The Play Pen

Educational Games and Entertainment for the Young at Heart !!!

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Your KEY for which game-to-pick-to-PLAY:

Appropriate for PreK aged youth.

Appropriate for Elementary aged youth.

Appropriate for Middle School aged youth.

For Parents/Teachers/Caregivers

õ A Game A Day.

http://www.agameaday.com

This site offers puzzles, games, and related materials designed to stimulate learning, problem solving, and creative thinking.

õ Chateau Meddybemps.

http://www.meddybemps.com/index.html

All kinds of fun for families with younger kids.

õ Chess Is Fun.

http://www.princeton.edu/~jedwards/cif/intro.html

Want to learn how to play chess? Want to learn how to play a bit better? Here are some fairly easy “lessons.”

õ Chess Kids.

http://www.chesskids.com

Learn to play chess with interactive lessons, quizzes, games, and puzzles.

õ Chinook.

http://web.cs.ualberta.ca/~chinook/

Computer generated Checkers. “A long-term objective of solving the game of checkers, i.e. determining the game-theoretic value of checkers.” This is a very tough game.

õ Crazy Bone.

http://www.crazybone.com

Have fun with dozens of on-line games, jokes, magic tricks, recipes, tongue twisters and coloring sheets.

õ Discovery School's Puzzlemaker.

http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com

Puzzlemaker is a fun and easy puzzle generation tool for all ages that allows users to create and print customized word search, crossword and math puzzles using your own word lists.

õ Enigma.

http://www.stephen.com/enigma/enigma.html

This is a sliding puzzle site based on a toy of years ago. It offers interesting challenges and is totally addictive.

õ Five Field Kono.

http://www.darkfish.com/kono/FiveFieldKono.html

This beautifully designed strategy game is played on a Java board. It's worth the wait for the board to load up. Based on Chinese Checkers.

õ Fun Brain.com.

http://www.funbrain.com

Who ever thought learning math could be so much fun? Test your math skills with these fun and interesting games. Inlcudes some teacher and parenting resources.

õ Games for Kids

http://www.scholastic.com/kids/stacks/games/

Your very own newspaper comics section! Includes Dilbert, For Better or For Worse, Peanuts, Rose is Rose, and a lot more.

õ Garfield Online.

http://www.garfield.com/

Heard the latest? Garfield's the greatest! Check out what's happenin' with everyone's favorite fat cat! Jim Davis's official fat-cat site!

õ GirlTech

http://www.girltech.com/index.aspx

Girl Tech started in 1995 to encourage girls to use and enjoy technology.

õ INTERACTIVE GAMES SELECTION from BINGO HIDEOUT

         For those interested in learning or teaching through games.

         Children's attention span and retention of learning certain subjects is best done
         through interactive, educational games.

õ Joan Irvine: The Pop-up Lady.

http://www.makersgallery.com/joanirvine/

Joan Irvine is a Canadian author of children's craft books. Three of the books have instructions on how to make pop-up cards, a set of pop-up instructions, and a contest. Includes links to other pop-up sites.

õ Nickelodeon.

http://www.nick.com

Like to watch Nick? Here's where to click!

õ Official Disney Web Site.

http://www.disney.go.com/home/today/index.html

Movies, animation-everything Disney!

õ Official Star Wars Kids Site

http://www.starwars.com/

For Star Wars fans everywhere!

õ OwlKids Online.

http://www.owlkids.com

This is a site based on the magazine for children in Canada. Nicely constructed site. The age breaks are helpful.

õ PBS for Kids.

http://www.pbskids.org

Games and activities connected to your favorite PBS programs, including Arthur, Between the Lions and Sesame Street. Also provides information for grownups on using the site.

õ Pentalpha.

[after clicking on link, scroll down to learn about the puzzle game]

http://www.darkfish.com/pentalpha/Pentalpha.html

Solve this challenging puzzle on a very cool board and then let your friends try solving it. More of a puzzle than a game, the rules are a bit arcane. Requires Java/32-bit browsers.

õ Prongo.com.

http://www.prongo.com

Locate free online games, e-cards, quizzes, jokes, brainteasers, wallpaper, screensavers, and more.

õ Puzzle Choice.com.

http://www.puzzlechoice.com/pc/Puzzle_Choicex.html

Choose from crosswords, word searches, word play games, logic and number puzzles and more.

õ Quiz Hub.

http://quizhub.com/quiz/quizhub.cfm

Geared to elementary and middle students as a fun learning center that features free online interactive lessons, educational games, puzzles and quizzes. Includes parent and teacher resources.

õ RIF Reading Planet

http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/

Write and illustrate your own stories, play reading games, express yourself through poetry - this site is a wonderful resource for younger children to explore reading and writing.

õ Snoopy

http://comics.com/peanuts/

Visit with a favorite character. Personality profiles of the characters and Schulz's thoughts on why they behave the way they do!

õ Squigly's Playhouse.

http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com

Look here for games, crafts, jokes, brainteasers and more.

õ U.S. Chess Online!

http://www.uschess.org/

This is the Chess Federation site and does include beginning lessons in chess. Given the importance of chess in learning theory, this is a must!

õ World's Largest Roadside Attractions.

http://www.wlra.us

Seeing these “largest” attractions, including the largest cow, catsup bottle, and cuckoo clock, will make you smile.

Back to the i Just Read Main Page

Your KEY for which game-to-pick-to-PLAY:

Appropriate for PreK aged youth.

Appropriate for Elementary aged youth.

Appropriate for Middle School aged youth.

For Parents/Teachers/Caregivers

These Games are recommended by the American Library Association.

How this page got its name:

When three hundred FORAY brand retractable ballpoint pens were offered by [free of charge] for Salvador SeBasco book signings, it was agreed the Foray pens would be the official exclusive pen of The Boy, The King, and The Chihuahua book signings.

What does that have to do with this web page's name? Well, one day immediately after the book reading in a school classroom, as Lily the Chihuahua was on author Salvador SeBasco lap accompanying him as he signed, one of these "Foray Brand" pens slid in between both her paws and the next child up [in line] patiently waited to get a Lily PAW PRINT stamped signature and said, "Look, Lily is playing with the pen. It's a play pen."

Lily signs her signature with a paw print after pressing on a safe ink pad NOT a pen, and that is what was so funny; as everyone saw her with a pen in her hand, looking like she was going to sign with the pen instead. There was an eruption of laughter!

Weeks later, as the team at I JUST READ sat down, and were writing possible names for this educational games web page, and were all using the OFFICE DEPOT "Foray" brand when brainstorming, the common thought was that the heading at the top of this educational games web page ought have the word "PLAY" in it.

And, the rest is history. Enjoy!

Character education

was never easier

or more fun.

This website is the only official on-line source of information regarding Salvador SeBasco, the background on his writings, or other appearances. Salvador and his publisher make absolutely no representations or endorsements of any web-sites containing information about him, or his books.

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