Great Summer Reading List for Colorado Elementary School Students

The summer is a great time for your students to relax, but all that downtime can result in a phenomenon called the summer slide. Studies show that students lose up to 20% of the academic gains they made in the previous year.

Encouraging reading is a great gift to give your students. They will sail through all those high school and college texts and with every book, they are learning new facts and improving their reading, writing, comprehension and communication skills while expanding their vocabulary. Help your student to get ahead this summer with these enthralling reads.

Poop by Nicola Davies, 2007. A wonderful fecal adventure through the many ways in which animals poop. This is a fun, engaging, scientific exploration of the animal kingdom through the same fart-joke humor your students no doubt already enjoy.

The invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (2007). Hugo is an exceptional boy who can fix just about anything. Orphaned at a young age, Hugo finds an ‘automaton’ built by his father who shared his inventive spirit. Hugo is sure that if he is able to repair the robot, it will write a message from his father. This is a wonderful book about the incredible bravery and indomitable spirit of youth. Don’t be surprised if they can’t put this book down!

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary (1992). Ramona has an entire series of books that deal with the inevitable conflicts of young life. In this novel, Susan’s bouncy curls prove irresistible to Ramona who can’t help but pull on them.

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez (2003). This is a gripping recount of how the son of migrant farmers leads a 300-mile march for worker’s rights. It’s a truly touching tale that explores the real bravery and incredible resolve of one of the greatest champions of non-violent protests. A great way to learn about a pivotal historic figure.

Molly Moon’s Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng (2004). Molly’s rather dull existence is transformed by the discovery in her local library of a book that teaches her how to hypnotise. She leverages her new-found talents to get the life she’s always wanted until her efforts are thwarted by a criminal mastermind. If your children love Roald Dahl or J.K. Rowling, then they will love this book.

Dogku by Andrew Clements (2007) is a great way to introduce your students to the haiku. This is a sweet story about a stray dog who finds a loving home. Each page is written in a haiku format and beautifully illustrated.

Atomic Ace (He’s Just My Dad) by Albert Whitman (2004). A truly funny tale of how superhero Atomic Ace deals with family life. Great comic book-style illustrations give the book a hybrid feel and make this a great choice for the visual student who may be a reluctant reader.

Don’t let learning take a vacation this summer! Get all your favorite stories at your library and encourage your students to participate in the library activities.

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Hey Colorado . . . Winner Winner Family Dinner

How important is family dinner to Colorado families?

If you wish to instill family cohesion, encourage siblings to get along or get your kids to talk to you more, one excellent way to do this is through family dinners. Of course it’s not always easy to coordinate busy schedules, work and after-school activities, but just two or three nights a week is all you need to change the dynamics of your family.

Why it’s a good idea

Studies support the theory that families who eat together enjoy a happier life and better relationships. Students who ate family meals had higher academic scores and fewer behavioral problems. 19% of teens whose families did not share meals reported feeling alienated from their families compared to the 7% of teens who did enjoy family meals.

Students who ate more meals at home suffered less from obesity and the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at the University of Columbia discovered that students who eat with their families are less likely to drink, smoke or use drugs.

Best practices for family meals

Meals at home with the family can be beneficial, but you must follow some best practices in order to achieve success. Start with a ban on electronics at the table. This means the dinner hour is a tech-free one (that goes for parents too!)

Schedule your dinners and give them as much status and importance as studies, afterschool activities and work engagements. Aim for three meals a week and these can include weekend breakfasts and lunches. Every family can set aside three hours a week to share together no matter how busy you are.

Make it fun! Be inclusive so that your kids look forward to these experiences by allowing them to choose what they want to eat for family dinners and allowing them to help with cooking, music selection and table settings.

Family meals should be a fun, positive experience, so don’t use this time to criticise, fight, argue or talk about issues. If you have an issue to discuss, wait until after your meal. Mealtimes should be positive family experiences or you will create a very negative atmosphere that makes meals unbearable.

Add to the positive experience by having themed dinners, including desserts, telling jokes and sharing all your funny stories from the day at work or school.

It can be really tough to find the time to enjoy a meal together when family members have such busy schedules. However, taking just a couple of hours out of your week can really help to foster positive relationships between family members and keep communication channels open. Make meals a fun and positive event that your family looks forward to sharing. Family meals can be really great places to make memories and share stories of your life.

Multitasking Teens: Are they being more efficient or just wasting time?

Ever checked to see if your student is doing their homework only to find them listening to music, chatting on their phone, checking their social media sites and doing their homework at the same time?

Multitasking is the new reality that most teens have grown up with, but does it mean that they are doing a number of tasks badly or are they actually being more efficient? The answer to this question depends largely on the individual learner and the kind of tasks they are performing.

The average student spends about seven hours a day using electronic devices and 58% say they multitask while doing homework. Studies are ongoing as to what the influence of multitasking and electronic devices will have on cognitive and social development, but there are very practical ways to measure whether multitasking has a positive or negative effect on your student’s ability to study or do their homework.

A Stanford University study found that when students switch from one task to another, it negatively affects their ability to think critically or evaluate. Multitasking students were hampered when trying to discern which information was vital and they had to reorient themselves whenever they went back to a task which actually wasted more time than multitasking saved.

A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that 47% of students who spent more than 16 hours a day multitasking received lower grades (lower C’s) than students who spent less time on electronic devices. While these examples are extreme, there is evidence that the brain really isn’t very good at juggling more than one or two tasks at a time. Professor Earl Millar, an MIT neuroscientist, scanned volunteer’s brains as they multitasked and found that only one or two of the visual stimulants could activate the brain at any one given time.

This is especially true when we try to perform two tasks that use the same areas of the brain. For example if you are trying to send a tweet while writing an essay, your brain becomes overloaded and simply slows down.

Not all multitasking is bad. Some studies have shown that playing instrumental or classic music quietly in the background can actually improve concentration and higher cognitive functioning while having a number of sources of information open can help reduce the amount of time students spend on research.

If multitasking is limited to two separate tasks that require different parts of the brain, then it can be successfully accomplished. Limit the number of distractions your students have and try to encourage them to concentrate on one task at a time when they are studying or doing their homework.

Test this out for yourself! Conduct practical tests to see how your student fares when multitasking. Set out a number of similar tasks like multiple choice science questions or math problems. Get your student to do half of them while multitasking and the other half while focusing on the task at hand. Compare accuracy and time taken to establish what works best for them.

Things about gifted children that every parent should know

It’s difficult to define exactly what ‘gifted’ is. In the U.S., gifted children are seen as those who have the potential to perform exceptionally in five areas: general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative or productive thinking, leadership ability or visual/performing arts. This definition is so general that it leaves the identification of gifted children and their education up to the various states they live in.

Some states have tests and criteria in place for the identification of gifted children and programs to help them succeed while others do not. Whether a gifted child is identified as such and put into an academic program that fosters their gifts is largely a geographical potluck. Gifted children who are not identified rarely succeed and there is a large percentage that drop out of school altogether.

Giftedness is not easy to identify: Although gifted students may have the aptitude to excel, they often have trouble communicating or taking tests. Although some tests do exist to measure giftedness, the information may not be presented in a way that the gifted child will be able to process. Gifted children are not just regular children with a high IQ; they need special nurturing to fulfill their potential.

Gifted students are not all geeks, nor are they all socially inept. Gifted students come with every physical and personality trait imaginable. There is no set of characteristics that define giftedness, which is why it is so difficult to identify.

Gifted students will not succeed on their own. Just like any other student, gifted students need guidance and nurturing. While some claim that in an age of austerity and budget cuts, it’s not possible to continue funding special programs for gifted students, these programs remain essential to the success of gifted students.
Our ability to guide and develop the talents of gifted students is one of our most valuable intellectual assets. Gifted children do require special programs, but their contribution to society makes their development worth every cent. Gifted students are not the vestige of the wealthy and many families are simply not able to provide the specialist education that their gifted students need without state funding.

Early detection of gifted students is possible. Most states only start testing for gifted students when those students have reached the third grade. However, the National Association for Gifted Children is able to start testing in the pre-kindergarten phase. The sooner giftedness is detected, the more support we are able to provide and the greater the gifted student’s potential for success.

Gifted students provide an exceptional rate of return for the financial investment made in them by the state. Programs for gifted students need to be expanded and testing methods refined so that gifted students are given as great an opportunity for success as possible.

Is your Student Addicted to Gaming?

When you look at the kinds of trouble teens can get themselves into, gaming may not seem like a bad idea. Your children are safe and sound at home and they are quiet and occupied in their rooms. But don’t be fooled: too much gaming can affect almost every aspect of your child’s life from academic performance to social development and health.

Consequences of gaming addictions

The sedentary lifestyle encouraged by gaming can lead to childhood obesity and all its related problems. From the BBC: “Up to 90% of school leavers in major Asian cities are suffering from myopia – short-sightedness – a study suggests.

Researchers say the “extraordinary rise” in the problem is being caused by students working very hard in school and missing out on outdoor light.”

Coordination and muscle development can be stilted in students who choose to game rather than play sports or get active.

Disrupted sleep patterns mean your child is more susceptible to illnesses and has trouble paying attention.

Social development is negatively affected when online interaction is the only way your student socializes.

Is your child addicted?

Just because your child plays a lot of games doesn’t necessarily mean that she is addicted to gaming. The Center of Online Addiction outlines several warning signs to look out for:

• Playing for hours every day
• Thinking and talking about gaming even when engaging in other activities
• Lying to conceal the amount of time they spend playing games
• Feeling irritable or angry when they are not able to play games
• Playing online games to avoid dealing with real life, with problems, anxiety or depression

What to do about gaming addictions

The first step is to ascertain whether your child is just fond of gaming or whether they have an addiction. Most kids love to play games and will do so whenever they get the opportunity. It’s ok if they play games from time to time, but gaming should not take over their regular activities, hobbies and sports or socializing.

If you suspect that your student is addicted, start keeping records of how much time they spend gaming, the issues they are avoiding by gaming and the problems their habit causes.

If you are not able to curb your student’s gaming by setting limits or encouraging a wider range of activities, it may be time to seek professional help.  Treating gaming addiction is similar to treating any other kind of addiction; it takes time, patience and perseverance.

The trouble with gaming is that it’s impossible to avoid using computers. Gamers who are addicted must learn to use computers without being tempted to play games. A professional can help your student to deal with any social or emotional issues which encouraged them to seek shelter in a game in the first place.

You also need to replace the excitement, interaction and social world that the gamer experiences online with similar ‘real life’ experiences that are positive. Perhaps the thrill of online gaming can be substituted with sports, or hobbies that are new and exciting. Replacing the gaming time with other rewarding activities will help your student to move back into the real world.

Flu-busting foods: Keep your Colorado students flu-free this winter

Flu outbreaks in schools are common as students gather in close proximity.  Of course you teach your students to wash their hands regularly and to shield their mouths when coughing and sneezing, but this may not be enough to protect them from seasonal flu. Another way to prevent them from getting sick is to bolster their immune systems. To this end, make sure that they take a regular vitamin supplements and make sure that they also eat lots of these immune system-friendly foods.

Probiotics

This is the good kind of bacteria that aids in digestion and with the absorption of nutrients in the body. Probiotics are available in fermented foods like natural yoghurts and probiotic drinks. Supplements are available too. Probiotics reinforce the strength of intestinal walls and boost immune systems.

Ginger

Ginger has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties and also helps to settle stomach and prevent nausea. Ginger has the same pain-relieving properties as over-the-counter pain medications.  You can add ginger to fruit salads, soups and stir-fries or slice it thinly and steep in warm water to make a tea. Add honey for added anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Chicken Soup

This really does work! Studies have shown that chicken soup has other benefits beyond rehydration and nutrition. Not only does chicken soup have mild anti-inflammatory properties, it is also thought to improve the ability of cilia, the tiny hair-like parts of the nasal passages, to protect the body from bacteria and viruses. Add garlic to your chicken soup to improve its healing powers.  Garlic stimulates your immune system and has anti-microbial properties.

Leafy Dark Green Vegetables

Spinach, kale, collards, Swiss chard and other leafy greens are excellent flu-preventers. Packed with vitamins A, C, D, K, B1, B2, B6, and minerals such as zinc, iron, selenium, magnesium and copper, leafy greens are a great option for improving the immune system.

Sweet Potatoes

These tasty tubers are packed with beta carotene which can also be found in carrots. When absorbed into the body, its converted to vitamin A which helps neutralize toxins and combats respiratory infections. Sweet potatoes also combat free-radicals and this helps to boost the immune system.

Citrus fruit

Enjoy an orange or a grapefruit, or sip juice if you are not up for eating. The vitamin C in citrus fruit helps to boost the immune system. It’s a great preventative measure too as vitamin C helps to boost cell integrity so that they are more able to withstand germs and viruses.

To improve your immune system, avoid sugary or processed foods and always include seven fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. Drink fruit juices and green tea to boost your system and combat free radicals. Preventing illness is easier than you think and is just one of the plethora of positive benefits of eating well and exercising regularly. 

Let's Get Moving: How to Keep your Kids Fit Through Winter

As the days shorten and the old Jack Frost settles in for a long visit, it’s more difficult to motivate yourself to get outside and have fun. Your natural inclination is to hole up at home and eat comfort food, but this isn’t healthy or productive. Here are some practical and fun ways to keep your family fit this winter.

WINTER SPORTS

If you haven’t taken up a winter sport, then this is the perfect time to find something you enjoy doing. Skiing, snow shoeing and skating are great traditional winter sports to keep yourself busy. If you want to do something more local, taking walks around your neighborhood or in natural areas can be really interesting over the winter. You can also toboggan with younger students and have snowball fights. Check out these snowball gloves which you can make with an old ball and a glue gun.

WINTER PROJECTS

When you have a goal for the winter, it’s easier to motivate your students to get outside. Take a look at this amazing igloo. This was built from ice bricks that were frozen in old orange juice cartons. It took several months to make, but ensured hours of outdoor winter fun. If an ice igloo seems like too much effort, make a snow fort instead.

GEOCACHING

If you live in a place with no snow, try Geocaching. This is a super fun game where participants create a geocache and hide it in a secure natural location. This location is then posted to the Geocaching website here. You can use your smartphone or GPS to locate a geocache. Fill in the log book and take an item from the cache and leave another one for the next visitor. Visit the website for instructions on how to play the game and what items are acceptable.

NEW HOBBIES

Swimming - I love swimming in the winter. It’s a great all-body workout and its fun too. You can join a gym or your local YMCA to get access to an indoor pool. Games like water polo and volley ball also take place at indoor pools or get your students ready for the summer with swimming lessons.

Dance Classes - No matter their age or music preference, there is a dance class that’s perfect for your student. From ballet to hip hop, learning some new moves will make them more confident, it will improve coordination and is a great workout too.

Indoor Sports - From martial arts to gymnastics, having an indoor sport option that your student enjoys is a great way to keep them fit this winter. If they aren’t into sports, get a gym membership so that they can swim, workout or join an exercise class.

Coping with ADD/ADHD

We know that living with a student who has ADD or ADHD can be frustrating at times, but learning coping mechanism and ways in which to channel all that energy into something positive will mean that you have a happier home and a student who stays ahead of the game academically. Here are some techniques you can use to help your student to excel.

Understanding your role

Students with ADD or ADHD have trouble with executive functioning. They are every bit as capable and intelligent as other students, but they have trouble planning ahead, seeing consequences, organizing, controlling impulses and completing the task at hand. This means you have to work with your in-home tutor and your teacher to provide guidance and take over these executive functions until your student learns the skills to be independent.

While they want to sit quietly in class, follow instructions and complete tasks, they need to acquire the tools to do so. They are rarely purposefully disruptive, but it’s important to recognize that they can be and manage the impact they have on parents, siblings and class members.

Stay positive and supportive

Remember that not being able to follow instructions or complete tasks can be just as frustrating for your student as it is for you. When you stay positive and calm, you will help them to build confidence and won’t make them think that they are always doing something wrong. Always remember that they are not being purposefully difficult and try to be supportive and encouraging.

Focus on the positive

Believe in your student and believe that they are capable of learning the skills they need to succeed. This will mean that you focus on the positive and don’t sweat the small stuff. When your student does three out of five of their chores, focus on the ones they did and praise them for those while gently reminding them of the ones they left out.

Create structure

Routines and structure will help your students to establish the tasks they need to do and the time they have to complete them. Establish a schedule for getting ready in the morning, doing homework and evening routines. Use clocks or timers to remind students of the time limits and to refocus them when their attention is diverted elsewhere. Keep routines as simple as possible.

Free time

Not every minute of every day should be structured. Allow your student some free time and their own space.

Activity

Physical activity helps students with ADHD and ADD to find a positive outlet for all their energy. Sports are a great way to get your students active and to allow them to rid themselves of all that energy.

Diet

Avoiding refined sugars and other processed foods will help your student to focus and to sleep better. Without the rush of too much sugar and with a good night’s sleep, they will be able to cope better.

Socializing

Encourage your students to make friends with their peers. Healthy social lives will help them to feel a sense of belonging and friends can provide support and encouragement.

Get involved

Every single student will thrive when their parents are involved in their lives and supportive of their academic and sporting endeavors. Keep in touch with your teachers and tutors to ensure that your student is progressing well and take an interest in them. Spend time with them and really listen to them.

Take care of yourself

Ensure that you have your own support network of friends and family members. You can also contact other parents who have students with ADD or ADHD and form a support group. Take time out and make sure that you get to focus on yourself from time to time. Happy parents make for far happier children.

DIY STEM Projects for Kids in Castle Rock

Like many of you, I recently bought bargain binders, dollar notebooks and other school supplies.  However, in the name of after-school enrichment at home and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) projects, I also took advantage of seasonal sales to stock up on supplies for my makerspace.

Makerspace?

A makerspace is basically a spot where you make stuff. It could be an elaborate community creative space, an area in your basement or garage, or just a TV tray in a dedicated corner of your family room. I’m lucky to have a home that came with a well-worn workbench in the basement, the original man cave, if you will. But like a cave, the basement workshop is a dark, dank spot that isn’t much fun to hang out in, so it functions more as a storage area. The actual tinkering and creation of things tends to take place on my dining room table. Regardless of location and aesthetics, the making is more crucial than the space.

Making is not only a creative outlet but is also an activity that can build STEM knowledge, the most sought-after 21st-century skill set. Designing, measuring, building or even taking things apart helps developing minds enhance abilities in these critical areas.

Stocking Your Makerspace

• Mark It — My boys were never big on traditional art supplies like crayons and paint, but your mileage may vary. To make markers more interesting, acquire a range of types like gel pens, permanent markers, spy pens or paint pens, taking care to note which ones may leave permanent stains.
• Build, Baby, Build — Fill your space with inexpensive building materials:

Toothpicks

Straws

Wooden skewers

Popsicle® sticks

Drinking straws

Twist-ties

Chenille stems (formerly known as pipe cleaners)

Corks (go ahead, finish that bottle of winein the name of enriching your child’s education)

Tubes from toilet paper, wrapping paper and paper towels

Sturdy corrugated cardboard boxes, as well as chipboard from cereal and snack boxes, are like giant building blocks. They can also be cut, colored and otherwise manipulated to make new things. (http://cainesarcade.com/)

Finally, PVC piping and joints are another great resource for all kinds of fanciful inventions.

• A Cut Above — Special scissors make special projects. Look for scissors that leave unique decorative marks like jagged edges, wavy edges and other intricate styles.

• When Things Get Sticky — What my younger boy lacked in attraction to crayons he made up for in his love of tape. It started when he was in preschool and last year, as a seventh grader, he came home from school with an inventive sculpture created solely out of transparent tape (created during a few stolen moments in class, apparently). This is an amazing decade for tape. In addition to old standbys like masking, painter’s and transparent tape, there’s an explosion of decorative tapes on the market that can add a splash of special to any project. Even duct tape now comes in bright colors and fun patterns that have not gone unnoticed to makers. Loads of duct tape projects are just a click away.

• Connect — Tape can also hold things together, as can paperclips and brads, those brass tack like objects that have two little legs or prongs and allow for motion between connected objects.  Twist-ties, chenille stems and magnets can also be used for this purpose. If your child can safely handle the heat, a hot glue gun really helps things stick together.

• Electrify — Help your child dabble in electronics with basic supplies, such as button cell batteries, LED lights, battery leads and DC motors.

You might feel more comfortable with a starter kit that comes with suggested projects or a set like littleBits that enables kids without prior electronics experience to easily add sensors, lights and movement to maker projects. It’s worth noting that littleBits are also the most girl-friendly electronics I’ve come across to date.

If your children are ready to take their electronics to the next level, read up on things such as Arduino, theRaspberry Pi or the Makey-Makey, which makes anything into a keyboard. You can check out one of my younger teen’s projects here.

Did I miss anything? You might have noticed I didn’t mention glitter. It’s pretty much the only craft supply I ban from my house, and with two boys, I’ve never had anyone question my policy. What are your favorite maker supplies?

Kim Moldofsky started out as a dolphin trainer and later became a potty trainer. Now this leading Social Media Mom of two teen boys blogs hosts online chats and createsvideo content in addition to consulting and speaking at events.

Kim married her love of science and passion for blogging in 2012 by launching a blog reflecting her interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). That blog, The Maker Mom, is dedicated to helping parents raise STEM-loving, Maker-friendly kids.

Kim M started out as a dolphin trainer and later became a potty trainer. Now this leading Social Media Mom of two teen boys blogs hosts online chats and creates video content in addition to consulting and speaking at events.

Kim married her love of science and passion for blogging in 2012 by launching a blog reflecting her interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). That blog, The Maker Mom, is dedicated to helping parents raise STEM-loving, Maker-friendly kids.

Social Networks and Teens: A Parent's Guide

Social networks like Facebook have become so much a part of our culture that our teens may find it hard to believe that there was a time before the internet. As in all spheres of social life, there’s are dangers inherent in participating in social networking. Here is a guide to ensuring that your students stay safe on social networks.

Privacy and Trust

Don’t be offended if your teen rejects your friend request. Reading their social network sites is just like listening in on their phone conversations, reading their texts or peeking in their diaries. While students are entitled to a modicum of privacy and trust, you still have a responsibility to protect them. The internet provides a certain anonymity that means that people posing as their friends will have access to all their personal information.

Social networking sites are inevitable and crucial for the modern teen to effectively communicate with their friends. Sharing photos and videos inspires creativity and written communications improve their writing skills. Since your teen is going to be participating, it’s best to outline rules and guidelines to help them to safely navigate social networking sites.

Rules and Guidelines

Talk about which sites your students can belong to and set up your own account so you can familiarize yourself with the way in which the site works. Help your  student to set up the site (make sure that they are old enough to comply with the site’s age restrictions) and show them how the privacy settings work. Explain carefully to them why the privacy settings are important and regularly check that they have not been changed.

Make it a rule that your student doesn’t friend anyone that they haven’t already met in person and don’t know. You can even get younger students to check with you before they accept a friend request. Ensure that photos posted to ensure that they are appropriate and don’t reveal any information that could tell someone which school they attend or where they live.

Regularly Google your students to see what pictures and information are out there. Sometimes their friends may post personal information or pictures that you may not want online. Be vigilant and ask your student to show you what they have been up to online.

It is your responsibility to monitor the sites your students use and the information that they post. Set up guidelines and rules for internet use and be sure to discuss the consequences of posting inappropriate information or pictures. Discuss cyber bullying and how they should react if they receive any messages or posts that are offensive or hurtful. Ask the school for their policy on social bullying and discuss this with your student too.

Five best Board Games for Middle and High School Students

Holidays can be long and when rainy days or long trips confine teens to the home, there are many games which can encourage them to spend some time with family members. This gives them a break from their computers and phones and gives you all an opportunity to have some family fun while learning.

Settlers of Catan

This board game is intense action mixed with resource management. Each game takes about an hour to play and can accommodate up to six players with an extension pack. Players must gain resources such as sheep, wheat, wood and brick to build settlements, armies and roads. This is a strategy game which teaches students to think ahead and use their resources and bargaining skills wisely. Settlers of Catan has been voted the best game of the year in the US and Europe. This game is very engaging and every game is completely different from the last.

Say Anything

This is an excellent way to get your teens talking and helps them to build social skills. Players will have to practice excellent communication skills to win and it helps you to get to know each other a little better. The game takes about 35 minutes to play and is easy to follow: 1) Ask a question from the card you draw. Some examples of questions include: “What’s the best movie of all time?” or “If I could have a BIG anything, what would it be?” 2) All the players write an answer and turn it face-up. 3) You choose which answer you like most (this is based on wit, style and accuracy). The players then try to guess which answer you picked. This is a great game for getting to know family members better and it.s fun to think of new and original answers to the questions.

Ticket to Ride

This game revolves around the adventures of Phileas Fogg and players must collect railway stations to connect routes around North America. The longer the route, the more points the player accumulates. Additional points can be accrued when you fulfill your Destination Tickets by connecting two distant cities. The player who builds the longest continuous railway also gets additional points. Games take 30-60 minutes to play and are a great way to inspire a love of travel and improve knowledge of North American geography.

Cranium

This is a great way for the whole family to play together because Cranium relies on a whole bunch of skills from general knowledge, humming tunes, charades and drawing to sculpting play dough. No matter the age of participants, they can all contribute to their teams with their own special talents. The fact that this game has so many different ways to answer a question keeps it fresh and exciting. Many questions are for team play which means all the teams get to participate, keeping the game fun and exciting.

Equate

This is Scrabble for math lovers. The board functions in much the same ways as Scrabble with tiles which contain numbers and equations. You can help students to improve math and especially algebra skills by playing this game. The board can accommodate 2-4 players from ages 8 and up.