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Fun Activities For Kids – Old School!

September 17, 2009 by Indoor Games for Kids · Leave a Comment 

Hula Hoops, Hopscotch and Horsehoes I got the biggest kick out of this Dad sharing some great simple games to do with your kids. They are really simple and you probably know how to do many of them yourself. Sometimes it just takes a reminder of all the simple things we have at our [...] This Post via: Toddler Crafts Where you can get fun, educational crafts and tips for kids 1-7! Fun Activities For Kids – Old School! Similar Toddler Crafts News: Pre School Activities Penny the P

Simpsons Air Hockey Table

May 12, 2009 by Indoor Games for Kids · Leave a Comment 

Simpsons Air Hockey Table



User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Customer Service
Table was received broken the day before Christmas, I contacted them the day after Christmas and finally got a pickup order issued on Jan 29 so that I could return it to them for a refund.

5 Stars A SIMPSONS JOY!
THIS IS FOR OUR SONS CHRISTMAS 2007 & DAD & I CHECKED IT OUT BEFORE LOADING IT INTO SANTA’S WORKSHOP! IT’S SO A KEEPER! CAN’T WAIT TO PLAY WITH THE BOYS….AGES 9 TO 4YEARS OLD! WE THINK IT’S A COOL TOY & IT SEEMS VERY NICELY MADE! NOT TOO BIG NOT TOO SMALL! WE HOPE THE MOVIE COMES OUT ON DVD BEFORE CHRISTMAS & WE ALSO GOT SIMPSON FOOSBALL TABLE AND TOTALLY PLEASED WITH THE STYLE & DETAILS & COLORING AS WELL!!!

THESE R REALLY GREAT PRICES FOR VERY SPECIAL TOYS FOR VERY SPECIAL BOYS!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

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KidKraft Nantucket Table and 4 Primary Chairs

April 24, 2009 by Indoor Games for Kids · Leave a Comment 

KidKraft Nantucket Table and 4 Primary Chairs




The Nantucket Collection Table and Four Chairs Set is a great place for coloring, boardgames and crafts. With clean, simple lines, the set includes 1 honey-colored table with wainscoting detail and 4 chairs finished in blue, red, honey and green. For children 3 to 8 years old. Measures 23.75″ x 19.5″ x 23.75″

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Good Product
My kids love the table. It is sturdy and well built, which is why I rated it so high. The table space is a little lacking, it is about 20-22″ square table top. The latter is my only gripe about the product.

It was simple and easy to assembly and I was impressed with how well packed it was, heavy foam.

Overall a good product in my opinion..

5 Stars Worth It!!
I was hesitant to buy this table and chair set because of the negative reviews about the product. But, in the end I decided that the price was just too good to pass up! The table and chairs are great!!! I don’t know how the other people treat their belongings but, things here is my house get A LOT of use…and this little set appears as if it’s going to stand the test of time. If you want to waste your money on a table and chair set that is five times the price and the same thing…by all means do it.

4 Stars wonderful table set for the price
I got this table last week and at first I thought I would have to return it because I couldn’t figure out the screws but my dad came and put it together easily. I guess its just my lack of following directions skills lol. The assembly was easier than I thought and the set looked great. my son loved it! For the price I would reccomend it

5 Stars She has her own dinner table!!!!
The wife and I were searching for a table about his size for a long time and when she came across this one on Amazon, we were very happy because the price was right. We looked into folding tables and found the price to be just a few dollars more for the wooden one. When it arrived, it was very easy to put together. My kid loves it and I would recommend this to anyone looking to find a set of 4 chairs and table made of actual wood.

Very easy to lift and move when needed. Great purchase, I am very content with it.

5 Stars grandbabies table set
I was very pleased with the apperance and construction of this childrens table and chair set. I hope my 2 grandbabies will enjoy this for years to come.

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Chess Tactics for Kids

April 20, 2009 by Indoor Games for Kids · Leave a Comment 

Chess Tactics for Kids




Chess enthusiasts of all ages and levels will find this book an instructive delight. In a simple, easy-to-understand format it explains how to bamboozle your chess opponents using commonly occurring tactical motifs. The illustrative positions, all taken from real games, show the 50 Tricky Tactics that experienced chess masters use to win their games. Recognising frequently-occurring tactical ideas is vital to success in chess. One of the fastest and most enjoyable ways to improve at chess is by learning these thematic manoeuvres. Beginners will benefit from the clear explanation of basic concepts, such as how to utilise a fork, pin, or skewer. Advanced players will delight in the many devious middlegame tricks - some classified here for the first time - which can catch out even grandmasters. Chess Tactics for Kids makes improving easy and fun, and is full of helpful explanations on how to approach chess games with confidence - and success.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Great Tactics Intro
This book is a very good introduction to a number of essential tactical concepts. For novice players looking to improve quickly, attention to the lessons in this book will be a big help. The lessons build from simple concepts to more complex motifs in a logical manner, which makes the material easy to grasp.

I recommend the book.

5 Stars Chess tactics and combinations to make you a more powerful player quickly!
This is a great book that compliments “How to Beat Your Dad at Chess.” It covers various chess tactics that come up or can be created to win material, gain positional advantages and impose checkmate.

Overall, the book is highly readable with good diagrams and easy to follow text. It is thorough in covering important and commonly used tactics, but not overwhelming for new players.

I think Chess Tactics for Kids is a misnomer in a sense since this book is appropriate for almost any adult and probably wouldn’t be very useful to kids under 12 years old unless they have more than a casual interest in chess. However, younger kids could certainly grow into it as their interest peaks and they master more fundamental skills.

I’ve been playing chess for years and got a lot out of this book. I think it’s perfect for teenagers and highly recommend it to adults who have not read seriously on chess and are somewhat intimidated or bored by move-by-move type chess books. I also recommend it to younger kids with more advanced chess skills or who are serious doing their homework to improve their skills.

I wish this book was available when I was learning to play chess. It would have saved me a lot of time learning things the hard way and wading through a lot of overly complicated move-by-move type books that I wasn’t ready for.

4 Stars Chess Tactics, Traps and Combination books - the best way to get better
When you are a beginner there is nothing better than studying books on Tactics, Traps and Combinations in chess. This is because the mind of a beginner can certainly understand 1 + 1 = 2. The value of the pieces is clear and coming out ahead can be calculated. This is a point that is a first step in learning chess! Tactics, at any point of the game are important to learn. Knowing what they are, how they work and recognizing them at a glance is necessary if you are going to become a good chess player. “CHESS TACTICS FOR KIDS” works on the most important starting tactics by showing you what they are and giving brief examples. This is not a tactics workbook where you will find hundreds of examples (a good book to get after this) or a traps book (a book also good to get) where you can see the tactics arise from the first move of the game. It is a book where you will learn the “mechanics” of the tactics. The brief chapter on each tactic is a great way to get started!

5 Stars Another awesome book for fast improvement
A few years ago the author of this title wrote his How to Beat Your Dad at Chess, an original and popular book which taught checkmating patterns. In Chess Tactics for Kids the lessons are all about learning chess tactics which win material, for example winning a pawn or a piece.

The format is very similar to the DAD book and equally effective.

To improve at chess, the best chess teachers will tell you to study a variety of chess books. If you are interested in the opening stages, and are confused by all the choices, go for a book like Understanding the Chess Openings by Collins. This gives a useful overview of all openings.

If you want to study middlegames try a move-by-move book or study a collection of games played by a great player. But if tactics is your thing, you can’t go wrong with Grandmaster Chandler’s two books.

As a pair, How to Beat Your Dad at Chess and Chess Tactics for Kids cover all the basic tactical themes a chess player is likely to encounter. The motifs are grouped by, well, motif, and the concept of pattern recognition is introduced in a way that is easily understood.

There are several hundred diagram examples per book, including tests and puzzle positions to solve.

The best thing of all is how often these themes, tricks and traps occur. I found that I had been getting numerous opportunities to win in my own games, only I just didn’t realize it! Chess Tactics for Kids teaches how to spot the patterns where a tactic is likely to be lurking.

It is amazing how quickly winning combinations can be found, once you know the patterns.

5 Stars Aimed at children but good for adults too
This is Murray Chandler’s follow up to his highly successful “How To Beat Your Dad At Chess”. The book presents 50 common tactical ideas - pins, skewers, forks, stalemate and many more - each one explained and illustrated in a double page spread. Only themes which occur fairly commonly in practice are included, and there are six diagrams per double page. The explanations are in simple language, and each diagram is accompanied by a brief commentary pointing out the salient features of the position. The continuations are very short (usually only one or two moves) so they can be followed easily without the need for a board.

Three or four examples are given of each tactical trick, with the aim of getting the reader to recognise certain patterns, and hopefully apply this newly acquired pattern recognition to his/her own games. To test how well the patterns have been absorbed there are 54 test positions for the reader to try. If the reader is unable to spot the continuation, a hint is given by way of a reference to the number of the tricky tactic that is being tested. So you can refresh your memory by looking back at the illustrated examples and then hopefully spot the same theme in the test position. All of the illustrative positions and test positions are taken from actual play (though there are no game references given), and there are no artificially composed positions.

Although the book is aimed at children in the first instance, it could be used equally profitably by adult beginners who wish to sharpen up their tactical awareness.

This review first appeared in the magazine En Passant.

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