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The 5-Minute Brain Workout for Kids by Kim Chamberlain

Source: Sky Pony Press
Paperback, 416 pgs.
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The 5 Minute Brain Workout for Kids by Kim Chamberlain, illustrated by Jon Chamberlain, is a great activity book for kids ages 7 and older, and includes games, puzzles, and teasers that will keep kids brains active and developing outside the classroom.  But what’s great is these activities don’t feel like school work, even though they will be learning new words and how to spell them, learning how to concentrate, and establish their own goals.  However, the book also can be used as a fun additional activity in the classroom and with family.  From alliteration to spelling and definitions, kids will learn new words and how to use them and when.   As kids, parents, and teachers move through the levels (1-10) in the book, the games and puzzles will get harder.

Puzzles in the book are those with specific answers, while games are those activities that may have more than one “right” answer, allowing users to be creative and to do games more than once.  The book contains 37 types of exercises and three bonus puzzles at the end, and the answers are in the back of the book to help parents and teachers.  Throughout the book, kids will notice a blue-tongued lizard named Ra, which is based on the authors’ pet lizard at home.

Although this book is aimed at kids older than my daughter, we had fund giving some of the games and puzzles in level 1 a try.  One of her favorites was the “Word Line” where she was given a saying from Kermit the Frog to follow in the word jumble using only 1 line.  It was fun to teach her how to look at the phrase and look for each letter in each word and follow it to the end.  She liked how it made a “snake line.”  The simple anagrams were tough for her, as she’s only learned how to recognize a few words.  We did the train words together, and she seemed to enjoy discovering new animal words in the jumbles.

The 5 Minute Brain Workout for Kids by Kim Chamberlain, illustrated by Jon Chamberlain, is a book I’ll be holding on to for her when she’s in Kindergarten this fall.  We’ll start again, and as she goes through school, I’m sure she’ll be doing more of these puzzles on her own.  It will be a good way to see how she’s developing.

About the Author:

Kim Chamberlain has been writing and creating activities, games, and puzzles since childhood. The author of Five-Minute Brain Workout as well as communication skills and activity books, she has a master’s in linguistics. She worked with teenagers for many years and is a volunteer reader/writer for college students. She is an award-winning international professional speaker and was founding president of a professional speaker’s association chapter. She lives in Wellington, New Zealand, with her husband, Jon, their two children, and their pet lizard.

About the Illustrator:

Jon Chamberlain has been drawing for a long time, collaborating with his wife on several book projects and for his own enjoyment. He worked exclusively in inks and watercolor until recently, when he acquired a drawing tablet and consequently relearned how to create digitally. He is a professional IT geek, comic book aficionado, and collector of old science fiction novels. He resides in Wellington, New Zealand.

Mailbox Monday #350

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at To Be Continued, formerly The Printed Page, has a permanent home at its own blog.

To check out what everyone has received over the last week, visit the blog and check out the links.  Leave yours too.

Also, each week, Leslie, Vicki, and I will share the Books that Caught Our Eye from everyone’s weekly links.

Here’s what I received:

Knights of the Third Millennium by Allan A. Arel, which I received from my aunt and it is written by her cousin.

The six knights serve a secret order of the Catholic Church know as the Knights of the Third Millennium. They work in secret because the world for the most part is completely unaware of the evil that roams the night. Evil such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches and demons of various kind. They spend their nights hunting evil, and their days when not sleeping are spent in the company of each other and whatever local prostitutes happen to be around. They drink, party, gamble, and continuously pick on each other, which makes them like most of us, very human; or sinners if you will. These men will go to their deaths to rid evil of this world, so to them having a good time is usually a bit more extreme then most people live, but at the same time understandable. After all if you might die tomorrow wouldn’t you want to have as much pleasure as you possibly could tonight? While after a werewolf the knights find themselves smack dab in the middle of a town designated to be the place where hell comes to earth. Now they aren’t just chasing a werewolf but they’re having to deal with all kinds of evil creatures as well as an ancient evil sorcerer. They get help from a most unlikely wizard, who has the power of God working through him all coming to a climatic and surprising end.

The Runaway Santa: A Christmas Adventure Story by Anne Margaret Lewis, illustrated by Aaron Zenz for review from Sky Pony Press.

Once there was a jolly Santa who wanted to leave the North Pole on a worldwide vacation! He decides he wants to visit Mount Rushmore and see the stone faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Then he’ll ski the silky slopes of the Swiss Alps. And after that, he’ll ride an elephant in South Africa on a safari. Santa is eager for a new adventure, but Mrs. Claus isn’t so sure he’s ready just yet. Before he takes off, she’s going to make sure he’s got his rock climbing gear. And his skis, and his hat. He must be ready!

It isn’t long before Santa realizes that maybe his adventure would be more fun with a friend. Mrs. Claus is clearly an expert adventurer herself, and so the two take off together on a runaway adventure. They have a little time before Christmas, after all, and everybody needs a break sometimes!

The Night Before Christmas: A Brick Story by Clement C Moore, illustrated by Amanda Brack for review from Sky Pony Press.

Spread the Christmas cheer with this whimsical retelling of Clement C. Moore’s cherished poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” This new edition of the classic features the text of Moore’s original poem, illustrated with beautifully detailed LEGO brick scenes and characters.

See the colorful stockings hung by the chimney in the fanciful brick house, and look on at the visions of dancing brick sugarplums. Turn the pages to reveal Saint Nicholas with his bundle of toys and his eight trusty reindeer, and watch as he magically slides down the chimney to bring presents to the good little girls and boys before shouting, “Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!” This treasured Christmas poem in brick will quickly become the highlight of your holiday storybooks and a great new tradition for the whole family!

Tough Cookie by Kate Louise, illustrated by Grace Sandford for review from Sky Pony Press.

When this gingerbread man was baked, someone forgot to put in the ginger. He’s made of eggs and cinnamon and flour and butter and sugar, but he’s missing a key ingredient! Without ginger, the gingerbread man feels like he’s not really a gingerbread man at all! He can’t be sold in the bakery, so he lives at the back of the store. And there he causes all kinds of trouble.

The Five-Minute Brain Workout for Kids: 365 Amazing Fabulous and Fun Word Puzzles by Kim Chamberlain, illustrated by Jon Chamberlain for review from Sky Pony Press.

Our brains are an amazing organ! And just like our bodies, our brain functions best when it’s put to work. So get ready to give your brain a full workout each day with The Five-Minute Brain Workout for Kids! Inside, you’ll find 365 word puzzles and games to keep your mind active and in great shape! Have fun with your family and friends as you learn about acronyms, anagrams, definitions, parts of speech, rhyming words, syllables, word structure, and more with these fun puzzles. From Alphabet Teasers and Mini Word Sudoku puzzles, to Speed Words and Word Store games, even doing one puzzle a day will help you to learn new words, spell better, problem solve with ease, and have better concentration.

What did you receive?