Teacher Stories: ThinkFun in the Community

Game Nights are a Huge Success at Denton Elementary

Rebeccah Hughes, Math Resource Teacher
Denton Elementary, Denton, Maryland, USA

Throughout the year, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students participated in our after school Game Club. When the opportunity to hold a Game Night came about I knew it would be just as popular as the club but never imagined the turnout we would have! Because of the generosity of ThinkFun, we were able to raise money to buy several more games for our school, including the Junior Mind Challenging Game Set!

Denton Elementary School has an enrollment of over 600 students. With this in mind, I chose to keep the event small for the first night and invited only past participants and their families to a Game Club Open house. We had over 100 visitors and were thrilled to see the interactions amongst the families. Our next Game Night was held in conjunction with our PTA meeting. Invitations were sent out through our county email and we also used the well-designed flyers provided by ThinkFun. Families attended the PTA meeting, and Game Club stations were set up in the media center. For this particular night, our PreK-2nd grade families were scheduled to rotate through classrooms and participate in activities in the classroom. Between rotations families were invited to play the games. Several families even chose to stay through rotations and asked when the next Game Night would take place!

Each Open House was a HUGE success! We had over 250 people attend, and throughout the night every game station was filled with people waiting to get a chance to play! It was AMAZING to watch the kids sit down with their parents and families and just play. Even better was the conversation, connections and interactions! Because many of the parents had not played the games, they were learning together. Parents that do not typically take investment in the kids' academics were finding the games to be an easy way to interact with their own child and didn't even realize they were teaching them at the same time.

It was also fun to have the opportunity to talk to parents about why these games work so well with mathematical reasoning and the role that problem-solving can play in anything they do! A few families were even organizing their own game nights, and two different sets of dads planned on bringing these games to the tables in place of their poker nights!!!

It's easy to put the small amount of work forward when you know the end results are so positive. Our kids had fun, our parents came in to the school to participate and interact with their children, and our school raised money!

Annual MathDice Tournament Celebrates Math Skills!

Carmen Delacruz, Elementary Math Specialist
Arlington County, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Arlington County Since its inception in 2004, the Arlington MathDice Tournament has been a huge hit among 5th graders! As the county's Elementary Math Specialist, I am ecstatic to have recently hosted our sixth annual MathDice Tournament at Barrett Elementary School!

During the tournament, students compete to generate equations using basic operations and powers that get as close as possible to a target number. These students are thrilled to have the opportunity to display their mathematical skills to their friends and families!

Dedicated students prepare for eight weeks leading up to the tournament under the supervision of their MathDice coach. With the tireless support of enthusiastic Math Coaches and school staff, students participate in regular practice sessions before, during, and after school which include special MathDice Challenges provided by ThinkFun. After several weeks of practice, a mini tournament is held at each school to determine the six members of the MathDice team who will represent their school at the tournament.

The day of the tournament is filled with enthusiasm for mathematics! The buzzing audience is filled with students, parents, siblings, and teachers eager to cheer on their team. The tournament is judged and refereed by representatives from Arlington elementary schools, and staff from ThinkFun and Arlington County attend to facilitate the competition and show their support.

Arlington County In 2004, the year of the first tournament, I became involved with MathDice while working as a Math Coach at Claremont Elementary. At 8 months pregnant with doctor's orders to stay in bed, I still felt the need to support my students through this unique learning experience and must admit I continued to help the team practice! The students were very proud of their participation and thrilled to share their adventure with the school community. The following year I volunteered to host the event and worked closely with ThinkFun to prepare my students for the tournament.

In 2006, we found ourselves at an important crossroads, unsure as to whether or not to continue this annual tournament. Having seen firsthand the importance of the MathDice Tournament to the students, I shared with both ThinkFun and the Math Office Supervisor that students county-wide were anxiously awaiting this once-in-a-lifetime event, and we could not let them down. The decision was made to make the tournament an Arlington tradition, and it has been ever since!

In the years that followed, more and more schools became involved, and for the first time this year we had teams representing all 22 Arlington elementary schools participate! The energy for the 2010 tournament is already brewing, and both the students and I can not wait!

"I'm Unplugged!" Turn Off-TV Week 2009

Kim Loos Landewee, Counselor
Jackson Middle School, Jackson R-2 School District, Jackson, Missouri, USA

"I'm Unplugged!" was this year's theme for Turn Off-TV Week 2009 at Jackson Middle School. The purpose of the week was to encourage children and adults to engage in a wide array of screen-free activities. "Turn-off Week" is not just about turning off the TV — it's about turning on life! Many students reported that TV was a huge temptation. Many young people along with their families frequently stated, the week was not easy. "Flip the Switch Night" is among the week's evening activities. "Flip the Switch" night included a variety of activities for students and their families to participate among them was a Think Fun Strategies Lab. The Lab offered the opportunity for individuals to "Engage the Brain".

Approximately 120 people participated in Jackson Middle School's "Flip the Switch" evening. The Think Fun Strategy Lab has been a successful part of "Flip the Switch" night for two years. During our first year, the lab was borrowed. Parents and students spent time together talking and discussing how to solve problems. There is a profound reward watching positive interaction between parents and students of all ages. The Think Fun games allowed for beginning to advanced levels of action therefore everyone could be involved. A positive interaction was witnessed among the families. For this to occur there must be communication both verbal and nonverbal. Families stayed engaged throughout the evening. Not only did the Strategy Lab provide time for the parents and students to interact it allowed entertainment and joy for the families.

Jackson Middle School Funds were allotted to purchase our own games for the Think Fun Strategy Lab for our second year. The funds were limited but Charlotte Fixler, Think Fun Education and Curriculum Specialist and the Think Fun Company went above expectations to assure that our school could maximize the use of the money and set up a variety of experiences for the Middle School Students. Charlotte offered suggestions of games; as well as, pointers for how to set up the lab. Her encouragement was helpful. She was easily assessable by phone or email.

Middle School purchased the Game Club nylon bags. The Mind Challenge cards are on rings, which assisted with an easy way to keep the cards in place. The Nylon bags held the cards, game pieces, and game. These bags were easy to stack into a container for storage. Eleven different games were purchased to offer a variety of interest among the families. Rush Hour seems to be one of the favorite activities; as well as, River Crossing. Safari and Railroad Rush Hour were just as popular as the original. Stormy Seas and Tipover were also popular. One teacher enjoyed Tipover so much that they made it available for students to use in the classroom. Raging Rapids presented quite the challenge so a level of endurance was needed to complete the task. One of my favorites is Chocolate Fix. I'm not sure if I like it for the challenge or because it looks so tasty and I love chocolate.

Whatever one's interest there is a game that offers fun, enjoyment, and the challenge to engage one's brain. I am grateful for the support and appreciative for the rewarding experience provided for Jackson Middle School students. Future goals involve utilizing the Think Fun Strategy Lab during special times either before school or during an after school Game Club. Think Fun has incredible options for education and for parents. I look forward to utilizing Think Fun and services they offer in the future and encourage schools and families to tap into this resource. Think Fun has astounding programs.

Thinkfun Games Strengthen Mental Muscles at Herndon Senior Center!

Emilio Esteban, Troop 913
Herndon, Virginia

Herndon Senior Center There are seven ranks in scouting and the Eagle Scout rank is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. A scout needs to fulfill over 350 requirements in his path to Eagle. Probably the most noteworthy of these is where the prospective Eagle needs to "plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community."

I have been a Life scout, one rank below Eagle, since February 2006. My fascination with puzzles and brainteasers began I was a young child. In fact, one of my first puzzles was a Binary Arts product called Port to Port. My initial project idea was developed after one of my friends was diagnosed with cancer. I thought it would be a good project to bring mind challenging games to children's cancer wards. The idea failed, mostly because the games potentially could spread diseases between kids with compromised immune systems. Time passed. In spring 2008, spurred by my mother's encouragement, I began actively searching for a project. After a few discussions, one idea came up: what about offering mind challenging games to senior citizens? A few calls later, I was able to contact and meet with Mrs. Ruth Junkin, the director of the Herndon Senior Center. Mrs. Junkin, herself the mother of an Eagle Scout, was very supportive of the idea. The Herndon Senior Center sponsors an activity called Mental Muscle, led by Mrs. Donna Sugermeyer. The program was focused on word puzzles, and I thought that giving the seniors other games could improve the program.

Herndon Senior Center After obtaining project approvals from my troop, I talked with Mr. Bill Ritchie and Ms. Andrea Barthello, the founders of ThinkFun, who were equally enthusiastic about the idea. They donated some games for research, which I brought to the senior center with a few other scouts to three sessions of Mental Muscle. After figuring out the games the seniors liked, I organized a fundraising campaign from Saint Joseph's Catholic Church so that we could purchase more games for the project. Considering the economic downturn that the country was experiencing, the results were rather surprising: over $2,000 was collected. In fact, I was still getting donations two months after the weekend of fundraising.

The funds, coupled with ThinkFun's additional donation of games, allowed me to purchase two storage carts and games for the center. I was also able to create two other portable units which could be taken to other Mental Muscle programs around Fairfax County.

I brought 14 scouts with me to help present the games on the December 30, 2008 session of Mental Muscle. The seniors were extremely excited, and about 70 seniors attended the event — thrice as many seniors as are normally present. The seniors enjoyed the games and the refreshments provided. According Mrs. Junkin, the games are now popular even among seniors outside of the Mental Muscle program.

So, my Eagle Scout project is done. It's nice to know that I've finally finished, and even nicer to know that I managed to make a lot of people happy while on the way. Finally, one of the best lessons I have learned through this experience is that it takes a lot of help from individuals and organizations in order to carry out a successful project. I could not have done this project without the support of ThinkFun's founders, and the help of Mrs. Junkin and Mrs. Sugermeyer, my parents, siblings, and fellow scouts.

Game Nights Bring Families Together!

Amy Leach, Event Organizer
River Heights Elementary School, Menomonie, Wisconsin, USA

River Heights Elementary School Our ThinkFun Game Night Fundraiser was a HUGE success! The PTO of our school put on the event on a Tuesday night. We had 45 families come play ThinkFun games and collected orders from 18 of the families. We also sent home information packets with every student, so that even if someone could not come to the game night, they had the opportunity to order ThinkFun games.

The Game Night itself was relatively easy to organize. The school owned two Classroom Sets and many parents from PTO that owned ThinkFun games brought their games to share. We had different "stations" set up with a parent volunteer to explain how to play the game. The volunteer would then go through a couple of examples. After the station time, families could choose to play a game.

We are planning to hold another ThinkFun Game Night and Fundraiser in the fall. Our plan is to have demonstrations during parent teacher conferences as well. We think we will be able to increase our sales because of the time of the year (just before Christmas) and that more families will get to see the games during the conferences. The games sell themselves, so we think we just need to have more people see the games at the right time of the year!

Interested in hosting a ThinkFun Game Night? Click to learn more about our ThinkFundraiser programs!

ThinkFun Game Night is a Big Success in Hamilton, Montana!

Echo Allison, Gifted & Talented Teacher
Hamilton School District, Hamilton, Montana, USA

Hamilton School District Each year, 5th grade students in Spectra, our district's Gifted and Talented program, create new games. We study inventors and think about ways they use inventive thinking. Then students create their own games. We host a "Game Night" to celebrate our 5th grade inventors and to showcase their games.

On that same night, we set up a ThinkFun "Game Club" for parents to give them an opportunity to use their thinking skills to solve our favorite awesome challenges. Parents and kids spent the whole time enjoying all these cool games! I'm delighted that ThinkFun has created an opportunity for schools to sell these games at retail price and earn funds. ThinkFun offers schools the chance to order new games at a great discount with the money they raise, and we put our earnings towards loads of free new games for our school

One other way I've earned a lot of new games for our Gifted and Talented program is by hosting a ThinkFun Game Night for the community. At our local Holiday Bazaar, which is held in one of our school buildings, I set up a table of ThinkFun games that I use with kids. To advertise, I sent home flyers to families and put announcements in our school newsletters. I was amazed at how many games were ordered! Parents, grandparents, and other community members were excited to get to play the games and order them as gifts. Using the profits from game sales gave us a fabulous opportunity to add a lot more new games to our program. I have set these new games up on a check-out basis for classroom teachers to use with their classes. Everyone is thrilled!

I highly encourage you to host a ThinkFun Game Night to enrich your school's supply of these games. It's an easy way to get more fun, fabulous challenges into the hands of our students!

Interested in hosting a ThinkFun Game Night? Click to learn more about our ThinkFundraiser programs!

ThinkFun Game Club Games Challenge Thinkers of all Ages!

Allison McGee, 7th & 8th Grade Math Teacher
All Saints Catholic High School, Kanata, Ontario, Canada

I began using the ThinkFun Game Club with my grade 7 and 8 students four months ago, and they are loving it! In fact, the first thing I usually hear from my students now is, "are we doing Game Club today?!" We usually use Game Club once every couple of weeks, and during each session we focus on developing a different social skill and problem solving skill.

In addition to the in-class Game Club, my school also has a math club that meets once a week at lunch, and our focus is the ThinkFun games the kids already know and love from Game Club. Both Game Club and math club now provide opportunities for students to work together, have fun, and develop their thinking skills all while playing great ThinkFun games!

I recently took my grade 7 math class on a field trip to a retirement home to share the ThinkFun Game Club games with the residents. This was a great success for everyone involved! Some of the residents simply enjoyed watching the students play the games, while others got right into solving the challenges themselves.

As a teacher, it was so rewarding to see my students interacting with the residents and sharing their knowledge of a particular game. The Game Club games were great conversation starters for the students and residents, and the discussions that naturally emerged as they played helped them get to know each other a little better. This visit was a fantastic opportunity for my students to share the mind challenging games they've been using in Game Club with friends in a new community. What an incredible outreach experience for my students. This trip was a wonderful experience for everyone involved, and we hope to go back soon!

A Therapist Finds New Uses For Rush Hour In Her Practice

Jennifer S. Berliner, Child and Adolescent Therapist
Austin Travis County MHMR Center, Austin, Texas, USA

I've been using Rush Hour in my therapy sessions with families. I discovered this game in a local training by a therapist who is doing research on the use of games with at-risk youth. The game Rush Hour is helpful diagnostically to observe problem solving skills and patterns of communication between a teen and parent or between siblings. Do they argue? Share? Work together or in competition?

With Rush Hour, I set up (the 1st time) a puzzle and tell them the object is to get the "red car out of the grid lock, you make up the rules...there is only one rule: cars must stay on the road/track they are currently set up on."

Some observations my colleagues have noticed, anecdotally speaking, are that adolescents seem to be the group that tries to "cheat" by lifting the cars off the road and moving them! Also, overwhelmed parents tend to give up and throw in the towel and disengage before teen (Mmm, telling information for the teen that keeps running away from home, skipping school, etc.).

Interestingly, the game Rush Hour is also a GREAT metaphor for parents/teens:

Does the teen like to break other rules or take short cuts?
Siblings (or team members in a class), what was it like to "establish the rules of the game?" Where the rules fair? Did you all agree on the rules?
What are the house (or classroom) rules?
What (if anything) happens when you break a rule?
(If a parent 'gives up on the game'): Have you, the parent, ever walked away when your teen gets into a complicated jam?
Have you ever been in a jam?
Did you get out of the jam on your own?
Have you been helped out of a jam?
Have you helped others out of jam?
What did you do to get out of a jam?

Social-emotional skills are vital to development, yet often overlooked because they are learned mostly by observation and modeling. Social-emotional skills include tasks such as sharing, taking turns, waiting your turn (very difficult for kids with impulse control & ADHD), and reading non-verbal communication cues. Also, playing Rush Hour promotes team work and problem-solving together rather than in competition.

The ThinkFun Educational site is great and I look forward to the newsletters! You might consider doing a newsletter or putting together some activities around the social-emotional education that ThinkFun games offers players! Keep up the GREAT work!