Shark Week Book Spotlight & Research Activity

How do you celebrate Shark Week? Do you celelbrate with books? With Activities? With Research? Do you celebrate at all? If your class is like mine, they are absolutely obsessed and excited about all things shark. I don't know if it is the perceived danger, the powerful jaws, the fact the they are some of the strongest preditors in the sea, but they LOVE all things sharks. If I can capitalize on a love they have by inserting it into my curriculum, I am all over it. Why even wait for shark week? You can study sharks any time!

A couple of weeks ago I was at Five Below, browsing the aisles and I came upon a book section...I have a weekness for books and when I found this one, I knew it had to come home with me. I mean, who doesn't need another shark book for their growing collection? ...all in the name of student reading engagement, right? 

Let's take a quick peek inside the book. It has super cute grapics with over 100 facts! The book has many different engaging sections that are set up in a unique way compared to other shark books I have seen before....which equals, we are gonna learn something new or at least learn it in a new way.

The different sections are perfect to enhance research on sharks. I also love the speech bubbles as though the sharks are talking directly to us. 

This book busts some myths that give sharks a bad rap. Students are always surprised to find that these powerful preditors are actually not commonly a threat to humans. It also ends with telling ways that people can help protect sharks. That is a win for sure!

This book has laid around my house for a couple of weeks just waiting for me to create something with it. Well, today I created a research guide activity that goes right along with this book, although it can be used with other books or even online research too. 

If you are looking for ideas for upper elementary students to use while learning about sharks, you can check out this resource that helps bring the facts to life in one booklet. Here is a peek at the inside of my research guide. It has seven different sections covering these different topics:

Location: Use a map to record the areas where six different sharks live

Anatomy: Draw and label the parts of one shark.

Smarts: What makes sharks so smart?

Senses: How do sharks use their senses to thrive and survive?

Teeth: What types of teeth do sharks have?

Danger: What danger do sharks pose to us?

Save the Sharks: How can we protect sharks?

If you want to see more or are interested in purchasing this research guide, you can click the link here to be taken to the product in my store.

Looking for even more shark related activities for all your shark-loving students? Be sure you also check out my Shark Bite Multiplication Game. It's a blast!

10 Tips and Tricks for the Start to a Fabulous School Year

I am always looking for tips and tricks for the start of the school year. I want my school year to be fabulous and I know that what I do from day one has a lasting impact throughout the year. Over the years I have certain tips that I have gleaned and I pull them out again and again as I start the school year. If you are looking for tricks to make your year full of fun and positivity, read on to hear 10 ways you can make this a wonderful start to your school year.

Self Portraits

Every year we do a self-portrait of some type. Last year it was a masked selfie with words to describe us. This was an art lesson shared by the amazingly talented Cassie Stephens. This year, we will be creating other portraits, hopefully without masks. I love doing these the first day and sticking them up on the wall after the students head home. They enjoy coming back to class in the morning and seeing their art work already displayed. It begins to make the classroom feel like home to see some of their projects on the walls. 

Team Building

Team building is a must at the start of any school year. Even if your class knows each other and you are looping up with them, you still need to put some time into building student-to-student relationships. I love to do my Back-to-School art team building challenge. Think Chopped (the cooking show), meets art, meets team building and you have a pretty good idea of the fun you are up for.

Books

Books are important to setting the stage for expectations. I always begin with picture book read-a-louds pretty much every day for the first week or so while we are setting the stage for the year and getting slowly into the routine of being back in school. Believe me when I say, there is no age that is too old for a picture book read-a-loud. I teach in a multi-grade room that has three different grade levels, 3-5, so I have the same kiddos for three years and because of that, I try not to repeat the same books. I have several in rotation. This year, I am using a few new to me books that I cannot wait to try out. I found these books in a resource by Amy Lemons. I have a couple more books I will be using as well, and I will be doing a separate post about those later. I like reading books that talk about behavior, growth mindset, kindness and those sorts of things at the start of every year. We use the books for activities and also discussions about what we want our classroom to look and feel like. Books are powerful conversation starters and have relatable characters and topics that can help to create the classroom you dream of.

S.T.E.M. 

S.T.E.M. is not just a lot of fun, but it is also a great way to gauge student mindset. As you roam around, you will see many different types of students that approach work differently. They overcome challenges differently too. In my experience, students who traditionally struggle in school, shine with S.T.E.M. because they are not afraid of a challenge. It's (surprisingly) my gifted students (the ones who know how to play the game of school) who struggle more when the going gets tough, as it often does with S.T.E.M. Not having just one way of solving a problem and having to try and try again can be down right discouraging to this type of student, making him/her want to throw in the towel. Which leads me to my next tip.

Growth Mindset

Students need to know how to fail and that it is a part of learning. They need to know that there is a struggle when learning new materials but that the longer you practice and the harder you push, the more you will grasp and understand. Giving up and giving in cannot be an option. Teaching students that just because they cannot do something YET does not mean they cannot EVER do it. They have the capacity to learn and no one is good at everything from the start. It takes time. I love to share with my students some famous people who struggled and made mistakes but did not give up. Some famously found 10,000 ways that didn't work, but the continued pushing until the idea became a reality.

Games

Games, like ice breakers are always a way to calm the nerves and get students up and moving or sharing ideas in a non-threatening way. I do have a few stand-by ideas that find their way into my classroom time and time again. I love a good classmate scavenger hunt. It's simple, easy, and students forget about their nerves as they walk around getting classmate signatures. Another game I love to play is Two Truths and a Lie. Every student will write down two unbelievably true things about themselves and also one lie. I collect all the game cards. I shuffle them and then read each one while the students make their best guesses about who the card is talking about. 

For example, my Two Truths and a Lie card might have these three statments: 

1. I went to a U.S. gymnastics olympic training gym.

2. I had to flee the country because of a war. 

3. I never had a cavity. 

Students will listen and make a guess about which of the three was the lie.  Keep reading to find out which one it was.

Most of my students know each other because I work at an extremely small private school and I have them for three years before they move on. We interact a lot with the other classes and our school feels like a family. We of course always have a few students who are new to the school, but we do not generally play name games because the vast majority know each other already. We simply introduce ourselves and help those who are learning our names. 

Recess

At recess during the first week, I generally start us off with a group game in the morning and allow for free play at our second recess. This helps students establish rapport with each other again. For most, they have not had much contact during the summer, even though they generally do know each other from previous years. I find group games help to break the ice and also get kids back in the swing of things. It ensures that all students are involved and no one is left feeling alone. Usually, we play an easy-to-learn game that everyone is familiar with or can learn quickly. I love using tag games because every student knows how to play tag. One of my favorite tag games to play the first week is Color Tag. In Color Tag, there are two sides marked off with two cones each or you can use the lines in the gym if you have access to one. All runners stand behind one of the lines. One player is "it" and he/she will stand in the open field between the two sides. The person who is "it" will begin by calling out a color. Any runner who is wearing that color, must run across the field to the other side. Once they cross over the line (or between the two cones), they are safe. The person who is "it" may also call out "all colors" and every runner will need to switch sides. Any player who is tagged will join with the "it" and will help catch the other runners. The game ends when just one player has still not been tagged. That player becomes the next "it" if you play again. If you can join in the play with your students, even better!

Lunch Bunch

Building a relationship with my students is vital. One way that I foster this relationship is by taking time to get to know them in non-academic ways. I love to have a lunch bunch with a small group of students every Friday. For the first month, I rotate students until everyone has had a chance. At lunch bunch students sit with me, at my table, while we eat. I take the opportunity to chat with them. I find out about what is going on in their lives. We talk about their families and things that are important to them. It is priceless, really. I always bring a treat to share with my lunch bunch and that makes it really special to them. They love sitting at my table. They find it a privelage to sit with me. 

Read-a-loud

We always have a read-a-loud time, each day, throughout the year. I read for about 15 minutes after lunch recess. It is a time when students can come back after running and getting hot and sweaty and they can just relax and cool down for a few minutes before diving back into the curriculum. The students grow to look forward to these few minutes. I almost always choose a chapter book and they always beg for more. Starting my read-a-loud time right away, the first day, builds anticipation for what is to come and sets the expectation of what we will do at that time every day for the school year. And believe me, if we ever do miss our read-a-loud for any reason, I hear about it. During read-a-loud it is just a time for kids to enjoy literature and not have to do responses or activities. It is purely for the pleasure of it. It helps my students fall in love with a good book. It is perfect to use when building interest in a book series. Read the first book in the series and when kids are hooked, show them other books in the same series and let that spark a passion in them. Sometimes I pick up books that have ugly covers and ones that are neglected by my kids becasue they look old or uninteresting on the outside. When choosing books, chose a wide variety of characters that represent those in your class or in the world at large. 

I love Three Keys, it features Asian and Hispanic immagrants and their struggles to fit into their new lives in America. 

Blended is about a biracial girl. She is also struggling to make sense of her life as the child of divorce who is forced to go between two parents. 

My Name is Tani is about an African Immigrant who perserves to become a Chess champion. 

The Thing About Georgie is about a boy who is a dwarf and the challenges of facing that at school. 

Also, I can read books that are out of their independent reach and so it opens a whole host of possibilities for them. Here are some of my favorites that I've used through the years and some I am looking forward to trying out. 

Put Your Positive Pants On

It's something I often hear Michelle Emerson from Pocketful of Primary say, but it is so true. I purchased a sign for my classroom with this saying and I refer to it, literally ALL.THE.Time. I want my students to have a positive mindset because mindset truly matters. If they think they can do it, they will more than likely find a way. The opposite is just as true. If they think they cannot do it, it turns into self-doubt, talking down to yourself, and in the end not doing something because you told yourself you couldn't. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Something I like to do to spread positivity, is to look for it throughout the day and send positive notes home several times per week. Let me just say that kids look forward to earning a positive note! A side note here, the babies in your class that struggle the most, need these notes the most. As the saying goes, "Kids who need love the most, ask for it in the most unloving ways."

Can I share a personal experience with you? A few years back, I was teaching second grade. It was the start of the school year and this one little boy's reputation had proceeded him. I had heard all the stories...you know the kind. I had even seen him physically carried to the office, kicking and screaming, (since my window faced the office building). I knew I had to find a way to reach this family. Families with kids like this hear a lot of feedback and not necessarily the type that makes Mom and Dad proud. I wanted to turn that around. I decided to make it my job to find little victories as often as I could. Nearly everytime I handed out positive notes, this little boy had one. He needed to unlearn that he was more than his behavior. He needed to know that I saw the good in him, no matter how small. I know some people might say it isn't fair to focus so much on one student above the others. I would say to them, the others got what they needed from me. They all received praise as well. But this little boy had a deeper need. I was also trying to fill his need. He had a need for more than the normal amount of praise because he had been known for his bad actions for so long. He needed to be rebuilt. Fair is not always equal. Fair is giving each student what he/she needs. It will never look the same.

The first few days of school have the biggest impact. It is where you set expectations, show you care, and get to know your students. Don't miss an opportunity to make this the start of a fabulous school year. You won't regret it.

Here are links to some of the mentioned resources in case you are interested in them. 

Team Building: 

Back to School Teambuilding Challenge

Back to School Games

Two Truths and a Lie (with back to school bulletin board set)

Positive Notes:

Mexican Themed

Llama Brights Themed

Boho Llama Themed

Christmas Themed

Super Hero Theme (with decor)

Nature Themed (with decor)

More back to School Blog Posts to Check Out (click the links below)

Setting Up a Parent Communication Binder

Start the School Year: How do you Teach Respect

Start the School Year: Classroom Set Up

Start the School Year: Favorite Back to School Books

Start the Year with Organization

Back to School Activities

Morning Tubs: What a Way to Start your Day

The First Ten Minutes

Classroom Decor

Classroom Decor Trends

Back to School Book Pics

Clean the Room

Making Cleaning Fun

Oh, and by the way, if you made it all the way to the end, thanks for sticking with me. The answer to the two truths and a lie is that I never had cavities (until I had my first one just recently). Now I will need to come up with a new truth to tell.  

Book Spotlight: Sincerely, Emerson

Have you seen the new book Sincerely, Emerson? This is the perfect read aloud for your classroom. This book tells the true story of Emerson Weber. She loved to write letters. She wrote lots of letters to many different people, but she had never stopped to consider the people who make it all possible until one day. For the first time, she thought about her postman, Doug, and how day after day he came to her house and picked up her letters and passed them on until they were delivered to the person they were for. She realized that she had never officially thanked Doug for his work and decided to do something about it. She wrote Doug a letter, although at the time, she did not even know his name. She decorated that letter and stuck it out in the mailbox to wait for Doug. 

When Doug found her letter, things quickly changed for Emerson. She realized the power of appreciation and how important all the workers around us are. We each have a part, like a network, in our communities and world. 

It is am amazing book that shows the power of being thankful and kindness. It shows how important each person is in connecting our world. I loved it so much I purchased a copy and went to work scouring it for learning I could bring into my classroom. I divided it up into six different categories that I will use for my classroom.

Sincerely, Emerson: Reading Comprehension

Of course reading comprehension can be taught with any book. In this book, I plan to have students use inference skills and well as text evidence to answer questions. Students will also use questioning skills to create their own questions about the story and write them on a cootie catcher (i.e. fortune teller) that they can use to quiz a friend. 

Simply, Emerson: Figurative Language: Idioms

The second skill we will work on using this book is figurative language, specifically idioms. Students will examine an idiom together that is found in the book and will use that as a springboard into looking at other idioms. Last, students will connect back to one of the themes of the book, mail, by looking up idioms that have to do with mail or the postal service.

Simply, Emerson: Non-Fiction Article: Timeline

After that, my students will read a non-fiction article about stamps. In the article, they will discover that long ago people could send mail without a stamp and the person receiving it would pay a small fee for accepting the letter. They will learn about how stamps came to be and also how collectable stamps came on the scene. I will then have my students create a timeline showing the history of stamps. Afterward, they will get a chance to imagine their own stamp and design it. 

Simply, Emerson: Friendly Letters

I want my students to know how to write a friendly letter even though letters are not as commonly used any longer. I feel it is important for them to be able to compose a letter, using standard form. I will talk with my students about the five parts of a friendly letter. We will go over the heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature to figure out what each part is. Students will brainstorm people to whom we could send letters, like Emerson, to show our appreciation. Then I will have each student choose one person, from the community, to write. I will encourage them to write their letter using some of the same ideas that Emerson includes in hers, stories, jokes, questions, etc. We will mail them out and see if we get any responses...which is also very exciting to get. 

Simply, Emerson: Editing Addresses

While reading and learning about mail, we will also focus on the standard that asks students to use proper form when writing an address. I will pass out a large envelope filled with addressed letter sheets. Students will learn about where commas and capitals go. They will then examine each address to make sure it is written correctly.

Simply, Emerson: City Research

To close our study of this book, we will think about the many exciting places that letters travel that we have never been to. Each student will decided on a city that they want to learn more about. I will have students create a travel brochure for the city of their choice. Students will then share in small groups and the brochures will be on display for all students to look at.

It may be surprising that one little book can teach so much, but it can. From social-emotional learning (kindness and thankfulness), to reading comprehension (inference and finding evidence), from studying non-fiction and timelines, to writing letters and editing address, and even learning more about different cities around us. This book has so many different topics that can be brought in, reading, writing, and social studies. It is amazing what one little book can do.

If you would like to save yourself some time and be able to do some or all of these activities, you can click on the picture below to see my resource. But even if you do not snag this resource, I hope you will love this book as much as I did. 

 

 

Book Spotlight: The Lemonade Club

I have a confession. I love books. I mean really, really LOVE them. Love them so much my husband may have told me I need to get rid of some books on more than one occasion. I have books shelves in my classroom and home that are filled to overflowing and I just cannot part with many at all. So with my love of books, I felt it was time to spotlight a book over here every month. I had so much fun with my last book spoghtlight, that I am making it a regular feature on my blog. 

Let's look at the book I chose for this month's spotlight. The book I chose is by Patricia Polacco and is called The Lemonade Club. Let me share what I love about this book.

First, I love Patricia Polacco, the author. Her books are real and challenge your thoughts. They give you lots to consider and put you in the shoes of those who are often looked down upon.

Second, I love that this book features characters who embrace and support one another. It gives my students a view of how to rally around the other students no matter what they are going through. 

Third, this book has such strong characters and I love how the characters who started as a problem changed overtime and began to show support like the others. It shows a great example of empathy. Students need to see themselves in others. 

Fourth, there are great examples of overcoming. The young Marilyn who has cancer overcomes her diagnosis. Of course the bullies overcome their character flaws and turn into cheer leaders, supporting Marilyn though her sickness. Even the teacher rises up to make her dreams a reality while also overcoming her own battle with cancer.

Fifth, this book is beautifully written. Patricia just has a way with words and reading her books always changes something in me. She leaves me better than I was before. I want to pass on books like that to my students. Books that challenge you to be a better version of yourself are so needed.

This is the perfect book to examine characters. Through this book, you can examine how some of the characters change over time. From the classmates, to the teacher, the characters are not the same at the end of the book as they were in the beginning. The characters are strong, but they have moments of weakness. They are interesting and make for the perfect type of characters to closely examine in class. 

This is a great book to use at the beginning of the year (or anytime) because it lends itself to discussions about what makes a great friend. You can see strong examples of good friends as well as some that are not. One fun thing to do with this book is to come up with recipes for friendship. 

Be sure to check out this book. Also, if you are interested in some activities to pair with your study of this book, check out the resource below by clicking on any picture. 

Teacher Self-Care

Let's face it, teaching is one of the hardest jobs you could ever love. Teachers work tirelessly and even though they have a seemingly great schedule, you will regularly find teachers working at home past contract hours, during vacations, and even during summer break. Although teachers generally do love what they do, they also need to take time for self care. Here are five tips for taking care of yourself, in case you have forgotten how to do it.

1. Do something you love. Some people have lots of things they love to do, while some do not have any personal hobbies. It may come as a surprise to people who have many hobbies, but there actually are people who find it hard to figure out hobbies of their own. I remember a coworker of mine who once said when our new staff was getting to know each other and sharing our hobbies, that she felt uneasy thinking about her hobbies because she really didn't have any. She determined to figure it out and she has turned her lack of a hobby into a beautiful one that she now shares with many people. I don't find it hard to have hobbies. But I do find it hard to have time for them all.  

I love to curl up and get lost in a good book. I feel sad when it comes to an end. Photography is another thing I absolutely love. I could spend hours photographing my favorite people or places. Scrapbooking has been a part of my life for many, many years and I just absolutely love it. Saving memories through scrapbooking is so important to me. Travel is something I have always enjoyed as well. Music is also something I love to do. I love to play the piano, I dabbled with the violin a few years back, and I love participating, with my husband in our church praise team. Some other hobbies I enjoy are: crafting, sewing, and of course creating for Teachers Pay Teachers. 

If you have not found your passion yet, it is an absolute must. Think about what brings you peace. What connects you to friends? What brings you joy? Those passions can be turned into something that can help you have some down time and care for yourself.

2. Get away. Unplug. Create a staycation. Go on a real vacation. You chose your level of getting away here. If you really do not have time, maybe you can just unplug for a few hours, a day, or a few days and focus on doing things for yourself, spending time with your kids or spouse. If you all have some time together, but want to stay close to home, a staycation is the perfect choice. During this school year we did a staycation over spring break and went to some local places that were within driving distance. It was perfect for us for this time. I am sure there are little places in and around your town that you pass and have never gone to. Now is your opportunity. You will be getting out of the house and spending time with your family. It does the body good to have a change of scenery every once in a while. If you can swing it, take a vacation to someplace new. We love going on road trips. It also saves a lot of money as opposed to taking a plane. Stopping at sights along the way makes it extra special. We love bringing our tent and roughing it for a few days. It feels great to be in nature and also saves so much money over spending the time in a hotel. 

3. Indulge. Watch that show you love. Eat a special treat you can't resist. Get a mani/pedi. Put some new highlights in your hair. Purchase a new outfit that makes you feel great. Take time to treat yourself to something special.  

4. Complete a project. Don't put it off any longer. Finish the quilt you started sewing 5 years ago. Clean out your closet and donate what you don't use. Paint your room with that can of paint that has been waiting for you. Finishing projects brings fulfillment to your life. It makes a big difference and makes you feel like you accomplished something.

5. Get out in nature. Nature has proven health benefits. Nature soothes your soul like nothing else. Just five minutes surrounded by nature is proven to lower stress levels. Whether it be sitting on your back porch on a cool evening, strolling through the forest, hiking up a mountain, watching the sunset at the beach, or birding, find a way to connect to nature. Whenever I do, I can literally feel the stress of life rolling away from me. It has that much power in my life. 

 Now that you have some ideas for self-care, what are you waiting for? Get out there and spend some time caring for yourself. You will thank yourself for it. 

I Survived Teaching Through a Pandemic!

If you were a teacher this year, you know that teaching through a pandemic was no joke. For me, I started the year by adding in a new grade level, fifth grade. I teach multi-grade so I had grades 3-5. I began with three students online and the rest in person, socially distanced and wearing shields or masks.

Pandemic teaching, added a whole new set of of vocabulary in the classroom. We had lots of, "Put your masks on." "You cannot be at someone else's desk." and "Don't share supplies."

For the online students I was busy saying things like this, "Turn on your screen." "Are you there?" "Can you hear me?" "Mute yourself."

Then there were the masks. Teaching in masks was incredibly hard. When you talked, it would suck into your mouth or stick to it. It made speaking muffled and it was so hard to hear certain students, especially those with soft voices or ESL learners. Mask brackets were helpful. 

Greeting my students changed big time because while I usually give them choices about how to greet me, this year all of the options had to change. We could no longer make physical contact when greeting. No handshakes or hugs. Instead we had options like air hugs or toe taps.

We had photos and artwork with students wearing masks. Each year, I traditionally have students create self portraits and this year was no exception, but this year's self portraits were masked selfies.  Our back to school photos were also masked. 

At recess, we could not play contact sports and for P.E. we could not learn games. We spent a lot of our P.E. time on walking and exercising. 

Throughout the year, we had several times where we all had to quarantine due to someone catching the virus. Then we'd go online and I would teach from home. Then there was the time that I contracted the virus and could not get a negative test for over three weeks. Yeah, that was fun. 

But as always, there was also the good. Connections. Kids needed to connect this year. They were excited to share with me, make pictures for me, find ways to connect with their friends, despite the distance.

Students need me like never before. They were worried about the virus, their family, their parent's jobs, being online, being in person. They needed encouragement, structure, and normalcy.

School was successful. We did not have anyone who had an extreme case of the virus. We taught the curriculum, We learned, despite the craziness of a pandemic. We enjoyed time with each other. 

We found ways to still learn, despite not being able to learn in as many hands-on ways. We still had several room transformations. We played learning games with gloves on. We were able to discuss as a class more.

Teaching during a pandemic taught me about what is important. When things are striped down to the bare necessities out of necessity, you see what is most important and you go with that. It taught me about the resilience of the human spirit. It taught me about the need for connection. It taught me that we are stronger than we know and can endure more than we ever imagine. 

I am thankful for the things I learned in the last year and the end of the previous year. Now I am ready to return to a normal school year. Here's hoping next year can resemble the best things I love about teaching a little more. Let's move on!

Multiplication Games in the Third and Fourth Classroom

It is fun to polish off the multiplication facts with multiplicaiton games in the classroom.  

Playing games is the best way to get kids excited about mastoring the facts. Each day in our math group, I give my students time to play games with a friend. While having fun, students are also getting in their practice and solidifying important facts in their minds. Playing games while learning multiplication facts makes the learning fun and easy. I am going to introduce you to six games that students enjoy using. 

The first game is called Nacho Math-o. Each student has a little plate of facts. One at a time, students will spin a number and multiply by the number on their plate to create a math fact. Once the student solves the fact, he/she will cover the product on his/her board. Whoever covers all the facts on his/her plate first shouts out Nacho Math-o and becomes the winner.

In the game, Four in a Row, students will play in partners. They will take turns spinning and solving multiplicaiton facts. Once they solve the fact, they will cover the product. Whoever gets four answers in a row will be the winner.

Shark bite is a quick and easy game. Players will take turns drawing a card and solving the math fact on each fin card. Watch out for the cards chomp or shark as you play. You may end up having to return all your cards. In the end, the winner is the player who has the most cards.

Bubble Trouble is a fun way to practice your times tables facts. Each player is trying to be the first to fill their gumball machine with gumballs by answering multiplication fact problems. 

In this game, students will race around the board while answering multiplication math facts. The first person to the moon is the winner. 

This game is a mix between Tic-Tac-Toe and War. Students will each flip a card over and solve the equation. Whoever gets the higher product will be able to place one of their markers on the Tic-Tac-Toe board. Continue play until one player gets three in a row for the win.

So there are my six games that help to build multiplication automaticity in the classroom. I hope your class enjoys playing these as much as mine does. If you are interested in checking out any of the games mentioned, click on the picture to be taken to the game.