www.easygrammar.com

by Mary and Michael Leppert

67 colorful hard, coated cards, 4.5” H x 2.75” W and Information Cards.

Irregular verbs are one of the true challenges in grammar, whether English, Spanish or other languages. This category of verbs have to be memorized individually. Unlike regular verbs, there is no pattern to these verbs – in other words, they are not regular!

Dr. Wanda Phillips, founder and owner of Easy Grammar Systems, has developed this card deck to offer all students a way to learn the concept of irregularity and easily memorize the verb forms themselves with practice.

Here is an example from the card deck list of 25 verbs:

Often, the past participle includes the word “had” or “have” before the verb. Therefore, “had begun,” “had broken,” or “have begun,” “have broken,” etc. The game does not use these auxiliary words, but sticks to the verb itself.

You see, each tense is different and has to be memorized, so you can speak and write correctly without hesitation. Just as in the multiplication tables, if you have to stop and think too often – you don’t know the material.

The game consists of placing the shuffled deck of 67 cards face up. The instructor states the verb, the player will place 3 cards of the verb form in the correct order as shown above – present, past, past participle. Then, the student says, “Today I begin,” “Yesterday I began,” or “Last week I had begun.”

This aids in memory and understanding the sounds of the irregular forms. Once you really grasp the correct sound of the past participle, you won’t forget it. One incorrect example I hear frequently is “had went” instead of “had gone.” Once you play the Easy Grammar Game a few times, you will come to have the same awareness of correct or incorrect irregular verb usage.

The Irregular Verb Game makes learning these challenging word forms easy and enjoyable. Grammar, although one of the most daunting academic topics, is also one of the most enjoyable to master. Nothing makes a person stand out with confidence and knowledge quite like a skillful use of his/her language.

Visit Easy Grammar Systems’ website, www.easygrammar.com, to see their complete line of grammar instruction products – books, videos, and others and dive into mastery!

When you purchase Constitution Quest,
Apply Coupon Code HSMag24 at checkout to receive $10 off

www.constitutionquest.com
27475 Ynez Road, Suite 354
Temecula, CA 92591
Phone: 951-587-5425

Email: info@constitutionquest.com

By Michael Leppert

Over the past several months, a game called Constitution Quest has been creating quite a buzz. From talk radio shows to homeschool conventions, I have been hearing more and more people talk about this great board game and its goal of enhancing the Constitutional IQ of the American people. Produced by a family of teachers, the creators used research-based learning strategies to design a game that is both fun and educationally engaging. Despite a lack of marketing funds, the popularity of the board game took off through word of mouth and demand skyrocketed. This high-quality game, made in the USA, can now be found in several presidential libraries and in booths at educational conventions across the country. As people in all 50 states have discovered, once you play, you are hooked!

The gameboard is a wonderful graphic organizer. It provides players a visual representation of the U.S. government, including how all of its pieces fit together. The result is both beautiful and memorable, allowing students to engage with the content in a way they never thought possible. Students often report increased confidence on civics exams and in general civics knowledge. Using 223 game cards packed with Constitutional information, players learn about the 3 branches of government, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights, all the Articles and Amendments of the Constitution, and so much more. And each game includes a complimentary copy of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to aid in your quest of civic discovery.

The game can be played with as little as 2 people, but becomes an engaging constitutional party when you partner up into teams. However, Constitution Quest is not for students alone; the entire family will love to play this game. The fun starts before you even start playing: choose your game piece from 10 of the 39 signers of the Constitution. This is a great learning opportunity for everyone to learn more about the founders of our country. Try it on Family Game Night, or at your next celebration for the Fourth of July. Students of basic government, average adults, even that one guy you know who is a civics genius – everyone will love exploring our U.S. Constitution in this fun game.

The game is played with 5 decks of cards: The Executive Branch, The Legislative Branch, The Judicial Branch, Founders & Facts, and the Quest Cards. The game also includes an answer key, scoring pad, and the necessary dice. Each card also includes a code that corresponds to the answer key, enabling for quick and easy answer verification. Most of the cards offer multiple choice questions, while the Quest Cards are true/false questions. This familiar question format helps with player-intimidation; allowing everyone to select an answer means no one person has to offer an answer, thus being singled out for the imagined ridicule.

While most government classes are for teens, the Constitution Quest has been successfully field tested on players aged 10 – 84. The game creators also offer some suggestions for playing with varying ability levels. For families with younger students, try using the “novice cards” (marked with a star) first, allowing students to gain confidence and mastery over the simpler content before moving on to more difficult areas. Teachers can also reuse the cards played in one game for the next time – providing repetition and increased confidence as they become familiar with the same questions.

Constitution Quest, both in content and in design, is perfect for homeschool classrooms. The content is engaging for a variety of levels, covers a wide range of topics, and is completely self-contained with re-sealable baggies for cards and game pieces. And the game is fast-paced, constantly satisfying that need for instant gratification that we love in our board games. An entire game can be completed in less than an hour; a great treat in between lessons, or to enhance scheduled lesson plans. Engaging gameplay, multiple levels of difficulty, and fast-paced fun make Constitution Quest a wonderful addition for any busy (and often cluttered!) homeschool classroom.

For more information, including pricing and ordering information, please visit their website at www.constitutionquest.com.

MjL

By Carolyn Forte

Many families now have more T.V. sets than people. Add to that the array of smart phones, computers and electronic game devices owned by most families and you get a recipe for family disconnection. One of the best advantages of homeschooling is family time together, but if we squander too much of that time in our separate electronic worlds, we lose a precious treasure forever. Time lost can never be regained and children are soon grown and gone.

Raymond and Dorothy Moore have pointed out that education researcher, Urie Bronfenbrenner, “found that at least up to the sixth grade, children who spend less of their elective time with their parents than their peers tend to become peer-dependent.” (www.moorefoundation.com – search Articles, “Synopsis”) . The myth that “quality time” is sufficient for positive child-rearing has long been debunked; it is imperative that parents spend large blocks of time engaged with their children in activities and conversation. Children need their parents’ attention in far greater quantity than they need friends and amusements. Sadly, our hurried, suburban lifestyle can divide families and prevent the kind of vital parent-child interaction that has been the norm for millennia. Unless we consciously develop family-centered activities, our children will be deprived of the positive adult modeling they so desperately need to grow into happy, productive adults.

One solution for a busy family is to set aside time to play family games. Turn off all the electronic media so you can devote attention to each other and the chosen game. Do this frequently and games will become an integral part of your family lifestyle. Whether your family prefers a game that takes 10 hours or 10 minutes, sitting down on the floor or table to play a game helps to firm family bonds. Playing a game helps people relax and interact more freely. It is also a gentle venue where parents can teach children fair play, patience and even teamwork. We get so busy and are so inundated with electronic information/entertainment, that we often forget to stop and just talk with each other. Games force us to stop and just focus for a while on the family — to pay attention to each other without distractions.

Sometimes, a very simple game like Ruckus that can be played by children as young as three, yet is great fun for adults, is a good choice. Each hand is quickly played, so the game can last a few minutes or go on for as long as you wish to play. Ruckus is unique in that the younger, slower players actually have the advantage.

It’s important not to discourage the younger children when playing a family game. They won’t want to play for long if they always lose. For that reason, pick your games carefully and feel free to modify the rules for younger players. Try to pick a game that will work for the youngest player. There are many games that are interesting to adults, yet are fine for young children. You just have to search them out.

Many of the old standard card games are simple enough for five- and six-year-olds. My mother began playing a card game with me when I was about three. She would give me four cards and put four on the table. If I could match a pair numerically, I could take the pair. If I could not make a match, I could draw from the deck. She helped me along until I knew all the patterns as well as the numbers. She always had a deck of cards in her purse, so that we could play whenever we had to wait in an office or wherever she had a little free time. This was a special time for me with my mother, but it also helped me learn about numbers and patterns.

You can play games in the car. Our family liked to play the alphabet game, searching for the alphabet in order on license plates, billboards and signs. We also played Twenty Questions, always using something that could be seen from the car. This can be quite challenging and a lot of fun, but it also trains the mind in powers of reasoning and deduction. Mad Libs is another great car activity that also teaches parts of speech. Carschooling by Diane Flynn Keith is loaded with interesting things to do in the car. I know that electronic games are very popular and can be great pacifiers and babysitters, but it’s important to remember that human interaction is vital to healthy humans, so try not to let the screens and iPods swallow up every minute.

Some people plan a weekly game night and others like to pull out a quick game after dinner before everyone scatters to their individual pursuits. Each family is different and tastes in games vary widely, but there are thousands of games on the market to choose from and if you let different family members choose games in a rotation, you should have an enjoyable experience.

Here are some suggestions for choosing games for family play: Look for games that have a very wide age range or that can be easily played in teams or with partners.

• Scrabble is a terrific game for older children and adults, but it is too hard for younger children. Pick Two and Keesdrow will satisfy the adult word addict yet can be successfully played by children as young as seven or eight.
• Traditional board games like Parchisi, Chinese Checkers and Monopoly are fun and interesting for a wide range of players. Even pre-school children can enjoy Parchisi, which also involves counting and addition. Card games that are not too complicated are fun for the whole family. For those who chafe at waiting turns, pick a game like SET or Quick Pix in which there is no waiting, or buy cards with art, science or history pictures on the cards.
• BINGO games are very popular with kids and adults. Whether you use a traditional BINGO game or an educational version, the whole family can have a great time. If one or more of your children cannot yet recognize letters and numerals, try one of the primary level JINGO games or a Lucy Hammett Bingo game — they have pictures as well as written clues on the calling cards.
• Keep in mind the attention span of your players. Generally, you will have to work with the tolerance level of your youngest player. If you have favorite games that take too long for the youngest player, you can shorten them by setting a time limit, or you can excuse the youngest when he loses interest.
• Different family members may prefer different styles of games. Some people prefer strategy games and others like games with more chance. Some like geometric games like Blokus, Castle or Katamino while others want a linear board game like Candyland or Uncle Wiggily. Some love word games and others prefer quiz games. It is impossible to satisfy everyone at once, but try to have a variety of games and allow a rotation of styles so that everyone gets his choice now and again.
• Allow children to make up alternate ways to play games. You own the game; you are not chained to the rules. Often, children invent better, more creative ways to play a game. Don’t discourage this. If you get frustrated by your child’s insistence on creating new game rules, make a pact to play alternate rounds of the standard game and the child’s version.You may be surprised by the results. It is, of course, important to agree on the rules before beginning a game.

When planning your family activities, don’t forget the outdoor games like croquet, badminton, ball games, Frisbee and jump rope. The whole family needs exercise and fresh air. Get outside and play there, too. These games help develop vision (focusing, tracking, depth perception, figure-ground perception, etc.), hand-eye coordination, agility, balance, and much more. Most children today don’t get anywhere near enough unstructured outdoor play. These activities are a wonderful way to cement family ties while developing both social and physical skills.
_____________________
Carolyn Forte is a homeschool mom of two grown daughters, co-owner with her husband, Martin, of Excellence In Education Homeschool Resource Center in Monrovia, CA, author of The Game Curriculum and a former classroom teacher. She can be contacted at eiebookstore@gmail.com.

Visit Carolyn’s Website 

by Emerson Sandow

The health and future of Family Farming is one of the most important issues America faces. Our food supply is best served by individual farming families who are on the same level as the people they serve – us! Corporate farming interests serve their shareholders and the bottom line, not consumers. Individual farming is also one of the riskiest self-employment options one can undertake!

The We R Fun Game company is close to the family farming world and their board game, Life on the Farm reflects that.

Life on the Farm resembles a countrified version of Monopoly. At the start, each player begins with $10,000 and no cattle. One of the squares on the board is “Cattle Auction” and when a player lands on it, you have the opportunity to buy as many cattle as you want for $500 each. If a bill has to be paid and you don’t have the cash, you have to sell enough cattle to pay it at $300 per head – a loss of $200 each — just like real life!

Each time you pass the Barn square, you get a “Milk check”. Its size is based on how many cows you own, so the more cows, the more Milk money, but your expenses are, too. Another real-life aspect is that market values of your cows are determined by a roll of the dice! Other realistic aspects of farm life that are included in the game are: Machinery breakdowns/repairs, feed costs, insurance, taxes and actual mishaps, like having a cow be accidentally shot by a hunter.

The first player to achieve 60 cows and $10,000 is the winner! The point of the game is not ruining other players, but handling your own resources in the face of often staggering obstacles, but all with a sense of humor – essential to being a real farmer. Life on the Farm is excellent for all ages, from 6 or 7 to adult, and there is even a separate Preschool Version available for the very young. The game has received enthusiastic feedback and comments, which you can read on the website along with ordering information and other interesting farming information

http://www.werfungames.com/

$28.99 regular version
$28.99 preschool version

35696 Moraine Dr.
Cushing, MN 56443
Ph: 320-630-1571