I'm Back!

It has been entirely too long since I have posted to the Galactic Apple blog. I am sorry! Shortly after my last post I caught H1N1. The flu wasn't so bad. It was the three months of pneumonia that knocked the starch out of my britches. It has taken just about three months for me to feel almost normal. I am still working on increasing my lung capacity and my stamina. There's hope for me yet. I am back in the saddle and plan to post to the blog on a regular basis. Hold me to it!

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).

Roland Smith

Orion and I are still reading out loud each night for about 20 or 30 minutes. Sometimes the books we read are books I've been waiting to share with him (like last year's consumption of Gary Paulsen's work) other times they're books that he's discovered (during fourth grade we discovered Andrew Clements!). We've even been known to reread books that his teacher is reading or that he is reading for the Accelerated Reading Program.

This time, we discovered Roland Smith at the same time. I purchased a book called Peak and a friend won a signed copy of Elephant Run. I later found Sasquatch, thinking it might be the one to start with. But Orion came home with Zach's Lie. We were riveted. Zach is really Jack, a boy placed in the Witness Protection Program due to his father's unsavory business associates. The book follows Jack as he becomes Zach and moves from a McMansion to a simple shotgun house in Elko, Nevada (Can we say middle of nowhere?). There the bad guys catch up with him and his family. He and an unusual hero (the school custodian) save the day.

We just started Jack's Run. Jack is now Mack and living in North Carolina. We've not yet finished the book, but we will soon. It is very faced paced. Mack's sister let's the cat of the back so to speak and the bad guys are on their tail. What happens? We have no idea! But his parents aren't there to help; they're at the trial. Very suspenseful.

Orion and I will be reading Sasquatch, Peak, and probably the Criptid Hunters next. I don't feel up to reading Elephant Run as it's a war novel and I am not sure I can face that right now. Perhaps in the spring.

Have you read any Roland Smith? What did you think? What do you recommend? I'd love to hear from you!

National Science Teachers Association

Join NSTA before September 26th and get a FREE book! Student and first year teacher memberships are only $32 a year! Regular membership is $74 a year. Membership includes a subscription to your choice of science education journal, professional development opportunities, access to NSTA online content, and so much more. To find out more about NSTA benefits, click here. This year they're offering a FREE book and $10 off the regular membership price. There are three different books to choose from! Head over to NSTA and see what they have to offer new and seasoned teachers!

Gobblet

Shhh! I found a new game! On my quick trip to Fayetteville, AR over the weekend I stopped by one of my favorite thrift stores (Arkansas Council for the Blind) and found a nifty little game for Orion and me!

Gobblet is appropriate for ages seven and up. The object of the game is simple enough (to get four in a row), the game only takes seconds to learn, but it is obvious that it is one of those games (like Othello) that will take many attempts to master. Each player receives nesting pieces. They are played on the four by four grid, one at a time. The trick is that players may "gobble" up pieces (their own or their opponent's) by placing larger pieces on the smaller pieces, thus making the game quite tricky.

I paid $3.00 for our wooden version. All the pieces were present and accounted for. I found the rules here. Gobblet is made by Blue Orange Games and retails for approximately $27 to $35. It's available at Amazon and Brain Builders; eBay has several of the Gobblet Junior games for sale ($8).

While I am not sure I'd fork over $30 or more for this game, I would definitely keep my eyes peeled at garage sales and thrift stores. This great game would be at home in any classroom! Until then, you can practice with the online version at Gobblet.org.

Othello

What's the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the name "Othello?" If you asked my sister, she would most likely peg Othello as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. She would also be able to tell you several of his greatest histories and comedies. Not me. If you asked me what pops into my head when I hear the name "Othello," I'll tell you a math game!

Othello is also known by the name Reversi. It's an interesting strategy game where players try to outflank their opponents and then capture those pieces by flipping them to the opposite color. Visit the Pressman Toy site for directions and strategies. I was not interested in this game as a youth so I did not play it in school or at home. However, my research on math games, constructivism, and classrooms has made me rethink several games.

I found a my copy of Othello (the game board looks just the the one in the picture to your top right and was made by the company Gabriel) at an antique store for $2.00 on Friday. What a steal. And none of the pieces were missing. Amazon has the game (now by Mattel) for about $12.00, with newer, sleeker styling (Not!). Okay, I admit, the little square groves might help out when the cat decides to try and help. There are currently about 22 Othello games (board, travel, and electronic) available at eBay starting at $2.50. Don't forget to throw in shipping!

This weekend Orion and I gave Othello a trial run. He actually asked to play it again! I think we like it! I have found several online or electronic versions of Othello. Check them out below.

Online Othello: The Othello playing engine used here was originally written by Roemer B. Lievaart for the 1987 International Obfuscated C Code Contest. It's a pretty good engine for only 1024 bytes of C code! (I had to add that blurb because typing "Obfuscated C Code Contest" made me sigh!)

Fly or Die: At Fly or Die you can play Internet Reversi with other folks.

Freeware Home: Lists several Othello-like games to download.

Not sure you want to invest $12.00 for a new game and cannot seem to find a used game at the local Salvation Army? Visit the Galactic Apple and find a version of Kamii's Sandwich Game using a grid and pennies (heads or tails).

I recently figured out how to play Minesweeper (perhaps it was a patience issue, or lack there of). With Othello under my belt, so to speak, I am wondering if I can learn Go. How is it like Othello? How is it different? Can you teach an old Kat new games?