Teacher Appreciation

I wanted to take a minute to tell you about one of my favorite book stores, Half Price Books. A good friend of mine introduced me to this wonderful book store about a year ago and while it isn't as ginormous as the Dixon Street Used Book Store in Fayetteville, AR. Half Price Books is pretty darn impressive and they have a much larger young adult and children's book section than Dixon Street.

Friday, October 9 through Monday, October 12, Half Price Books are offering a 20% discount to teachers and librarians. There's a Half Price Books in Kansas City, MO and another in Overland Park, KS (my personal favorite). To find a location near you click here.

If you cannot make it to a Half Price Books this weekend, like many other book stores, they offer a 10% discount for teachers 365 days out of the year. Just bring your ID.

1 Dollar!

It has been too long since I have taken the time to post! This semester has really been keeping me on my toes. But I did take a few minutes for myself last week.

I was downtown in the 'Burg and had a few minutes to spare before heading to La Sous Terre for lunch with a colleague and friend so I decided to swing by the Salvation Army, one of my favorite places to shop! I hadn't been there since Christmas, just after they moved to a new location. I looked through the knick-knacks, sheets, and glassware before heading to the books and games. Bingo! There I found the Chess Teacher! For $1.00!

Years ago, when I was teaching in St. Louis our wonderful math & computer lab teacher, Ms. G., had some great games for kids to use. One of which was the Chess Teacher. I loved this chess set because the move for each different piece was displayed on the base of the piece. I never played chess as a child and attempted to learn as an adult a few times- the hardest thing was remembering if the horsey-shaped pieces went in an L shape or diagonally or what! Too many pieces and too many different moves.

Since Orion has been expressing an interest in learning to play chess I have kept my eyes peeled for a chess set like the one Ms. G had. Unfortunately I couldn't remember the name and most retailers just looked at me. But lo and behold, there it was! On the shelf! With a price tag of a buck! And all of the pieces and instructions. What a deal! What a find!

Parents and teachers, if you're interested in learning to play chess or teaching your children or students to play chess, you have to take a look at the Chess Teacher. You can find it new for about $12.50 at Amazon and $16.00 at Boardgames.Com. You can also check out eBay as they have a few versions starting at about $4.00 (don't forget shipping & handling).