The perfect vacation

Sadly, we are nearing the end of what I consider the perfect vacation - 10 days of relaxation, followed by 9 full days of touring, followed by 10 more days of relaxation.  We are all returning home tired, yet relaxed.  These last days of our vacation are bittersweet, filled with lovely memories tinged with the sadness of having to return to reality.  We have spent relaxing days on the beach and curious days in Rome.  The girls have spent quality time with Oma, learning to knit and crochet.  We've even had a TV-free vacation - a huge accomplishment!  

Our internet has been spotty, and I've had trouble blogging.  It is 8:30pm in Italy, and the 'net is cooperating.  I can't wait until we get home (well, honestly, I can wait!) to share pictures of our ultimate field trip to Italy!

And we all are anxious to have a mexican food fix.  :)  

Wise Alec™: Civilize This! by Griddly Games (TOS Review)

 

 

A fun game with an educational component always perks me up.  History buffs that we are (actually, history and science buffs), I was excited to learn we’d be reviewing Wise Alec™: Civilize This! by Griddly Games.

Product Details

Civilize This! is made as an expansion pack to the Wise Alec™ Family Trivia game.  The website describes Civilize This! this way:

Cultural trivia with a adventurous twist!

Hello Time Travelers! Explore the world’s cultures across time with the trivia game based on the award-winning Wise Alec™ Family Trivia Game. There are 300 questions to test your knowledge of Ancient, Medieval, and Modern cultures. Two levels of questions on each card let everyone from young scholars to history buffs play together. Plus, Wise Alec™ cards will have you doing tongue twisters, brain teasers, and fun exercises!

Other expansion packs include Nature Nuts and Sports Buffs.  Each of the expansion packs can also be used as a travel game.

The Civilize This! expansion pack comes as a boxed tray with 1 multicolored die, 3 decks of color-coded trivia cards (one each for Ancient, Medieval and Modern history/culture), and 1 deck of Wise Alec™ cards.  For convenience, the rules are on the inside of the cover.

Each card in the three trivia decks contains two questions, one slightly easier (worth 3 points) than the other (worth 7 points).  The rules for the expansion packs are fairly simple, and you can view them here (in .pdf format), or watch this YouTube video:

The game is meant for ages 8+, and for 2-6 players.

You can’t buy the game directly from Griddly Games, but you can find a list of retailers here.  Prices will vary according to retailer.

What I like

I like any game that has an educational component.  This one feeds into our love of history.  It’s a great way to review, without calling it “review”.

I love that it’s compact and easy to play.  It’s also going into our suitcase for our trip to Italy.  

The girls were always excited to get an “action” card from the Wise Alec cards, particularly the “do the hula” card!  Another favorite was the “yodel” card. 

I wish… 

The orange on the multicolored die looked more orange.  I know that’s a small complaint, but often we had to flip the die over to make sure it had actually landed on orange and not yellow.

I hope they make more expansion sets!

Watch out for

If your family doesn’t love history and hasn’t studied all three time periods, I’d suggest setting the points goal low at first to see how your kids do.  Despite being history buffs, even our initial points goal was too high and the girls were frustrated that it was taking too long.

There are certain questions that may be objectionable to your family (mythology, buddhism, etc.).  I’d suggest reviewing the cards before you start playing so you’ll have a chance to remove any objectionable cards.

Your kids may need help with reading the cards.

There are some typos on the cards, but we made it part of the game to find them – we gave 5 points to the reader of the card if she found, and could correct, a typo or error.

Be sure to

Check out the other quality games offered by Griddly Games here.

Check out the Griddly Kidz Zone here, where your kids can play games and download coloring sheets.

See the awards the various Griddly Games have received here, and check out media coverage the company has received here and here.

Company contact info:

Head Office:
633 - 5960 No. 6 Rd
Richmond, BC
CANADA V6V 1Z1

Email:   info@griddlygames.com

Phone:   1 (604) 249 502

Final thoughts

We really enjoyed this game, and the girls have asked if we can get the other expansion packs plus the main game.  I’m adding them to our Christmas wish list!

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the product described in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

Flea Circus by R&R Games

We love games.  We try to have a family game night every week, but often it gets skipped in favor of things that have to get done.  I love it when we have a game to review, because it forces us to have games nights!  Flea Circus by R&R Games was a huge hit with my girls!

Product Details

Flea Circus is an adorable game about a circus of fleas where the spectators are cats and dogs (doesn’t simply hearing the description bring a smile to your face?).  The R&R Games website describes the game best:

STEP RIGHT UP! Calling all Cats and Dogs! The Flea Circus is about to begin!

It's a wild time under the Big Top as dogs and cats race from one show to the next. Players use their best Flea Circus acts to attract the most cats and dogs. Play your cards right and you can steal the audience away from your neighbor! But watch out for the Animal Catcher... He'll snatch your cats and dogs away!

With all this excitement, how's a Flea Ring Circus supposed to keep up? When all the cats and dogs are gone, whoever ends up with the most animals at their show wins the game!

The game is intended for 2-6 players ages 6-up (way up in my case, and I had a blast playing with the girls).  It comes with 55 “amazing flea cards”, 20 rubber cats and 20 rubber dogs.    You can play a complete game in 10-20 minutes.  The gist of the game is to gather the most spectators for your “flea circus”.  Rather than trying to explain how to play, you can see the complete rules here.  Flea Circus retails for $15.95 and can be purchased from R&R Games. 

I had never heard of R&R Games before Flea Circus arrived.  The package arrived with a 16-page catalog containing lots of fun-looking games.  (I’m especially interested in the Masters of Venice game since we’ll be going to Italy soon, and will probably put that game on our Christmas list.)  The catalog reflects that most of their games have won national awards.

Our niece from Germany was visiting during our review time for this game, and the girls played numerous times.  The day she was due to leave for the airport she begged to play one more game of Flea Circus.  I think that’s a pretty good endorsement!

What I like

Love that it’s a compact, portable game – no playing board needed.  In fact, the girls love the game so much that it’s going to Italy with us.

Part of the game includes taking spectators (i.e. cats and dogs) from other players.  We had a great time “stealing” spectators from each other.  “I want my dog back!” became a familiar refrain, and each time it was spoken the result was peals of laughter.

Love that most of their games are award-winning.  One of their games, Time’s Up, has won numerous awards and now has an iPhone and iPad app (which I shall soon be downloading).

I was impressed that they provide evidence of compliance with safety regulations (here).

I wish…

I wish there were more cards.  My girls wish there were more cats & dogs.  In our house the game was played with 3-4 players, and we ran out of cards fairly quickly.  I realize it’s done that way because it’s meant to be a short game (10-20 minutes playing time), but we were having so much fun we hated to have it end!  I guess the solution for my house might be to just buy another copy of the game!

Watch out for

Reading the rules through the first time was confusing to us.  We found just jumping in and playing and referring to the rules as we went along to be easier.  Before we knew it, we didn’t need the rules anymore!

Be sure to

R&R Games has graciously provided a 20% discount on any purchases from its website, and the coupon is valid until the end of 2011!  Use the coupon code CREW20.

FAQ can be found here.

Read through the News section here.

Make sure you check out all of R&R Games’ game offerings at their website.

Company contact info:

Send your comments and questions to: Info@RnRGames.com
Write to: R&R Games, Inc., PO Box 130195, Tampa, FL 33629
Call us at: 1-888-8RIDDLE

Final thoughts

The girls loved this game.  It is simple (once you understand the rules and what each of the cards means) and quick to play (too quick for our tastes!).  It’d make a great Christmas gift – and don’t forget to use the coupon code!

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the product described in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

How to have a H.E.A.R.T for Your Kids – Apologia (TOS Review)

 

Pride cometh before a fall.  Honestly, when I read this title up for review by the TOS Review crew, I thought, “What mother doesn’t have a heart for her kids?  Would I really need to read this book, if I wasn’t reviewing it?”

Short answer – absolutely.

Product Details 

Written by Rachael Carman, homeschooling mother of 7, “How to Have a H.E.A.R.T for Your Kids” is a small (approx. 5” x 7”) hardback book containing 200+ pages of wisdom, inspiration, conviction and encouragement (and a couple of what I like to call “butt burning sermons” – you know, the kind that seems as if it’s directed solely to you?).  Rachael covers five main topics, indicated by the acronym H.E.A.R.T.:

H - Have a Heart for the Things of God

First and foremost, it’s important to make Him first and foremost.

E - Enrich Your Marriage

My husband and I married late in life, and Punkin is a honeymoon baby.   We had little time as a married couple before kids – nine months, to be exact, and in that time my husband broke his hip, so we weren’t even able to just enjoy my pregnancy.  It seems like our married life started out as an out-of-control freight train, and the pace hasn’t slowed down since.  It takes effort to remember that a great marriage takes work.  This chapter was a great reminder that I need to focus on that area more.

A - Accept Your Kids

Wow.  This was a big “ouch” moment for me.  How many times have I thought I need to encourage my girls to “do this”, or “go there”, or “say that”, when I really should just sit back and enjoy who they are, as long as their speech and behavior is pleasing to Him.

R - Release Them to God

A gracious reminder that our children are loaned to us by God, to raise and teach them in His ways.  We are to raise them, then release them to Him.

T - Teach Them the Truth

Rachel emphasizes how crucial it is for us, as parents, to teach our kids The Truth rather than allowing them to “learn it” through society or culture.

You can purchase How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids here for $13.

Company contact info:

Apologia Educational Ministries
1106 Meridian Plaza Suite 220
Anderson, IN 46016 US
Phone: (888)524-4724; Fax: (765)608-3290

What I like

Everything.  The outside is lovely, and the inside is thought-provoking.

Due to its size, it was easy for me to grab when I was headed out the door somewhere to take advantage of “wait time.”

Love that Rachael Carman is a homeschooling mom in the homeschooling trenches with the rest of us.

I wish…

I wish Rachael had written this book years ago, before we began our homeschooling journey.  I hate to think of what I’ve missed by not having a total God-focus while schooling (and loving) the girls.

I wish it was longer.   I don’t often say this for a non-fiction book, but I hated reaching the last page.

Watch out for

Watch out for the fall - there will be something (probably several things) in the book that make you say “ouch”.

Be sure to

Review the book’s Table of Contents here.

Check out a sample chapter here.

Request a catalog here.

Be sure to explore the Apologia Educational Ministries website to see the many wonderful offerings by Apologia.

Final thoughts

This should be a must-read for all homeschooling moms.

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the product described in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.