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Encourage Critical Thinking with Learning Resources

July 14, 2015 by Emilee Evans

As a homeschooling mom, I love activities that are both educational and fun! More than that, though, I love when the kids are having fun while developing important skills like critical thinking. What better way to do so than with critical thinking games?
Learning Resources Logo
Disclosure: I received a complimentary products to facilitate my Learning Resources review. Regardless, all opinions are my own and those of my family.
Learning Resources offers a variety of hands-on educational products for young children. Finding the right products for your children is easy because they offer a simple way to find everything: by Age, Grade, Category, Brand, Teacher Resources, and more. Plus as a mom of special needs children I can really appreciate their detailed Special Needs section!
For our review, we received Tumble Trax™ Magnetic Marble Run and Create-a-Maze™. Both games help develop critical thinking skills and are recommended for ages 5+. We have been using them with all three of our children – ages 9, 7, and 5.
Learning Resources Critical Thinking Games
What I love about encouraging critical thinking is that it goes beyond just academic basics to a much needed life skill. In fact, I believe academics improve when critical thinking improves! I find when we challenge our kids’ minds they start to excel in our homeschool subjects as well. Needless to say, I was excited to check out these critical thinking games!

Tumble Trax™ Magnetic Marble Run

Critical Thinking Games from Learning Resources - Tumble Trax
Tumble Trax encourages critical thinking with a fun and unique marble run. The marble run pieces are magnetic, so you can use them on the refrigerator like we have been or also on a magnetic white board for a wider track – or whatever magnetic object works for your family! There is so much flexibility with it!
Once the track is set up, you drop the marble at the highest point and watch it travel down the track. It should eventually reach the piece that holds the marble. What we’ve discovered, though, is that even if your design looks just like the one on the provided cards, it doesn’t always work as it should.
Tumble Trax
This is where critical thinking and problem solving come in – how can they adjust the track to make sure it does end up in the end piece? Was it going too fast or too slow? Do the pieces need to be closer together? They get to think of why it didn’t work and adjust the track as they see necessary to get it just right.
I have loved watching them problem solve and even work together as a team to continue to build not only the tracks on the provided cards but use their own ideas as well! Tumble Trax includes 14 magnetic foam pieces, 4 marbles and 10 activity cards.

Create-a-Maze™

Create-a-Maze from Learning Resources
Create-a-Maze is another critical thinking game that includes cards for suggested mazes or, of course, they are free to design their own. Our kids have been sticking with the suggested designs. In Create-a-Maze you place the colorful pieces along the board according to the design. When finished you guide the ball around by tilting the board in different directions.
What I love about Create-a-Maze is not only are they using critical thinking, but they’re using eye-hand coordination as well. This is something that can be challenging for our kids due to their special needs, so Create-a-Maze has been a great way to help them practice more eye-hand coordination as well.
Encourage Critical Thinking with Learning Resources
Again, they must use critical thinking to guide the ball to the goal. How do you get around the obstacles. They often work together on Create-a-Maze as well and even challenge each other. Create-a-Maze includes the maze board and base, 17 Maze pieces, 4 Balls (2 blue, 2 red), and 10 activity cards.
Overall, we have been loving the critical thinking games from Learning Resources. Our kids love to be challenged and have so much fun as well. I have loved watching them develop the skills needed to complete the designs on both games as well as watching them work together and challenging each other.

For More Information:

Visit the Learning Resources Website
Connect with Learning Resources on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube
 

Educational Games by SimplyFun

June 27, 2015 by Emilee Evans

Kids learn best when they’re having fun, and they also learn through play. Finding fun, educational games the kids enjoy is a big plus. Educational games can enhance our homeschool and our family fun time!
SimplyFun Educational Games
Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. Regardless, all opinions are my own and those of my family.
SimplyFun offers a wide variety of award-winning educational games for a variety of ages. In April I shared SimplyFun’s Autism Initiative. I was so excited to learn how they support Autism Awareness, but what’s more is they include ways their games can be adapted for those with special needs as well as including specific notes on how each particular game may capitalize on the strengths of those on the Autism spectrum. With each game online you can click on the Special Needs tab and/or Autism tab and goes in depth on Strengths & Interests as well Characteristics of your child to see if the game is a good fit!
For our review we received Perspectives and Front Runner.
Front Runner:
Educational Games - Front Runner by SimplyFun
Front Runner is a Math game. Your roll the dice to plug in the missing numbers of an equation and solve it. Cross the finish line as the Front Runner to win by a factor. It is recommended for ages 8+. Children have a choice of difficulty level. This is a great game for kids who like math – particularly factors.
Our kids both like math, though they are younger (ages 5, 7, and 9). Our 7 and 9 year old played it together, but we found it was just a little too advanced. We were able to modify it, though, in a way that worked for both of them! They both love math, so they enjoyed the layout of Front Runner.
Perspectives:
Educational Games - Perspectives by SimplyFun
Perspectives is a really unique game and is one of our favorites now! In Perspectives you match the Pattern Cards to patterns on the Game Board to earn points. Move Game Tiles to create new patterns and opportunities for more points. Score the most points from matched patterns to win Perspectives! It is also recommended for ages 8+, though we found both our 7 year old and 9 year old are able to and enjoy playing it. Our 5 year old also likes to play but requires my husband’s or my help. I love that we can include the whole family!
Perspectives requires tactical planning as well as quick pattern recognition. We enjoy playing it together as a family! It has very straightforward rules, which is perfect for children on the Autism spectrum. Either the pattern matches or it doesn’t. Spatial problem solving is key, and this is something both of our older children love.
I, personally, love that Perspectives doesn’t revolve around a specific academic subject. I think the kids really learn a lot through critical thinking, so I love that Perspectives is adding this aspect to our children’s education. This is a game we enjoy playing over and over!
Enjoying Educational Games with SimplyFun
Once again, SimplyFun delivered! We had a chance to review Kilter in the past and still play it frequently, and now we can add Perspectives to the list of games we play frequently. I think over the next year we will be able to add Front Runner to the list as well. We really enjoy the games from SimplyFun. I love that they offer educational opportunities in a variety of areas and are fun for the whole family!

For More Information:

Visit the SimplyFun Website
Connect with SimplyFun on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube
 

Finders Keepers Game Review

May 16, 2014 by Emilee Evans

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. This post contains affiliate links.
Finder Keepers Card Game Review
Finders Keepers is a fun, fast-moving two-sided card game for ages 3+. It’s enjoyable for kids and adults! In Finders Keepers everyone tries to find cards that have a specific object or two. What makes it more fun and interesting is that there is also an object that can’t be on the card you’re finding.
For example, the card may show you have to find a card with a dog and a sun but it can’t have a horse. The objects you need to find are in the green, and the object that cannot be on the card you find is in red. I think this a great visual example for young children because they often understand that “green means go and red means stop.”
We play Finders Keepers together as a family – my husband, myself, and all three kids (ages 8, 6 and 4). To play, we start by spreading out the deck with all pictures facing up. Our youngest flips over the first card, and the game is on!
Finders Keepers Giveaway
With Finders Keepers you have to stay on your toes because you never know what the card will be. You have to be quick to beat everybody else, but you have to pay close attention as well! It’s easy to grab a card and think you have it, but you overlooked the fact that it has the object it can’t have! It happens often, and we all just laugh and keep going.
I like that Finders Keepers is fun and keeps us sharp. There are also different recommended ways to play it. We have the option to end the game when all players agree the next card doesn’t exist. The person with the most cards win. This is how we usually play. It offers variations though to keep track of cards and play additional rounds until someone reaches 100, play games until all cards are used by flipping over an additional card at the stopping point, or play a specific number of rounds where the winner is the one who has the most cards after that number of rounds.
Finders Keepers Card Game Review
Regardless of which variation played, the game will always be different. Many times more than one card will have the objects needed without the object it shouldn’t. Depending on which one is found first determines the next play.
We have been having a blast with Finders Keepers. I love that it keeps everyone on their toes and makes you focus, too. I also love that we can play it with the whole family! Our preschooler has also played it by himself. There is no winner in that case, obviously, but he has fun finding the cards!
Finders Keepers can be purchased on Amazon for $12.99.

For More Information:

Visit the GeoToys Website
Connect with GeoToys on Facebook
 
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com to facilitate my card game review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Introducing SimplyFun!

November 6, 2013 by Emilee Evans

Disclosure: I received the products mentioned to facilitate my review. Regardless, I only recommend products I feel would be good for my readers. All opinions are my own and those of my family.
SimplyFun
SimplyFun, LLC offers a variety of unique, fun, engaging, and educational board games. Since I am a big fan of learning through play I was definitely intrigued to see all they have to offer! They offer games from toddlers to teens that are known to help them learn various concepts, build specific skills as well as help with science, math, geography, language, and more! Family game night fun while building learning skills! They have more than 90 award-winning family board games!
So, you may be wondering – why the bunny slippers and popcorn? What does that have to do with games? I did, too, at first! Then I learned SimplyFun now offers online Laugh & Learn virtual parties! SimplyFun is a quickly growing direct sales company that has been offering in-home Laugh & Learn parties through their team of consultants (called “Playologists”), but now they have made it even easier to enjoy a Laugh & Learn party by offering them online! So you can put on your bunny slippers, pop some popcorn, and learn more about SimplyFun through a Virtual Laugh & Learn party!
Kilter
The game we received for review is Kilter, which has won many awards including an Oppenheim Award. It is recommended for ages 8+ and is a great game for learning about levers, practicing patience, using strategy, and more. You can play with up to 4 people. The object of the game is to use all of your cubes. You must always place cubes on an elevated side. Your turn ends when that side goes down, you knock down any cubes, or you choose to end your turn after placing at least one of your cubes. Any cubes that fall off of the seesaw during your turn gets added to your pile!
Although it is recommended for 8 and up, we played Kilter as a family and allowed our 5 and 7 year olds to play as individual players, so we have 4 total players. It was a little tricky for them to understand at first, but the more we play, the more they start to “put on their thinking caps” and incorporate better strategy. I’m surprised how quickly they caught on. We took it over to Grandma’s so she could play, too! I love how Kilter makes us think and strategize. You have to consider a lot of different factors before placing your cube. It really is a great lesson to learn through playing a game! Our kids now have a better understanding of how levers work, weight distribution, and predicting an outcome just to name a few! Plus, we all have FUN!
Not only does SimplyFun offer great games with educational value, fun virtual or in-home Laugh & Learn parties, but they also offer a business opportunity! Offering virtual Laugh & Learn parties has made it even easier for Playologists to make an income – and have fun, too! Playologists have the opportunity to help families find the right games to fit their family’s needs at that time. Becoming a Playologist can be a great opportunity for homeschoolers and fund raising options for school!

For More Information:

Visit the SimplyFun Website
Connect with SimplyFun on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube
 
 

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