Solitaire Chess... A New Favorite Game

Timberdoodle has amazing products and games. We love so many of their things and are super excited that we get to review some of them. Timberdoodle provides curriculum and games for all ages and when we received a box of goodies my 8-year old went crazy. He was happy about everything, especially this Brain Fitness Solitaire Chess game.
Mr A has been wanting to learn how to play chess for years. I am no good at it and don't really understand the game. I've never taken the time to learn so I could teach it to someone else. So, when Mr A saw this tiny version of chess he immediately opened it to figure out how to play.
Solitaire Chess is a single player game with 80 challenges to strengthen mental speed and focus. You are given 10 pieces with a challenge booklet and solutions pages. Challenges range from Beginner to Expert. Mr A has begun with the Beginner levels to get used to how the pieces move around on the board. He is doing a great job at these early levels. The Movement Rules page shows how each piece can move and has helped him become familiar with what each one does.

Basically, with this game, you are playing against yourself. You are trying to eliminate one piece with every move. I love watching and listening to Mr A play this game. He talks himself through the plays and resets when he doesn't get it right. It's a process of elimination with one last piece standing. Some challenges take one try and others take over 10 until he gets it right.

I love things that can be taken on-the-go. This is probably one of our new games to take in the car or to the restaurant. Small, individual games are great for road trips or just quiet time.

Mr A is happy to finally be learning a little bit more about chess. This Solitaire Chess game is great for strategic skill building and becoming familiar with the game before moving to a real board. It would also be good for individuals who just love chess and want to play more frequently.
We are happy to have this game in our cupboard now. Mr A loves the progressive play and working his mind through the challenge until he gets it right.
Solitaire Chess is included in the 2018 6th Grade Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle, but would also be great for any chess lover or a simple gift idea.
Have fun with this single player game... because we are.

Kwik Stix ... The Best Paint Ever

Timberdoodle sent us a set of Kwik Stix, a pack of 12 solid tempura paints. I have to say that these are the best paints in the world. My kids like painting, but I hate the mess. These are a fantastic alternative to wet paints with a brush. It's paint in a solid state that looks like a glue-stick and feels like a smooth crayon while drawing. It only takes about a minute to dry too.

Little Miss loved them and of course, only wanted to use pink.

Mr Z wanted to join in the painting fun too. He immediately started saying things like, "This is paint!? ... How do they get the paint in there?... It looks like a glue-stick... Wow, this is paint!?"

Mr Z was busy filling his entire paper with Kwik Stix paint.

The two of them also painted together on the same sheet and I was surprised that the paint didn't smudge or transfer.

I had to try them too and made a simple picture. I was amazed at how quickly the paint dried. No paint smears or any left on my finger about a minute after I had finished.

Kwik Stix can be found in the 2018 Preschool Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle as well.
These Kwik Stix will be a go-to favorite for gifts and I can definitely see them being completely used up very quickly. I love that I was completely stress-free from start to finish during their painting time.
These Kwik Stix are my favorite craft/art item now. I love them... and my kids do too. I totally recommend these to anyone that wants stress-free and limited mess for any project.