The boy got this game for his birthday in June. Click HERE to find it - type in NO STRESS CHESS in the search bar... We've been playing a game a day for the last week or so - and really enjoying ourselves at it.
I've always wanted to learn to play, and my brothers both learned as kids, but somehow I never got one of them to sit down and teach me. No-Stress-Chess to the rescue. The game is from the great company MINDWARE . It's very cool because it offers several levels of play - the first couple of levels use cards that specifically show you what piece to move, and tells you where each piece can move (what direction etc.) and includes a board with the outline of where the pieces start. Once you've mastered the pieces and what they do, you phase out the cards gradually until you're playing full blown strategic chess. Flip over the board and you're ready to go! The directions are very concise, and even include strategic suggestions/explanations for the advanced level of play.
We play a lot of games - and I'm always searching for more ways to integrate "learning" into our day to day, since I try to not have a division of "schooling/learning" and everyday life...
I've always wanted to learn to play, and my brothers both learned as kids, but somehow I never got one of them to sit down and teach me. No-Stress-Chess to the rescue. The game is from the great company MINDWARE . It's very cool because it offers several levels of play - the first couple of levels use cards that specifically show you what piece to move, and tells you where each piece can move (what direction etc.) and includes a board with the outline of where the pieces start. Once you've mastered the pieces and what they do, you phase out the cards gradually until you're playing full blown strategic chess. Flip over the board and you're ready to go! The directions are very concise, and even include strategic suggestions/explanations for the advanced level of play.
We play a lot of games - and I'm always searching for more ways to integrate "learning" into our day to day, since I try to not have a division of "schooling/learning" and everyday life...
Some of our other current favorites are
Conga and Cadoo, by the fabulous Cranium Co., which has apparently been bought out by Hasbro... we also love Zigity, a card game from Cranium - great for restaurants! Zooreeka is another Cranium game the kids really like - but it's a bit tedious for parents in my opinion...just doesn't hold me like the others do...I don't see it on their site, so maybe I'm not the only one who found it dull.
We love Great States, and when the kids were younger Great States Jr. was a definite favorite - the ticking timer seems to dazzle little ones!
Enchanted Forest is a WONDERFUL game I'd never heard of until my mother-in-law was digging through some of her son's old stuff (he's 30 now) and found it. We have the older version, but I assume the new one to be the same. It's a memory game that also integrates some strategy. Play time can get to be a bit long, but it's always held my kiddos rapt.
We made these home made Mancala boards out of egg cartons and use river rocks as markers. You can find Mancala rules HERE if you'd like to make your own & don't know how to play.
Conga and Cadoo, by the fabulous Cranium Co., which has apparently been bought out by Hasbro... we also love Zigity, a card game from Cranium - great for restaurants! Zooreeka is another Cranium game the kids really like - but it's a bit tedious for parents in my opinion...just doesn't hold me like the others do...I don't see it on their site, so maybe I'm not the only one who found it dull.
We love Great States, and when the kids were younger Great States Jr. was a definite favorite - the ticking timer seems to dazzle little ones!
Enchanted Forest is a WONDERFUL game I'd never heard of until my mother-in-law was digging through some of her son's old stuff (he's 30 now) and found it. We have the older version, but I assume the new one to be the same. It's a memory game that also integrates some strategy. Play time can get to be a bit long, but it's always held my kiddos rapt.
We made these home made Mancala boards out of egg cartons and use river rocks as markers. You can find Mancala rules HERE if you'd like to make your own & don't know how to play.
2 comments:
Thanks for the No Stress Chess recommendation. I think Bryn would enjoy that. He likes chess, but his attention span doesn't usually last long enough.
We've been playing this game called Carcassonne for the past couple of years:
http://www.boardgamecentral.com/games/carcassonne.html
Mike got all the expansions for it (some we like better than others--for example, the river expansion adds a new and fun element, but the dragon expansion is just stupid). It's for kids and adults (Katie often kicks our butts with her giant cities, whereas Mike and I are more of the road or farm builders).
Since you guys are into the brainy type games, I thought I'd clue you in on this one, maybe for Christmas. It does take a looong time to complete (especially if you add some of the expansion sets), which is perfect for long winter weekend evenings at home.
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