.

The various suggestions for "everyday Olympics" are ordinary to unusual. This is to be done with a friend.

The first one is - get this - timing how fast you can start and stop the stopwatch! Write the word with "banana" with dental floss as quickly as you can (and legibly), putting your jackets on backwards and zipping them up. flip a coin until you get 8 heads or tails in a row, etc.

Some of these are really fun and a lot of them are active.

My kids really like this book.

This book is a must on long car rides with children. It's clever and inspires children to be creative.

THIS BOOK IS THE BEST BOOK I'VE SEEN YET! THAT EXPLAINS HOW TO DO. MASKINGS AND BAYERINGS, AS WELL STEP BY STEP INFORMATION ON RUBBER STAMPING ON ANY SURFACE.
I WAS JUST AT THE LIBARY TO AND I FOUND THIS BOOK AND SAT AND READ IT COVER TO COVER. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN.
I WOULD RATE BOOK AS EXCELLENT!!!!

Gail Green gives rubber stamping a new meaning with lots of fun projects available in the book. She makes everyone want to try their hand on some project that's fun and exciting even if they are not an artist. I throughly enjoyed trying the easy projects. I even enjoyed the project stamping bricks. This is a must have book for the true collector.

Not only is this book a must for beginners, but also for anyone else with any interest in rubber stamping. It has so many ideas and projects that it seems like anyone could find something they are interested in trying but haven't. For the beginner, it has very complete but very easy to understand directions for becoming a complete rubber stamper. I don't think a "How To" book could accomplish any more than this one does.

Until I bought this book I didn't think that I could create anything really interesting and professional-looking. Was I wrong! The Ultimate Rubber Stamping Technique Book provides excellent direction and, more importantly, really inspires you to try some new things. Even my husband has now taken a turn at stamping and found it to be far less complicated than he thought it would be.

Bottom line: follow the directions in this book and you can be an artist, even if you can't draw!

I suppose this is a good book if you have NEVER rubber stamped or seen anything other that stamp on ink on paper. But I am rather inexperienced, and I thought this was not good at all for what I was looking for. If you are new to rubber stamping, fine. But if you have anything more than even the most basic experience, I'd pass on this and get something more advanced.

101 Relation Games For Children by Allison Bartl

I love this book. I am a home daycare mom and this book has lots of fun ideas to use with the kids. African Back Drums (pg 36) is a favorite for the kids to do with a friend but it feels great and relives the day's tension when the kids use my back as the drum! There are 100 different ideas to do with the kids and they are lots of fun. I like how easy it is to use the book. It is a Smart Fun book and the third one I have read. These books are so easy to look up a game or activity and at a glance you can look at the icons at the top of the page to see if it is a group activity, pairs, outside, needs props or a large area. When I have 6 active kids under the age of 6 looking to me for the next activity I need all the quick help I can get an idea, know we have all that is needed, and get it going as quick as possible. But to also have it 101 relaxation games? It is wonderful....like it says on the front of the book, "Finding a little peace and quite in between." This book will be dog eared and used a lot in my daycare.

101 Relaxation Games for Children, by Allison Bartl is an easy to read book geared towards those who teach or otherwise interact with young children.

The book delivered more than I was expecting from a book of this type. The first great surprise was the excellent set up of the list of games table. This table lists all of the games by name and shows what size group each particular game is best suited for. Another great tool are the icons used throughout the book, these break down the games into even more detail so you can tell which would be best suited for your needs. For example, the Sunshine Icon indicates that the game involves going outdoors, so if you are in the middle of a New England winter and the outside temp is 2 degrees, you would know to skip the game with this icon.

The second pleasure of this book is the wonderful and imaginative games within. I found all of them to be easy to understand and fun for everyone involved. My personal favorites include Eagle Eyes (page 40) where the group must stand still and use their eyes to find an object hidden in plain view (the purpose being to calm rowdy children) and Mental Journeys (page 87) where the leader of the group describes a place everyone is familiar with and the others in the group quess where they are talking about, a great way to enhance a child's descriptive powers and listening skills.

There are even a few games here the I feel could be beneficial to myself, such as Angry Spaghetti (page 15), where you use imagery to pull negative thoughts out of your head. I know I could use some help getting rid of bad thoughts at the end of the day!

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to any care giver, teacher, and parent. I plan to show this to my son's second grade teacher, I know she will find many uses for this book when dealing with energetic 7 year olds!

Our children spend so much time entertaining themselves these days, that it can be difficult to get them to interact in a positive way with others. Even many classrooms have a difficult time creating opportunities for positive interaction. Electronic games and computers have taken their toll.

This book has 101 fun ways to play and have fun, while relaxing and shedding the tensions that even our little ones find building during the day. There are sit down games, and active games. One suggestion is even for a tea party with Chamomile tea!

Scouting expeditions, massage circles, campfire games (around a candle) and mental gymnastics are all included. I work in a school for special needs children and there are many games that our students will be able to play and enjoy. Of course this is not a book meant to be handed off to a child with instructions to "go and play." This is a book to give adults new ideas of how to interact with children and find new ways to enjoy some down time.

One of my favorite parts of this book are the little bits of wisdom tucked here and there among the games, Such as "Imagination is more important tan knowledge" Albert Einstein .

This is one of those books that moms, caregivers and teachers will find to be an invaluable resource for those times when everyone needs a break.

This small book is an excellent resource for teachers and daycare workers (preK through about 2nd grade). While some of the activities are meant to be done alone, few are really good to use at home if you just have one child.

The activities in this book are excellent for transition times in a classroom of just about an size. All the games are original-some are based on games I'd seen before, but these games add something new. However, despite the title, many of these games will NOT help children relax. They are energy-building games. Despite that, the games are fun and even using a dozen of them through the school year can be fun for students and helpful for teachers. Excellent resource for teachers and to add to a school library collection. I do question the publisher's decision to classify this as Juvenile Nonfiction, though-it's not written for the kids.

I got this for my 10 year old son. He loves it. He loves it so much I went back and bought another so that he and a friend could build together. Nice, sturdy card pieces with realistic artwork. Have to admit, I'm enjoying it also and I'm in my 50's.

I purchased these Building Cards for my 7 year old nephew as a Christmas present. I have always been happy with all Klutz products, my young adult children had many products when they were young. I was even more impressed with the Building Cards than I thought I would be. They were sturdy, directions were easy to follow, as well easy to be creative and make his own designs and easy to take along (especially important for my nephew since he was here out of state visiting with his family and going from relative to relative and easy for my sister-in-law to pack to take home). I highly recommend this product for any creative child. I know I will continue to give Klutz products as gifts.

I got this for my 5 yr old son for x-mas. He did need help with it, but really enjoyed planning out different castles for his dad and uncles to build. And of course the men really started enjoying it as well as the teenagers.

My almost 7-year-old son saw this at the school book fair. I asked if he would really use it. Sure enough, he built something that night. When I went to look at it, I ended up building a full castle. This set comes with 150 pieces and you can buy more (of course) so you can build the giant castles shown in the booklet. One problem -- Klutz doesn't include a container to keep the puzzles in. The pieces come in plastic that you have to cut open and can't be reused.

Klutz doesn't even sell containers for its many items that come with lots of pieces. It would be nice if the booklets came with the pieces in a reusable box.

It's a fun challenge to come up with your own ideas as there is a lot you can do with the puzzle. The pieces are sturdy and feel like unbendable cardboard. Well, if you try your darndest, I'm sure you can bend it especially where the little slits are for connecting the puzzle. But when you're building, it doesn't give in like some puzzles do.

I just wanted to say that I recently purchased this book and am pleased with it. The book has a nice structure to it and helps walk me through everything from getting the tools of the trade, to building my confidence. For someone with my complete lack of experience, this book was exactly what I needed. Some of the other books I've found have been somewhat slim on explanation, or a poor choice for a tutorial. While it doesn't have the full suite of letter forms inside it that others may have, it seems to have the major ones I'd like to start with, and is a great way to get started. I suspect that someone with experience already would find this book somewhat too basic.

I would have given this book five out of five, were it not for the fact that I really have nothing else to compare it to. As well as the fact that the pages are not really suited to practise on as they are of a newsprint type quality. For those who wish to begin with calligraphy, I suggest using this book to get started with without reservation.

Cheers,

t.

This book was fantastic. It supplied all the information needed to begin calligraphy, including how to set up your lap board for an easier beginning writing experience. I really don't feel I would ever have been able to complete the projects without the help and guidance of this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone in the beginning stages of calligraphy.

This book is great for the beginner who doesn't mind being seen with a book for Dummies. The explanations are clear and there is even help for the left handed calligrapher. The illustrations help a lot. Although there are some different fonts to work with the selection has been kept to the simpler types. It is a good way to get started with the art of beautiful writing.

It has little depth to it but for the beginner is quite good. Better than many beginner calligraphy books.

We are fist time boat owners and this book is a godsend. When you are out on the water, and have a question, you can just look it up in this easy to use book!

I really liked the book. It explains stuff so people who misunderstand the fundamentals of sailing and boating can learn easy!

The book covers many subjects but none in any great detail. A good book for beginners like me but it also left me with more questions.

I knew nothing!!! This book was perfect, I learned everything about boats, boating, the rules of the sea, little tidbits that will save you or your boat. Perfect for a beginner

The thumbprint drawings are some of my favorite kids' activities. These little books give you great ideas.

I once brought this book with me when I was babysitting the neighber's kids and OMG did they have a ball with it! They loved being able to create art with their finger tips! The only downside is that the ink stays on your fingers for a few days. It was a little embarressing when I went to the school dance and all my fingers were green! Oh well though I still had a blast!

This book and the others like it keep my 37 month old son occupied (no, thrilled!) for quite a long time. He really loves them.

The inks wash off really easily - so don't worry about messy fingers.

First off, this book is mistakenly categorized under age range of "baby-preschool" - the book clearly reads "age 4 and up" on the back. This is a nifty kit for drawing funny cartoon people using thumb prints. There is a little stamp pad and pen and a spiral flip book. The page flips up so that on top is a demonstration page showing how to make a thumb print into a muscle man, or someone half-under water, or Frankenstein- then there is a blank page underneath so the child (or child-at-heart) can try it. The book is small and would be good for kids who are traveling. I bought it for a boy who is reluctant to draw and I thought this might peak his interest.

This book was great. It was not what I expected at all. I purchased it just out of curiosity about foam. However, the projects depicted in the book are very nice and opened my imagination for other types of works. Techniques are very simple and easy to follow. Lots of nice pictures and templates are also included.

I recommend this book.

This books does offer a good variety of projects and many can be great for beginners or children as well. The author covers lots of information for the beginner to learn about products and methods which are very helpful in order to make a finish product worth hanging. The photos are great and the text informative. Worth adding to your library. I think kids will really enjoy making these projects.

I originally saw this book on the Carol Duval Show. From the beginning this book looked really interesting and I was right. Sculpting the forms was fun and easy. I'm am really enjoying it.

Thanks for offering it,

BLT

That book has so many pictures that help me so much than read just words. I need a visual example. Great book! You know I don't have a kiln to bake clay or can't afford to buy one. This foam sculpture will do and save a lot of money! I have already made two sculptures and everyone was awed at them. They thought they are 100% solid clay. No regret to buy that book but I hope to see more books like this.

This is a great confidence builder, especially when you don't peek at the answers. Solving gives a real boost to your self esteem. A good way to build your vocabulary and word usage. I am 76 years old and love cryptic puzzles, particularly the black and white square type.

I used this book as a textbook in an adult ed course on cryptic crosswords and was really disappointed. The setter's clues are below par and all too often forced. He uses truly unusual words as answers that one must look up in dictionaries; this is acceptable in British cryptics, but not the norm in American cryptics. Definitely not a book for beginners and not all that satisfying for seasoned solvers.

Excellent book. I take it with me and do a few clues at a time. The answers at the back really help. It is my first go at crosswords and this book is the perfect solution.

You will surely enjoy Everything Cryptic. The puzzles start out just easy enough to get you warmed up, and then you find a variety of increasingly challenging cryptics. If you believe that mental exercises keep your mind young and fit, this is a good choice for you.The Everything Cryptic Crosswords Book: 100 Complex and Challenging Puzzles for Word Lovers (Everything: Sports and Hobbies)ou!

This book told me what I needed to learn. Some good quotes in the book as well.

I actually really enjoyed reading this book, it's well written (though it has a few easy-to-spot factual mistakes), and I will no doubt go through and re-read a number of sections over a few times. If anything, this book will help enculturate you as a hold 'em player; the jargon, proper etiquette, common strategies, etc. Even if you're playing no-limit, for the price this is an excellent first book. Once you're firmly hooked on hold 'em, I'd suggest Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play; it's a lot longer, and more expensive, but will definitely do more to improve your game.

I gave this three stars because, for me at least, it fell well below 'Everything'.

I have two shelves full of of holdem poker books including Super System 2, Hellmuth's book, Sklansky's books, TJ Cloutier's and others. Yet, Wenzel's book, believe it or not, may be the best of the bunch.

His writing is so good, that it makes Sklansky seem like a hack. And while many beginners will pick up this book, I think intermediate players (such as myself) will get the most out of it. This is because Wenzel comments on and refutes many things that have been written in some of the other books. What's more, the book is easy to read, yet packed full of useful info.

I also like that he doesn't just go forward step by step, but interjects all kinds of useful info. throughout. Thus chapter one is just as valuable as the final chapter. And again, the range of material that he covers is mind boggling.

If you want a book that "tells it like it is," rather than just giving you a bunch of theory, "The Everything Texas Hold'em Book" is your baby. And because it's an "Everything" book, it will probably be overlooked by most poker players as being too basic, but this is a good thing, as it will give those of us who do read it a significant advantage over them.

I really liked this book and was pleasantly surprised by it. It is not one of those extremely basic beginner type books that does little more than explain the rules of the game and tells you to play tightly. It's quite a bit more advanced than that and I found myself agreeing with most things the author had to say. My only problem with the book and the reason I didn't give it five stars is his treatment of internet poker. He more or less claims it is rigged and is strongly against it. He also makes silly claims like it is impossible to play more than one table at a time well etc. Obviously he is more of a live game type of guy and that is fair enough but he is wrong about internet poker. The hundreds of internet millionaires are proof of that. I myself have made a substantial amount of money playing internet poker.

That gripe aside, this is a very good book and well worth a read.