Feature Articles

Running Through ToyFair
by Patrick Matthews
I discovered a handful of games at ToyFair that you simply have to take a look at. Not only are they innovative and fun, but they all have strong educational components. Whether you are teaching pre-schoolers or high schoolers, you want to check this one out.
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A Teacher's View: Backseat Drawing
by Karen Luciana
Karen takes Backseat Drawing into her classroom to see what the kids think of it. Then she goes beyond that to see just how a teacher could use this game. Curious? Of course you are.
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I Love Dice Games:
Easy Come, Easy Go
by Kim Vandenbroucke
Kim took a break from The Game Aisle this month to write us a review of Easy Come, Easy Go, a game by the world-famous game designer Reiner Knizia. Did I say world-famous? Yes I did. He's one of a very few game designers who has actually earned that title.
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Great Stories from the Web

Games as powerful learning aids
This story in KnoxNews takes a look at how games can help in the classroom, citing studies and pointing out benefits like improving a child's number sense and how games can help learn one-to-one correspondence. It's a great little piece, filled with quotes and references.
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Adding time to play
I love it when games in education makes it into the New York Times! This op-ed article by Susan Engel proposes the ideal elementary school classroom. Of course, it includes games. What ideal classroom wouldn't?
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Throw out homework!
How about the idea of replacing homework with comic books? I know my kids would love it, and now some New Zealand schools are giving it a try. Whether you think that's crazy or not, take a look at this article. It makes some interesting points about the value of learning in non-traditional ways.
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King Tut
Okay, this one isn't technically about using games to educate - unless you're teaching Ancient Egyptian history. It's still fun. It seems the found a game of Senet in King Tut's tomb. Pretty cool, right?
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NEWS FROM THE EDITOR

What a convention! If there is one lesson to learn from ToyFair this year, it is that games are hot. Usually, two or three games at the fair catch my eye. This year, there were loads of them.

Enjoy!