Magazines
1. Astronomy Magazine
http://www.kalmbach.com/kpc/default.aspx?c=a&id=18
Includes articles on celestial objects, astronomical history, cosmology, and more.
2. Cicada Magazine
http://www.cobblestonepub.com/magazine/CIC/
Fiction and poetry by and for teens and young adults.
3. Creative Kids Magazine
http://www.prufrock.com/client/client_pages/prufrock_jm_createkids.cfm
Games, stories, and opinions by and for kids ages 8–14.
4. Highlights Magazine
http://www.highlights.com/
Mazes, secret codes, hidden pictures, word searches, dot-to-dots, logic puzzles, “What's Wrong" and more.
5. Muse Magazine
http://www.cricketmag.com/ProductDetail.asp?pid=12
Nonfiction magazine for children ages 8-14, featuring articles on topics ranging from art to zoology. Written and
designed to get children to ask questions and think for themselves, MUSE poses problems that don't always have
clear answers.
6. New Moon Magazine
http://www.newmoon.org/
Fiction, poetry, artwork, letters, and articles on different cultures and enterprises by and for girls ages 8 – 14.
7. Spider Magazine
http://www.cobblestonepub.com/search.html?q=spider
Stories, poems, articles, puzzles, games, and projects for beginning readers.
8. Time For Kids
http://www.timeforkids.com/store/subscriptions
High-quality nonfiction writing to build reading and critical thinking skills. Each issue covers a variety of themes,
topics and current events.
Software
1. Big Brain Academy
Minigames to challenge your brain in areas like memory, analysis and mathematics. At the end of the brain test, it
tells you your "brain size" and what type of brain you have.
2. Brain Age 1 and 2
Both games test the age of your brain, based on how fast you can complete math problems, how many words you
can remember in a certain time limit, and how fast you can add and subtract objects as they go by.
3. Oregon Train
Teaches children about the realities of 19th century pioneer life on the Oregon Trail. The player assumes the role
of a wagon leader guiding his party of settlers from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon's Willamette Valley over
the Oregon Trail via a Studebaker Wagon in 1848.
4. Planet Puzzle League
Block sliding and matching game in which players grab panels and slide them from left and right. If you match
three or more panels of the same color, they will vanish. Form chains and combos to create cascading waterfalls of
panels and rack up high scores!
5. SimCity
Players found and develop a city, while maintaining the happiness of the citizens and keeping a stable budget.
6. Stagecast Creator
http://www.stagecast.com
Easy-based, simple programming language for kids of all ages. Kids design the game, the characters, the rules, etc.
From creating characters and watching them move all the way to making actual games that can take hours of
gameplay to complete, kids learn more and more about the software.
7. Super Solvers Gizmos & Gadgets
http://www.classic-pc-games.com/pc/educational/super_solvers:_gizmos_and_gadgets.html
Build 15 different vehicles -five automotive, five aircraft, and fiver alternative energy-and use them to race against
Morty. Collect parts to build a faster vehicle by mastering physical science puzzles and dodging Cyber Chimps.
8. Tycoon Games (Lemonade Tycoon, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Zoo Tycoon, Fish Tycoon)
Players design and manipulate game elements to earn money and operate within a budget.
9. Yukon Trail
http://www.cdaccess.com/html/shared/yukon.htm
Follow the Yukon trail as you go looking for gold. Players must read responses and make choices about budgets,
supplies, routes, timing, and other issues that affect their success.
Websites
1. Age of Empires
http://www.microsoft.com/games/empires/multimedia.htm
Real-time strategy game spanning 10,000 years, in which players are the guiding spirit in the evolution of small
stone age tribes with minimal resources into great civilizations.
2. Age of Mythology
http://www.microsoft.com/games/ageofmythology/norse_home.aspx
Transports players to a time when heroes did battle with monsters of legend and the gods intervened in the affairs
of mortal men.
3. ALFunStuff.com
http://alfunstuff.com/index.php
Choose between thousands of free printable logic puzzles with grids and educational games such as crossword
puzzles, wordsearches, codeword puzzles, sudokus and more.
4. American Museum of Natural History – Ology
http://www.ology.amnh.org/
Explore topics such as geology, astronomy, herpetology, arachnology, and more. There are quizzes, expert
"ologist" Q&A's, interactive informational resources and more.
5. Block by Block Puzzle Adventures in Three Dimensions
http://www.puzzles.com
Develop spatial thinking by mentally moving and rotating pieces, combining the 7 pieces to match the puzzle
shapes shown on 60 puzzle cards.
6. Bonus.com
http://www.bonus.com
Free Internet content that features hundreds of games, puzzles and other activities.
7. Brain Bashers
http://www.brainbashers.com/
Collection of brain teasers, puzzles, riddles, games and optical illusions.
8. Brain Boosters
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/brainboosters/
Compilation of games that challenge and require kids to use critical thinking and analytic skills.
9. Cool Math
www.coolmath-games.com
Online games designed to engage the thinking skills of gifted learners.
10. Figure This: Math Challenges for Families
http://www.figurethis.org/index.html
Math games and activities that are both challenging and complex.
11. Funbrain
http://www.funbrain.com
Educational games for ages 6-17.
12. MathsNet.com
http://www.mathsnet.net/puzzles.html
Over 80 different math puzzles,acronyms, chess, and other animated games to challenge gifted students.
13. Mensarcade
http://www.previous.us.mensa.org/mensarcade/overview.php
Mensa's online source for games, puzzles and more.
14. Mike’s Lego CAD
http://mlcad.lm-software.com/
Make, edit, and save your own computer Lego creations. Print and share the instructions for models you make,
and you can use as many pieces as you want to create complex Lego creations.
15. Nancy Drew Video Games
http://www.herinteractive.com/
Video games based on the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery series. Follow the clues to solve the mystery!
16. PBS Kids
http://www.pbskids.org
Games and fun facts about different topics and includes "ZOOM," a section written for kids by kids.
17. Plastelina Logic Games
http://www.plastelina.net
Logic games for gifted children. Five of the games are free to play, and the others require a paid subscription.
18. Pro Profs Brain Games
http://www.proprofs.com/games/c/brain-training/
Variety of games for gifted kids, including logic, brain teasers, brain training, and more.
19. Quest for Camelot Dragon Games
http://www.kidsdomain.com/review/kdr/dragongames.html
Seven activities from storytelling to video clips and sing alongs, games and more.
20. Quia
http://www.quia.com
Interactive quizzes, games, and activities in numerous subjects. Its technology allows students to evaluate their
skills, track their performance and learn at a rapid pace. Engaging learning activities and robust self-assessment
tools combine to provide students with a comprehensive framework for computer-based learning.
21. Science Club
http://scienceclub.org/
A collection of activities which use common household materials, promote curiosity and the excitement of
experimentation.
22. Sheep - Herding Game
http://www.sheepgame.co.uk/
A puzzle/strategy game where you are a sheep herder guiding different types of sheep through different worlds.
The object is to get the sheep safely through the last level, Mt. Loom.
Books
1. A Puzzling Day at Castle Macpelican (Gamebook), by S. Anderson
Welcome to Castle MacPelican where Thomas and Esmerelda have just arrived for a visit. They are going to find
the castle a very puzzling place! Their uncle, Hector MacPelican, has prepared a treasure hunt for each of them,
but there are many other puzzles for them to solve--they are certain there is a thief in the castle. (ages 4 – 8)
2. Aha! Gotcha: Paradoxes to Puzzle and Delight, by M. Gardner
This book is a collection of puzzles about paradoxes. The easy answer is often a trap. The puzzles are simple
enough for all ages to understand, but they can be tricky to solve. (all ages)
3. Aha! Insight, by M. Gardner
This book is a collection of puzzles grouped into 6 general categories and illustrated with witty little cartoons that
give just the right insight. (all ages)
4. Anti-Boredom Book: 133 Completely Unboring Things to Do!, by M. Baillie and C. Ripley
This book is packed full of truly fun activities for children. It has magic, creative cooking, puzzles, great games,
fascinating facts, and non-stop entertainment.
5. Art Fraud Detective: Spot the Difference, Solve the Crime, by A. Nilsen
A book about a museum whose displays have been replaced with forgeries, readers will enjoy learning about some
of the world's greatest artists and their works while solving the mystery and figuring out the puzzles.
6. Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
Set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts, and talking animals, the series of 7
books narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of that world.
7. Dorling Kindersley books
These illustrated reference books come in a variety of topics. The bright, authentic illustrations capture children’s
interest. There are a variety of topics offered at all different reading levels.
8. Dover Coloring Books, by Dover Publications
These carefully researched books have wonderfully detailed drawings of figures in historical costumes, authentic
reproductions of actual period art, or carefully rendered images of plants and animals. Most include notes or
stories intertwined with the pictures, and the written information is a nice complement to the drawings.
9. Ed Emberley's Drawing books, by Ed Emberley
Simple step-by-step instructions for drawing a wide variety of objects. There are many titles to choose from.
10. Five Star Mind: Games and Puzzles to Stimulate Your Creativity and Imagination, by T. Wujec
Puzzles, tips, and information on developing creativity, imagination, new ideas, and problem solving skills.
11. Horrible Geography series, by Anita Ganery
This series of books is designed to get children interested in Geography by concentrating on the trivial, unusual,
gory, or unpleasant. The series currently has 19 titles, including specials and handbooks.
12. Horrible Histories series, by Terry Deary
This series of illustrated history books is designed to engage children in history by presenting the unusual, gory, or
unpleasant aspects in a tongue-in-cheek manner in contrast to the formality of lessons taught in school.
13. Horrible Science series, by Nick Arnold
This series of books is designed to get children interested in science by concentrating on the trivial, unusual, gory,
or unpleasant.
14. Learn-To-Read Treasure Hunts: 50 Skill-Building Games for Beginning Readers and Their Parents, by S. Cohen
Imagine a treasure hunt that encourages your kids to start reading. Featuring 50 treasure hunt games, this book
provides weeks of family fun, and enables busy parents to help their kids become better readers. As kids sharpen
their reading skills, the treasure hunts become progressively more difficult.
15. Logic on Meadow Brook Lane, by B. Risby
The book is a "must" for students who love the thrill of solving logic puzzles - they will enjoy more than 20 puzzles
in this book.
16. Math Wizardry for Kids, by M. Kenda and P. Williams
Kids needn't be math geniuses to enjoy this book, but they might develop into mathematicians through its more
than 200 puzzles and games. Illustrations highlight details of different projects. Each project comes complete with
a list of materials and specific directions that children can follow on their own. Some history of mathematics is also
included, which can be expanded using additional materials.
17. Mathematical Brain-Teasers, by J. Hunter
This book includes 150 mathematical puzzles, including coin and change problems, relative ages, time and
distance, and 40 alphametics—innovative letter substitutions.
18. My Gifted and Talented Adventure, by Kerry Scrivanich
A gifted little girl named Little Mo explores the hidden adventures of attending a gifted and talented school.
19. Mysterious Benedict Society (series), by Trenton Lee Stewart
Dozens of children respond to a peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending
tests. Only four children succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and
inventive children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for
the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they'll find in the hidden
underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. This series of books is about gifted
children and how they use their talents.
20. Puzzlegrams, by Fireside Publishing
This book is a collection of 178 classic puzzles compiled by Pentagram, covering many ability and grade levels,
allowing for use over years. The puzzles are visually stimulating and logically challenging. The designer's eye is
fascinated by visual wit and conundrum. As in design, intuition as much as intellect solves the problems.
21. Quotation Quizzlers: Puzzling Your Way Through Famous Quotations, by P. Steinbacher
For ages 9-12, this book will make you feel like you've stepped into the mind of someone famous while using
deductive reasoning to solve unique and challenging puzzles. Fifty Quizzlers pit right brain against left brain in a
struggle to decipher famous (and not so famous) quotations. In addition to the 50 Quizzlers, this book contains
biographies of all the figures quoted.
22. Spatial Reasoning Puzzles That Make Kids Think!, by J. Wanko
In this fun and challenging book, students must conquer four types of logical and spatial reasoning puzzles. The
rules for each type of puzzle are very different, but easy to understand. The challenge is for students to apply their
critical thinking skills to new situations and develop new strategies for solving each puzzle.
23. The World of Origami, by I. Honda
This comprehensive origami book contains patterns for simple origami such as the cup to more complex patterns
such as the mother crane attached to several smaller cranes. It contains classic origami shapes as well as
traditional Japanese shapes. The instructions are easy to understand and follow.
24. Unit Origami: Multidimensional Transformations, by T. Fuse
Hours of fascinating fun await the origami devotee who follows the author along the path to creating original
multidimensional forms that are practically architectural in nature. Ranging from technically simple folds to more
demanding ones, the many delightful and varied works in this book are highly stimulating and make wonderful
presents for family and friends.
Toys and Games
1. 1-2-3 OY! (card game)
1-2-3 OY! is a set of ten card games adaptable to any age level or ability. Flexible rules provide for optional use of
one or all of the basic math skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication or division) up to 16x tables. Both fast and
slower card games are included and the games are suitable for ages 5 to adult.
2. 10 Days In… (boardgame)
As players plan a cohesive trip in ten days, they undertake a study of geography. Available in 10 Days in Africa, 10
Days in the USA, 10 Days in Asia, 10 Days in Europe and 10 Days in the Americas.
3. A-B-C OY! (card game)
A-B-C OY! is a collection of eight word and spelling games for all ages. You can learn your alphabet backwards and
forwards with YO! YO! OY! or speed spell with SLAP SPELL OY!.
4. America’s Spirit (boardgame)
This game is a race to get the most states by answering trivia questions. Categories include Symbols of Freedom,
The Best and The Brightest, Birth of a Nation, America the Beautiful, and States of the Union.
5. Apples to Apples (boardgame)
Apples to Apples is a card game recognized by Mensa International. It involves quick thinking, humor, and strategy
as players make comparisons between different things.
6. Blokus (boardgame)
Blokus encourages creative, strategic thinking and has received a Mensa award for promoting healthy brain
activity. The goal of this game is for players to fit all of their pieces onto the board following a set of criteria.
7. Chaos Strategy (boardgame)
This game consists of 24 beautifully crafted wooden disks that players must stack up on a 10" square board. Stacks
of four disks topple over. The disks are redistributed and the players continue taking turns stacking the disks. The
winner is the one who gets all his or her disks on the board, ending the chaos. Players must carefully plan moves
that will force their opponent to take his disks.
8. Chaos World of Motion (construction kit)
This 3-dimensional construction kit lets you build virtually any structure your can think of, and then watch as the
laws of motion are demonstrated when you launch the balls into your cleverly constructed mad maze.
9. Coercio (boardgame)
Coerceo is an abstract strategic game where the objective is to enclose and remove the opponent’s pieces. It has a
dynamic board that shrinks during play.
10. Cogno: The Alien Adventure Game (boardgame)
Players take on the identity of an alien who must travel through the galaxy which contains black holes and mystery
planets. To move around the board, players must answer questions about how the universe works. The game
doesn't provide simple answers to those questions, but full explanations in an accompanying book.
11. Cranium Cadoo (boardgame)
Players draw cards which tell them what task they must complete before the musical timer goes off.
12. DaVinci’s Challenge (boardgame)
In this game of strategy and ancient symbols, players try to create specific symbols by placing oval or triangle
pieces on the corresponding shapes on the board, while preventing opponents from creating symbols.
13. Dinosaurs and Things (boardgame)
Players make their way through the various eras, like the Jurassic, collecting dinosaur cutouts as they go. The
cutouts that are placed like puzzle pieces over a picture of the dinosaur's skeleton. Players make their way around
the board by answering questions about dinosaurs.
14. IOTA (card game)
Players compete to score points by adding cards whose 3 attributes are either all the same or all different.
15. Mad Gab Game (card game)
In this language game based on sounds and pauses in speech, players read a phrase from a card and their
opponent must guess what the "real" phrase is. While the sounds are basically the same in each phrase, the
sounds are broken up with pauses in between different sounds! "Dew Wino Hue," for example, is actually "Do I
know you?"
16. Mensa Boardgames Pack (boardgame)
This is a collection of eight special boardgames and an accompanying 64-page book. Games include Solitaire, Space
Strategy, word puzzles, Giant Mind Maze, and more.
17. MixUp (boardgame)
In MixUp one player tries to win using the shapes, while the other player uses the colors. The first player to get
four tiles in a row, or into a two-by-two square, wins.
18. Noble Celts Circular Chess (boardgame)
This chess game played on a circular board is sometimes referred to as siege chess, as one player tries to siege the
other player’s stronghold. Chess rules apply with the additional rule that pieces may not move through the middle.
19. Pirate versus Pirate (boardgame)
Conquer the island by capturing the gold and silver, or by eliminating the enemy pirates. Position your pirates
carefully, enemies are all around and they are hungry for treasure!
20. Quiddler (card game)
Using special cards, this game draws on the ability to combine letters into words.
21. Rokenbok (construction kit)
This educational toy combines a modular construction system with interactive radio-controlled vehicles in an
action-filled world that allows people to build a small construction site and operate machinery.
22. SET: The Family Game of Visual Perception (card game)
The object of the game is to find sets of three cards by following specific grouping rules. Each card has one of three
shapes on it (a squiggle, a diamond, or an oval). The card can have one to three of those shapes on it and the
shapes will be one of three colors displayed with one of three patterns.
23. SET Cubed (boardgame)
SET Cubed challenges a player’s ability to identify SETs between the dice in their hand and those already on the
board. Combine the visual perception skill of SET with an element of strategy as players can play up to 3 dice per
turn making as many SETs as possible.
24. Smart Mouth (card game)
This word game gives players two letters, then they have to come up with a five-letter word that begins with the
first letter and ends with the second letter. Individuals or teams can play.
25. Spy Alley (boardgame)
Players are try to protect assigned secret spy identities which other players try to guess. The goal is to complete
your mission, which includes collecting various items and then landing on your country's embassy.
26. Tetris Link (boardgame)
Link Tetriminos of the same color to score, while blocking opponents, without leaving any holes in the game tower.
27. TIC TAC CHEC (boardgame)
Tic Tac Chec is a boardgame designed to help teach kids how to play chess. It demonstrates most of the basics but
combines them with a form of Tic-Tac-Toe to make an entirely new game.