Now I Know My ABCs for the Wii U

Now I Know My ABCs

GAME DETAILSA fun way to learn the alphabet.

Now I Know My ABC's is a fun and interactive way to learn the alphabet. Using the Touch Screen on the Wii U™ GamePad your goal is to write every letter in both lowercase and uppercase. Each letter is associated with a color. You can press the letter's icon at anytime to hear how the letter is pronounced. After you complete writing a letter the crowd cheers for you, giving positive reinforcement to help encourage the learning of even more letters!

Get your digital copy from Nintendo.

A view from inside the game:

My thoughts:

Now, I've not played this game, as I do not have a Wii U. What intrigued me about this game when I was asked to share about it was that the child is using his hand to write the letters in the air as he tries to write them on the screen. That is one of the ways we try to teach children to form letters early on, though I am used to doing so with sandpaper letters in Montessori. It is harder to make them fit on the lines, which usually comes later with pencil to paper. But perhaps this could be a way to fulfill the desire to play on the Wii while also working on that motor memory for creating the letters.

Watch this video to see a demo:

'Minecraft for Parents' by Cody and Erica Wagner

About the book:

Are you a parent who doesn't know how to play Minecraft; yet your son or daughter is very interested in the game? Why is this such a popular game? Minecraft for Parents provides you with clear cut instructions on how to play this game from start to finish. Prepare to learn about mobs, different dimensions and even how to meet other players. You will also learn the language of Minecraft players. This book also includes helpful pictures.

Available on Amazon

Authors Bios: (This book is by a brother and sister).

Cody Wagner is a twin. He is all about cars, with his favorite being Dodge. First thing each morning, he reads car news even before breakfast. He is also quite the history buff. When he is not playing with his sister, he is reading car news and discovering new car driving games for his Xbox or PC. Cody plans to become CEO of Dodge.

His hobbies are bowling, swimming, sledding and playing racquetball.

Erica Wagner is a twin. She likes science, astronomy, technology and doing paleontology digs. When she is not playing with her brother, she spends her time reading about dinosaurs, space and other science topics. She also has a fashion side where she likes to design clothes and make her own creations. Erica plans to become a scientist.

Her hobbies are bowling, swimming, sledding and playing racquetball.

Review of '101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults' by Bob Bedore

Description

101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults: A Smart Fun Book for Ages 5 and Up is the follow-up to Bob Bedore’s popular 101 Improv Games for Children and Adults. This sequel takes us even deeper into the craft of improv — the magical art of creating something out of nothing — with all new games!

Author Bob Bedore emphasizes how you can use improvisation, creativity, and teamwork any time, any place, to get your imagination flowing, win over a crowd, or be a wittier conversationalist. Actors and improv students will appreciate the author's fun, down-to-earth approach to developing theater craft. And improv isn't only for serious thespians. Used as a classroom activity, it teaches kids how to have fun, relax, and work together without seeming like an educational tool at all.

Great on its own or as a companion to Bedore’s first book, 101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults is centered around entertaining an audience and creating memorable scenes. This sequel includes information on how to produce your own improv show.

101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults is full of wacky and brilliant activities for kids, teachers, actors, comedians, improv groups, or anyone else.

**My review, which first appeared on Examiner**

This book is filled with all kinds of fun activities for most ages. I would recommend it for elementary and beyond, though some could be scaled back for kindergartners, as well.

The first quarter of the book provides some examples as to how an improv situation works, via descriptions known as "Magic Moments." It provides rules on how to "stay in the game" and provides a general outline that fits all of the different types of activities. It doesn't get very in depth with the methodology involved with doing improv. In fact, author Bob Bedore recommends you read his first book to get more of that information. I don't know much about doing improv, but still felt that there was adequate explanation in this book. Bob does provide his contact information, should you have questions. 

These activities would be great for building community within a group, forging relationships and bonding experiences. It gives children a chance to practice speech and language skills, as well as helping them to build confidence. They also have to pay attention to what is going on, so that they can effectively participate. My favorites are the ones where the audience calls out different characters or emotions, music is played to dictate movement, or the one-word debate.
While kids would benefit from having an adult supervise or guide the activities, once the concept is introduced to them, they could page through this book for ideas on their own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

Buy links

Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ Hunter House

Get the first book, 101 Improv Games for Children and Adults

Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ Hunter House

'Boredom Busters: Stuff for Kids to Do When There's Nothing to Do!' by Eileen Mc Aree

Book description:

Turn off the TV and turn on the fun! 

Entertain your kids without plugging in! Boredom Busters is chock full of ideas for entertaining children of multiple ages. All activities are child tested and parent approved! This book is the perfect guide for when you are:

• Sitting in traffic on a family vacation
• Stuck in the house on a rainy day
• Working from home with a houseful of kids
• Trying to tackle your weekend To Do list
• Making dinner, packing lunches or doing the laundry
• Any situation that calls for entertaining kids while you are otherwise occupied!

Child directed play is good for kids. Let the kids indulge in some old fashioned fun while you get your grownup work done! 

Includes:

• Backyard Games
• Sidewalk Games
• Simple Crafts
• Travel Games
• Rainy Day Games
• Ball Games

Teach your children to unplug and still have fun!

Available on Amazon

US \ UK \ CAN

Eileen Mc Aree is a teacher, writer and mother of four. She lives in New York. Eileen has been designing educational materials since her early days of teaching in the New York City Public School System. Since then, she has worked as a Special Education teacher in Middle and Elementary Grades, and a Preschool teacher of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She began taking Spanish classes as a way to better communicate with the families of some of her students and fell in love with language learning. Currently, Eileen is teaching Middle School Resource Room as well as a Spanish Preschool program.She hopes to encourage other parents to give learning a foreign language a try!

Visit her Amazon author page!