Tag: Mindware

Education, Games, K-5, Teaching Tools

Look Look

Terri Eichholz
photo credit: http://www.mindware.com
Today’s post is a bit frivolous, but sometimes that can be good, too!  I wanted to share with you a game that my students, K-5, have given enthusiastic thumbs up to during the last couple of weeks.  “Look Look” is a game from Mindware that is for 2-6 players.  If your students like “I Spy” or similar activities, then they will enjoy this.  It is a bit more challenging, and sometimes requires basic addition and subtraction skills.  Personally, as someone who has no visual/spatial skills, I find this game difficult sometimes.  But I’ve noticed that my perception skills have improved as I have played it more.
“Look Look” is a good game for those last couple of weeks before summer vacation as a reward, for indoor recess, or to use in a center to work on basic math facts (by taking out the other cards, you can target those skills.)  You could even have higher level students make some multiplication cards, or invent some other fun ways to use the game.
3-12, Apps, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving

Solitaire Chess Free

Terri Eichholz

Solitaire Chess Free is a challenging app for iOS.  I also mentioned the boardgame that can be purchased at Mindware in my last post.  In both versions, the object of the one-player game is to capture all of the pieces on the board until there is only one left.  Every move has to result in a capture.  This is a nice way for kids to learn the appropriate moves for each of the chess pieces, and to practice thinking ahead.  There are increasing levels of difficulty, which means that students can quickly move to the level that best fits their needs.

3-6, Games, Problem Solving

Cart Before the Horse

Terri Eichholz

With the holidays coming up, many parents ask me for educational gifts that I would recommend for their children.  “Cart Before the Horse” is one that I would suggest.  It is a logic puzzle game that can be played independently or in a small group collaboration (or in a center).  It’s for children 8 and up, and comes from www.mindware.com, one of my favorite sources for thinking games and activities.  Some other games that I recommend from the site are:  Rush Hour, Solitaire Chess, Q-Bitz, Knot So Fast, and Gobblet. These are all games that require logic, strategy, and deductive reasoning – making them great for the classroom or as gifts.