3-6, 6-12, Education, Fun Friday, Games, Interactive White Board, Teaching Tools, Websites

Oh hi

Most of the trouble I get into is when my daughter is late getting done with swim practice.  I get bored and start clicking on Twitter links.  Before I know it, I’m addicted to a new game.

Ian Byrd from @byrdseedgifted tweeted the link for “Oh hi” out a couple of days ago.  For those of you who enjoy Sudoku, this logic puzzle should be right up your alley.  For those of you who think Sudoku is evil – you’re welcome.

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Oh hi” is browser based, and the game appears to work on any device, which makes it even more wicked.

I have lots of devices.

I’m not going to try to explain the game because the site does a good job with a simple tutorial.  Basically, you need to get the same amount of blue squares and red squares in every row and column without repeating the pattern.  However, you can never have more than 2 of the same color adjacent to each other. There are 4 levels: 4×4, 6×6, 8×8, and 10×10. I’m still on the 8×8 – mostly because I like the feeling of being somewhat challenged and majorly successful at the same time.  Frankly, I only got that far because of my daughter’s encouragement 😉

If you’re struggling to find an activity to fill in small time gaps during the last couple of days before Thanksgiving break, this might be a good option!

8x8 Oh hi

 

Critical Thinking, Education, Games, K-5, Problem Solving, Websites

Duck: Think Outside the Flock

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I originally found this on KB Konnected, and made the mistake of trying it out.  I immediately knew it would make a good Fun Friday post, but I was so engrossed in playing the game that I never got around to writing about it.  So, here it is, finally.  What I love/hate about this game is that there are no instructions, and it gets increasingly more difficult.  It’s great for encouraging logic and problem/solving.  Duck: Think Outside the Flock is flash-based, so you probably can’t access it on an iOS mobile device unless you try using something like Rover.

3-12, Critical Thinking, Education, Games, Problem Solving

Craniatics

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Here we are again; it’s Friday, and time for another holiday post on “Gifts for the Gifted”.  You can see last week’s post here, and it will also give you links to my other recent Friday posts.  You might also enjoy my Pinterest board of “Games and Toys for Gifted Students”.

I have not had personal experience with Craniatics – yet.  I was skipping along on the web, looking for new ideas, and ran across the Parents’ Choice Toy Awards.  As I hunted through the lists, I found an intriguing description of Craniatics, and decided to do a little more research.  I then found this blog post that gives a very good in-depth review of the game.

Craniatics is packaged in a magnetic box, which makes it a good choice for long car or plane rides.  As Gabriel Fernandes described, “The included brainteasers are a mix of solitaire logic puzzles and multiplayer games with difficulties ranging from fairly easy to demanding.”

The recommended minimum age for Craniatics is 8.  My daughter is 10, and I have a feeling this might show up under the tree this year…