Delightful Learning

 

:: Professor Noggin's History of Art Card Game

We’ve enjoyed playing this art card game as a family the past few days. It is a simple trivia game for 2 or more players, and it covers ancient art through modern art (including art movements and eras, painting materials and techniques, famous artists and masterpieces, architecture, and art museums). The game includes 30 sturdy art cards and a die that corresponds to the questions on the back of the cards. There are two levels of questions, which makes it easier to play the game with a wide range of ages. Players take turns asking each other trivia questions. If the other player answers the question correctly, they add the card to their collection. If not, the answer is read aloud and the card returns to the bottom of the pile.

(It’s amazing how many of the answers my boys knew mostly from reading our collection of Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists books by Mike Venezia. They kept going to the shelf and grabbing books when they recognized a painting!)

We are looking forward to adding more of the huge selection of Professor Noggin Games to our collection. I can’t decide between Professor Noggin's Wonders of Science and Professor Noggin's History of the United States, so we might have to get them both. These games are great for around the dinner table fun.

 

:: About Time: A First Look at Time and Clocks

I am a huge fan of delightfully illustrated non-fiction picture books. About Time is a fascinating look at the history of timekeeping, from Ancient Sumerians in 3500 B.C. to Albert Einstein in 1905 and Daylight Saving Time in 1915. The reader learns about how time is defined and measured, as well as different types of “clocks” such as obelisks, sundials, water clocks, Chinese astronomical clocks, sand-pouring clocks, and so much more. History, math, science, cultures, and mechanics are all integrated in this lovely book.

 

If you or your children enjoy this one, you may also enjoy The History of Counting, as well. In a similar format, readers learn about the history of counting numbers across time and cultures, which I find fascinating. Don’t judge this one by the cover (it doesn’t appeal to me). The interior illustrations are well-done.