After much anticipation, the Think Tank Lending Library is now open for you to come and check-out
amazing games for use at home. All information about the games and check-out process are below. Hope to see you soon!
How does the lending library work?
· One game may be checked out per family, per week.
· Each game will have a card showing contents. Check it when you get home, check it before you return, mark any missing pieces.
· Games can be checked out for 7-day periods. (Ex: Check out on a Monday, return the next Monday.)
· Games can be checked out by adults during the following times:
o Mondays and Wednesdays 8:10-8:40 am
o Mondays and Wednesdays 3:15-3:45 pm
** Any changes will be posted on my door. **
If I fall in love with a game and want to keep it, can I?
While I’d love to let you keep the games, I can’t. I think the Think Tank Lending Library would be quickly depleted. All games were purchased with a grant from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation and at cost from Labyrinth Puzzles and Games. (Thank you to the CHCF and Kathleen Donahue, Maury mom and owner of Labyrinth!) Games can be purchased there.
What games do you have and how do I know what will be best for my child?
I have placed copies of the Think Tank Lending Library game list on my door. Please take one. All of the information can also be found below.
Are there resources about using games to support a child’s development?
Why yes! There are! Games are excellent for improving reasoning, problem solving, teamwork, rule following and other important skills. In addition, many have direct academic connections enhancing language and math skills. Many games address the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice which can be found at http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Practice .
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to come by my office or email me at vanessa.ford@dc.gov.
Maury Game Library Games
Word Games
Word on the Street, Jr.
Ages: 7+
Skills: Vocabulary, Spelling
Description: Exciting letter tug-of-war board game that is very fun played in teams. Each turn, one team flips over a category card and team members quickly brainstorm words that fit the category. The team agrees on a word before the time runs out and then pulls each letter in that word one lane closer to their side of the street. The first team to pull eight letters off the street wins!
Apples to Apples, Jr.
Ages: 6+
Skills: Reading, Grammar, Vocabulary
Description: On their turn, each player draws an adjective card and acts as a judge, while the other players choose noun cards from their hand which they feel match the judge’s card. The judge picks their favorite answer and the player who played that card receives a point. Player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Zingo
Ages: 4+
Skills: Word, shape and pattern recognition, observation, short term memory skills
Description: Bingo with Zing! Zingo is a fast-paced variation of bingo. Players try to fill their Zingo cards with matching picture/word tiles from the Zingo Zinger. The first player to fill his or her card wins! Two sided Zingo cards allow for more or less competitive game play.
Sequence Letters
Ages: 4 to 7
Skills: Letter recognition, letter sounds
Description: Players sound out the letter on their card, matching it to the beginning sound of the picture on the game board. Each card features a letter of the alphabet in upper and lower case. Colored squares on the cards and game board help with faster recognition. When you have 5 of your chips in a row, you've got a sequence.
Tell Tale
Ages: 4+
Skills: Storytelling, Teamwork
Description: Each side of the card has a simple image, and the players work together to tell a story using the images as inspiration. There are many ways to use these cards to inspire imagination and creativity.
Tell Tale Fairy Tales
Ages: 3+
Skills: Storytelling, Teamwork
Description: Much like Tell Tale, every card in the game features an image on each side. The cards have a fairy tale theme, and players work together to tell a story using the images. This version seems to be easier for younger children as they can relate many of the images to stories that they’ve heard.
Rory’s Story Cubes Nouns
Ages: 4+
Skills: Storytelling, Grammar (parts of speech)
Description: Similar in concept to Tell Tale, but the images are on dice. The images are a bit vaguer too. Players roll the 6 dice, and use the images on the dice as inspiration to tell a story.
Rory’s Story Cubes Verbs
Ages: 4+
Skills: Storytelling, Grammar (parts of speech)
Description: Same as Rory’s Story Cubes Nouns, but the images represent “action” words. Players roll the 6 dice, and use the images on the dice as inspiration to tell a story.
Scrabble Slam
Ages: 6+
Skills: Vocabulary, Spelling
Description: A fast-paced word game for 2-4 players, Scrabble Slam helps with vocabulary and spelling. After creating a random 4-letter word using cards from the deck, players receive the remaining cards, and take turns using those cards to change the word. For example, “LOSS” might become “MOSS”, which might become “MOST”, etc. The first player to use all their cards wins.
Upwords
Ages: 7+
Skills: Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammar
Description: Upwords is a variation on Scrabble. Players take turns laying tiles on the grid, or using their tiles to alter existing words. Points are awarded based on the difficulty of the word.
Bananagrams
Ages: 6+
Skills: Grammar, Spatial Relationships, Vocabulary
Description: “Speed Scrabble” - Each player draws tiles from the center, and then uses those tiles to build an overlapping grid of words. Once completed, the player yells “peel”, each player draws a tile, and play continues until all tiles are gone. More advanced players can be easily “handicapped” by giving them more tiles while less experienced spellers are given fewer tiles.
Pattern Recognition/Spatial Reasoning Games
Spot It
Ages: 4+
Skills: Pattern Recognition, Matching
Description: Each card in the Spot It family is covered in symbols. For any 2 cards, there is one and only one symbol in common. A large variety of both cooperative and competitive games can be played, depending on the child’s abilities. Examples include “Go Fish”, memory games, matching games, and others.
Spot It, Jr.
Ages: 3+
Skills: Pattern Recognition, Matching
Description: Each card in the Spot It family is covered in symbols. For any 2 cards, there is one and only one symbol in common. A large variety of both cooperative and competitive games can be played, depending on the child’s abilities. Examples include “Go Fish”, memory games, matching games, and others. Spot It, Jr. features fewer images per card, larger images, and brighter colors to make it easier for younger children to recognize.
Day & Night
Ages: 3+
Skills: Spatial Reasoning, Pattern Recognition, Reasoning
Description: Day & Night is a solitaire puzzle game. Players create different formations based on the included cards. Using the “Day” cards allows players to see the shapes and colors of the pieces, while the “Night” side shows the outlines and encourages players to experiment in order to match the pattern.
Trucky 3
Ages: 3+
Skills: Spatial Reasoning, Pattern Recognition, Logic
Description: Trucky 3 is a solitaire puzzle including a set of 3 trucks along with 10 colorful blocks. Using any number of the assorted colorful shapes your child is presented with a logic puzzle where they have to find the right pieces to complete the challenge. Preschoolers can start with some basic puzzles; while children 5 and older can focus on the later puzzles, which are more complicated tests of logic and spatial reasoning.
Smart Car
Ages: 4+
Skills: Spatial Reasoning, Pattern Recognition, Logic
Description: SmartCar is a solitaire logic puzzle. Children can use the included pieces to make cars of different layouts using the included cards as clues. Each level of card includes different types of information, forcing the players to think about the blocks in different ways and how they relate to each other.
Color Code
Ages: 5+
Skills: Spatial Reasoning, Pattern Recognition, Colors
Description: Color Code is a solitaire pattern making game which includes multiple color block tiles which can be stacked on top of each other to create color patterns. A book of puzzles is included which ranges from easy to very difficult patterns.
Baffle
Ages: 5+
Skills: Spatial Reasoning, Logic
Description: Baffle is a logic game similar to Sudoku but with colors and shapes instead of numbers. There are multiple games of varying difficulty, including a two-player strategy game. The main objective is to place all 25 pieces on the game board with every vertical column, horizontal row, and corner-to-corner diagonal containing one piece of every shape and one piece of every color.
Swish
Ages: 8+
Skills: Spatial Reasoning
Description: Swish is a spatial card game that challenges you to be the first to make matches, or “Swishes.” Swishes are made by stacking as few as two or as many as 12 cards so that every ball swishes into a hoop of the same color. The player with the most matches at the end of the game wins. Various levels of play make this card game addictively fun for all ages!
Katamino
Ages: 4+
Skills: Spatial Reasoning
Description: Players try to fit wooden pentominoes (blocks with 5 units) into a predetermined space and can increase the difficulty by adding blocks and increasing space. Blocks with fewer units are included for easier puzzles for younger children. The book comes with hundreds of puzzles. There is also a two-player speed game included.
Qwirkle
Ages: 4+
Skills: Logic, Color and Shape Matching, Strategic Thinking
Description: One of the most award winning games ever. Qwirkle can be as simple as matching colors and shapes, but this game can also require tactical maneuvers and well-planned strategy. Earn points by building rows and columns of blocks that share a common shape or color. Look for opportunities to score big by placing a tile that touches multiple pieces with matching attributes.
Q-Ba-Maze (Big)
Ages: 5+
Skills: Spatial
Description: Q-ba-maze is a construction toy in which you can build wonderfully fun marble mazes.
Cooperative Games
Hoot Owl Hoot
Ages: 4+
Skills: Cooperation, Communication, Strategic Thinking, Color Recognition
Description: The object of the game is to move all the owls from start to the nest before the sun rises. Players take turns, but work together as they strategize how to move. Different difficulty levels may be accomplished by using more or less owls.
Willy’s Wiggly Web
Ages: 3-6
Skills: Cutting with scissors, recognizing left & right, hand-eye coordination, counting, taking turns, working cooperatively
Description: Can you cut all the little bugs free before Willy the Spider falls from the top of the web? Watch out- it's wiggly! Set up the web and place Willy and the 10 bugs all around the web. Pick a card, follow the instructions to cut the web, and then pass the scissors either left or right. Work together to cut all the bugs free and you all win!
Race for the Treasure
Ages: 5+
Skills: Strategy, Math grid concepts, Shared decision making, Cooperation
Description: Players try to beat the Ogre to the treasure by creating a path from START to END. Along the way they need to collect 3 keys to open the treasure. Players strategize, cooperate and build the path together. If they do it before the Ogre gets there, they win!
Count Your Chickens
Ages: 3+
Skills: Taking Turns, Following Directions, Counting, Social Development, Cooperation
Description: The baby chicks have flown the coop! All players work together to help Mother Hen collect her chicks and bring them back to the coop. Players take turns, but work together – players count aloud together, collect the number chicks together and, if they collect them all, players win together!
Math Games
Shut the Box (1 to 12)
Ages: 6+
Skills: Math (addition, simple multiplication)
Description: A 14th century classic dice game. Rolling two dice, you use the results to “close” one or more of the numbers lining the top of the box. How close can you get to shutting the box? Using addition skills, you can try to “close” all of the numbers from 1 to 9. Using addition and multiplication skills, you try to “close” all of the numbers from 1 to 12. There are many variations of rules for this game, and the children will frequently invent their own.
Math-a-Kazam
Ages: 6+
Skills: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division
Description: The equation-making game for math-a-magicians. Using the magic magnetic wand, each player draws numbers from the cauldron to create a math equation in 30 seconds. Earn 1 point for each number chip and 2 points for each jewel chip used correctly in an equation. If you drop a chip, you lose your turn. Play can be adjusted to include addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. The magician with most points at the end of the game wins.
Loose Change
Ages: 6+
Skills: Counting Money
Description: The buck stops here in this game of counting and coin recognition. Each player is dealt a hand of cards that includes nickels, dimes, quarters, and half dollars. The object? Be the first to have a pile of cards that add up to exactly one dollar. Be careful, though. If the coin card you play breaks the bank and exceeds the value of one dollar, you go bust.
Sleeping Queens
Ages: 6+
Skills: Memory, Strategy, and Math (Addition)
Description: Big favorite with the kids, both girls and boys! Players are on a quest to wake all the sleeping queens. Each queen is worth a certain number of points. Kings, knights, potions, and jesters all play their part to help you win! If you can make equations or match numbers, you have a better chance of winning.
Zeus on the Loose
Ages: 7+
Skills: Math (Addition, Subtraction, Place Value), Strategic Thinking
Description: The discard pile is Mount Olympus and you win if the discard pile sums to 100 or more while you control a Zeus statue. Each time you play a number card on the discard pile you must call out the new sum. Cards that feature various Greek Gods will affect the pile in some way and may let you steal the Zeus statue. You can also steal Zeus by getting Mount Olympus to sum to a multiple of 10. Fantastic “math in your head” game!
Zingo 1-2-3
Ages: 4+
Skills: Counting, Addition, Pattern Recognition
Description: With Zingo! 1-2-3, players must match their numbered tiles to their corresponding challenge card. The first player with a full card wins the game by yelling “Zingo!” Two levels of play focus on counting and addition.
Dominoes – Double 9 Colored
Ages: 3+
Skills: Numbers, Counting, Pattern Recognition, Strategic Thinking
Description: Many different games can be played with these colorful dominoes which go up to tiles with 9 dots on each side.
Triominos
Ages: 5+
Skills: Number recognition, Strategic Thinking
Description: Three-sided, triangular dominoes adds a bit of complexity and thoughtfulness to the classic game of dominoes.
Chickyboom
Ages: 4+
Skills: Balance, Planning, Cooperation
Description: The chickens are hanging out on their colorful perch, but if one decides to move, everything starts to wobble! Get the chickens, wagon wheels and hay bales off the rocking roost before it’s too late.
Other (memory, dexterity, etc.) Games
Jenga
Ages: 3+
Skills: Dexterity
Description: Try to remove and replace blocks from a tower without knocking it down.
Distraction
Ages: 6+
Skills: Short Term Memory, Number recognition
Description: Players take turns revealing numbered cards, and then reciting the list of previously shown cards. Watch out for the distractions! When drawn, you have to quickly answer questions like “If you had a pet elephant, what would you name it?” then recite the list of numbers again.
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