Educational Fun At School With Scrabble Clubs Review & Scrabble Board Game #Giveaway

When I was in the 8th grade, our English teacher allowed us to have "board game Fridays" a few times a month and there was one game I always brought.... SCRABBLE! It has been, for years, one of my favorite games besides Monopoly. I have played since I was about six years-old and would get completely schooled by my parents. While kids were partying in high school, I'd have SCRABBLE parties with my friends. By college, I'd gotten pretty good at the game and learned a few tricks and now my husband gets so mad when we play because I'm the one doing the schooling!

When I was in middle school, my friends and I started an unofficial SCRABBLE club. We'd meet every other week and play some great Scrabble games that got pretty competitive. There are so many benefits to playing SCRABBLE regularly, especially as a student because it is very educational. It greatly helps develop vocabulary and spelling skills. I'm still learning new words as I play and try to find new ways to earn points. Using a Q or Z are ways to really rack up points, so I've learned so many new words by studying a dictionary. SCRABBLE is also a fun way to engage with friends and also work on math skills when adding points. Getting a double or triple word score just adds the challenge and is always exciting as a player when you get massive points.

Because teachers and community leaders also see the educational benefits of using SCRABBLE in the classroom, they have teamed up with Hasbro to create School SCRABBLE Clubs! The clubs are designed for 4th through 8th grade kiddos and can be established in a classroom, after-school or through other community organizations, such as the library! When I was in elementary school, we had a library club and often played SCRABBLE there, too. Playing the game is a fun, social way to learn and we fully support School SCRABBLE Clubs!

Would you be interested in starting or supporting a School SCRABBLE Club? Establishing a club is very easy and you can easily find more information on the Hasbro website about starting a club and how to do so. There are also some informative videos!

Need another reason to support School SCRABBLE Clubs? All the clubs from across the U.S. are invited to compete against other schools and complete for the title of National School SCRABBLE champions! Can you imagine how much fun that would be for students? This years' competition will be held at the new Hasbro facility in Providence, Rhode Island on April 25-27! The date is coming up soon and we want to celebrate!

We received SCRABBLE board game for review and it had an extra awesome surprise! The "new" version can be played as always OR you can mix it up with Power Tiles, which several new ways to play the game and stump other players. I was excited to get this board since you could say I collect SCRABBLE games. I have my original vintage board from the 70s, an ultimate board that swivels, a travel SCRABBLE game and SLAM, so this is a great addition to my collection and we couldn't wait to play it, so that's exactly what we did.

Josiah is almost 7 years old and, SCRABBLE is recommended for ages 8+, so he understands the concept enough to form some words with the help of my husband. In 1st grade, he already has weekly spelling tests, so this is a great way to brush up on his vocabulary skills and he enjoys playing, just like his mama! I have a feeling this will become a fast family game night favorite as the boys get older.

Josiah ended up with 121 points, but Papa won with 191! It was a great game and Josiah has already been asking when we can play again. You bet it will be soon!

To celebrate the National School SCRABBLE Competition, Hasbro has a great surprise for our readers....

Ready For A Giveaway?

One Lucky Reader Will Win Their Own Scrabble Board Game From Hasbro!

Celebrate Star Wars Day With Us & Angry Birds! Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bounce Game Giveaway

Okay, you guys caught me. I am a sci-fi nerd and I love Star Wars movies. Yes, I was one of the crazy people who stood in line for hours to get tickets to the new movies and had a blast doing so. My kids, on the other hand, were not as into Star Wars until the Star Wars Angry Birds app came out. They are both huge Angry Birds fans and, to this day, if Liam seems someone with their cell phone, he always, always asks them if they have Angry Birds. In his opinion, it is a must-have game and both Josiah and I agree. We've wasted many hours playing those games. Then, out came Angry Birds Star Wars and the game obsession came back with a bang. Josiah absolutely loves the Star Wars Angry Birds and even has stuffed animals and t-shirts.

Since the app came out, he has been much more interested in Star Wars, so when I told him today was Star Wars Day, he immediately got out his sword (pretending it was a lightsaber) and said he was Luke Skywalker. It's the perfect day to celebrate being May 4th and all because we can say "May The Fourth Be With You"!

We received two awesome Star Wars Angry Birds items to review and you should have seen Josiah's eyes when he opened the box and saw them. We received the Millennium Falcon Bounce Game and a Luke Skywalker Foam Flyers and they were immediately in play when we got them in the mail.

The game was very easy to set up and Josiah was flinging the balls everywhere. We have hardwood floors, so the balls were bouncing super high. His brother thought this was hilarious, though, so we were all having a great time. Once we started bouncing lightly, we had more success. All and all, this is a fun game and I know the kids will want to continue playing it. They especially love the balls since they are adorned with the Star Wars Angry Birds characters.

The Luke Skywalker Foam Flyer was automatically claimed by Liam and has since resided in his backpack. This foam ball is soft and they boys have been playing with it indoors during the rainy days this week. This will be fun for outdoors and the beach, too! I have a feeling this will be played with often during the summer months!

Want more reason to celebrate Star Wars Day?

Hasbro is offering 20% off ANY Star Wars toy on HasbroToyShop.com using the code: SWFANDAY! This code is only valid on Star Wars Day (Saturday, May 4th, 2013) until 11:59pm, so don't delay or you'll forget and miss out! You can use it on all the Star Wars toys available, though there are some really awesome Angry Birds Star Wars toys to check out, too.

You can also purchase the Angry Birds Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bounce Game on Amazon.com for only $19.50 and free shipping!

Want another Reason To Celebrate? How about a Giveaway?

One Lucky Children Teaching Mama Reader Will Receive Their Own Star Wars Angry Birds Millennium Falcon Bounce Game!

Bop-It Bounce Review & Giveaway

I remember when Bop-It first came out and we played it non-stop for hours. Now they have a new game, Bop-It Bounce, guaranteed to entertain children and adults alike.

About Bop-It Bounce (Amazon.com review)

You've got to bounce your best to win at this awesome BOP IT Bounce game by Hasbro. This ball bounce game features an electronic voice command to cue you through six different challenging games: Max Bounce tests how fast you can bounce in 30 seconds, Infinite Bounce tests how long you can keep bouncing, Hang Time tests how high you can bounce, Right Height challenges you to match the shots called by the electronic voice, Little-Middle-Big challenges you to bounce at exactly the right height, and Free For All lets you bounce it out freestyle. Build your skills on your own or compete against your friends to find out who's the ultimate "Bounce Master"! 

My Thoughts

My sister-in-law had a baby shower recently so, I thought this would be the perfect time to debut our new game. The kids were so excited as soon as they saw a ball and couldn't wait for me to get it out of the box, put in the batteries (3 AAA) and let them play!

Now, let me just say, the box says 8+ years of age and I wondered why the age was so high. It is, after all, a bouncing game. As soon as I started hitting the ball and watching it fly across the room instead of straight up in the air, I learned why. This game definitely teaches hand-eye coordination and tests your reaction time, all of which I fail at miserably, apparently. I ran around the room, running into walls and trying to avoid breaking anything only to get a whopping 35 bounces. I was pleased until my husband announced he'd gotten the high score of 600. Needless to say, I wanted to bounce that ball across his head.

The kids under 8 gave the game a go, were just as unsuccessful as me, but we all had a blast running around like crazy. It's definitely a great indoor game, especially with all the recent rain and bad weather. When the adults saw us playing, they all wanted a turn, too. There are many different levels and games to play, just with the push of a button. We haven't tried all of them yet, but we definitely will.

Bop-It has definitely produced a hit with this new game! It will absolutely keep kids and adults occupied and would be great fun for a beach vacation, too. The more people playing, the more fun you will have laughing at each other and trying to beat each other's scores.

Buy It

Ready To Try Bop It Bounce? Buy it today on Amazon.com on sale for only $15.00! That's a great deal for a game that will entertain everyone.

Win It

One Lucky CTM Reader Will Win Their Own Bop-It Bounce!

**Remember to include your email address if it is NOT visible in your profile so I will know how to contact you! The initial entry is mandatory! Be sure to answer that question before earning extra entries listed below! Each bullet is worth one extra entry unless specified. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry you earn and include your email address is at least one entry.

How To Enter

Leave A Comment Below Telling Me What Your Favorite Game or Board Game Is! 

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Plenty of opportunities to increase your chance of winning! This Giveaway is open to US Residents and Ends May 27th at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn by random.org. An announcement will be made on the blog and the winner will also be contacted by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.