During these cold winter months, nothing is better than sitting down as a family and playing games. It gives you a chance to be together, talk, laugh and have fun.

Playing in the dining room, at the kitchen table, or on the family room floor creates a whole different family dynamic than other activities. Conversations can start to happen — you may learn things about your child academically or socially that you didn’t know. It works much better than asking “what happened at school today”, when you get that blank look like you are crazy or something.

When playing games, children learn to play as a team — and they learn you don’t always win. That’s something, in this day and age, we don’t teach our children very well. We set up school and sports environments so that our children always succeed. But in the real world, that does not always happen.

According to, Alvin Rosenfeld, M.D., a child psychiatrist and coauthor of The Over-Scheduled Child and four other books other benefits from games include: * Number and shape recognition, grouping, and counting * Letter recognition and reading * Visual perception and color recognition * Eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity * Improved verbal communication * Increased ability to focus and lengthen attention span

Most traditional board games are not appropriate for children younger than 5 years old; they’re not cognitively ready to handle all of the rules. However, there are some new games in the market designed specifically for 4-5 year olds that are great fun. The best games are not “characterfied”. High School Musical and Dora the Explorer don’t have staying power. In five to ten years, when you go to pull out the games over a long holiday weekend–no one will even remember High School Musical.

Most games with electronics lose some of their educational value. Monopoly without the money and the banker just isn’t the same. If what you want is time with your family then you don’t want to purchase games that are played on the computer. The idea of family time, is that you are sitting around together playing and laughing and having fun.

Below are 10 games all added to the market in the last eight years. They all meet the criteria that they don’t have batteries, you don’t use a computer to play them, the designer’s created them with child development in mind, and they have staying power. You will want to continue to play them for many years.

The games are listed in age appropriate order and the description comes from the manufactures.

1. Zimbbos–Use your creativity and Sense of Balance to Build the Most Elephantastic Pyramid. Taking turns, roll the die to find out how many elephants you have to add to the pyramid. The player who puts the last elephant on the pyramid wins the game. It is a classic stacking game where kids can develop their spatial relationships and test motor skills. Appropriate for 3 to 8 years old
2. Horton Hears a Who! – You to the Rescue!–Go on a wild adventure to save the Whos! Put on the Horton hat and race around the house to find the clovers where the tiny Whos live. Pick them up with your trunk?then hurry back before time runs out! The player who rescues the most Whos is the winner! Appropriate for is 4-8 year olds
3. CARIBOO–In Cariboo you enjoy the thrill of unlocking secret doors and discovering hidden treasures! The matching activities in this game combines laugh-out-loud fun with four early-learning fundamentals — letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. And, it grows with your child. Kids practice A, B, C and 1, 2, 3, 4 with the Beginner cards, then explore the full alphabet and numbers 1 to 10 with the Advanced cards. Each game of CARIBOO takes about 10 to 15 minutes to play. Appropriate for 4 and Above
4. Finders Keepers–Be the first to find the hidden objects. Choose 3 picture cards from the card keeper. One, two, three, go! All players at once hurry to locate and place colored chips on the matching pictures on the game board. Whoever is successful gets to claim the picture card. Play as many rounds as you want – whoever wins the most cards wins the game! Appropriate for 4-7 years old
5. ThinkFun Zingo–Players try to fill their Zingo! cards with matching tiles from the Zingo Zinger. The first player to fill his/her card wins! Rules can be adjusted to favor more or less competition among players, and to vary length of time that each game takes to play. Zingo teaches shape and pattern recognition, as well as observation, and short-term memory. Appropriate for 4 – 8
6. Blockus–Blokus encourages creative thinking. The goal of this game is for players to fit all of their pieces onto the board. When placing a piece it may not lie adjacent to the player’s other pieces, but must be placed touching at least one corner of their pieces already on the board. The player who gets rid of all of their tiles first is the winner. Four players make this abstract game especially fast and exciting; however, it can be just as fun for two or three players. A game of Blokus typically lasts 30 minutes. Appropriate for 5 and up
7. Gobblet and Gobblet Jr. Gobblet–a four-in-a-row, tic-tac-toe game where you can move pieces around the board to increase your chances of winning – or losing. Simply move your piece to a vacant spot, or gobble up an opponent’s smaller piece to gain the advantage. In Gobblet Jr. you are working on getting 3 in a row. Gobblet is for 7 and above, while Gobblet Jr. is for 5 and above
8. Qwirkle–This game combines well-thought out strategy with quick-thinking challenges. Qwirkle is played by creating rows and columns of matching colors and shapes. Since the simple play requires no reading, the whole gang can connect shapes and colors making the strategic multiple-tile moves that earn maximum points. Appropriate for 6 and up
9. Apples to Apples, Apples to Apples Jr. and Apples to Apples 7+–The name of the game is a play on the phrase “apples to oranges,” and the game is about making comparisons between different things. General game play is as follows: players are dealt red cards which have a noun printed on them, and the judge draws a green card on which an adjective is printed and places it for all players to see. Each player then chooses a red card they are holding that they think best describes the green card. The judge then decides which adjective she likes best. Apples to Apples is for 12 and above; Apples to Apples Jr. is for children 9 and above; and Apples to Apples +7 for children is for 7 and above.
10. Stupiduel–Stupiduel is a simple but entertaining storytelling game. Use your hand of item and modifier cards to construct a diabolical weapon (such as “1000 electrified hamsters”) with which to attack a fellow player. Then you must tell a story about how you will use this implausible but fearsome weapon to destroy your opponent. The other player gets to build a defensive item in the same way (maybe a “radioactive garden gnome”) and describe how it prevents or deflects the attack. The rest of the group then decides who is the winner of the battle. Appropriate for 12 and above

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Mara Kaplan believes that every child has the right to play. It is through play that children learn and development. In order to play children need excellent toys. With 12 years of purchasing toys for a nationally renowned playspace, Mara is now reviewing and recommending high quality toys.

A long list of games divided into age groups that will help you create a complete game closet is available at == http://www.letkidsplay.com/get_a_game.html

Tags: best family games, classic board games, cranium, family game night, hasbro, orange and blue, thinkfun

Bars are a great place to go when you want to meet new friends, socialize and to be entertained. Many bars have live music, pool tables, dart games and so forth to make it more interesting and provide you with things to do while socializing. You can join in on one these activities or choose to sit on the bar stools and sip on your favorite drink while enjoying the music.

Most everyone has a favorite bar they enjoy spending time in but how do you go about choosing a favorite bar. There are several factors that separate a regular boring bar from a great one. Some of these are listed below.

What to look for in a great bar:

• A great atmosphere with music is a must. Live music is the most entertaining but having a DJ or a jukebox may be more suitable for small bars.
• Compatible prices for drinks and any food served. If the prices are too high, it would be difficult for most people to spend much time there.
• Extra entertainment is needed to keep people from getting bored while enjoying their favorite drink. Darts and pool are two of the most popular choices.
• A friendly talented bartender is always a great asset that can make or break any bar.
• A bar with a theme helps the customers relax and feel comfortable, but don’t go overboard.
• It should have plenty of bar stools and tables for you to relax while still having room to move around.
• Cleanliness is a must. No one wants to spend time in an establishment that is not clean even if it is a bar.
• It should maintain a certain standard for the regular customers. People go to bars to relax, socialize and have a great time, not to listen to arguments and run the risk of being involved in a fight. Anyone that constantly starts trouble should not be allowed.

These are just some of the things to look for when you’re trying to choose a favorite bar where you can spend your free time. To help you get started, below is a list of some of the top rated bars in the US:

• Highlands Bar & Grill – Birmingham, Alabama
• Toronado – San Francisco, California
• Cruise Room – Denver, Colorado
• Kelly’s Logan House – Wilmington, Delaware
• The Bahi Hut Lounge – Sarasota, Florida
• Brick Store Pub – Decatur, Georgia
• Hideout – Chicago, Hawaii
• High Life Lounge – Des Moines, Iowa
• Fat Matt’s Vortex – Kansas City, Kansas
• The Old Seelbach Bar – Louisville, Kentucky
• Napoleon House – New Orleans, Louisiana
• The Solon Hotel Bar – Solon, Maine
• The Brewer’s Art – Baltimore, Maryland
• Doyle’s Cafe – Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
• O’Malley’s 1842 Pub – Weston, Missouri
• Strange Brew Tavern – Manchester, New Hampshire
• The Brooklyn Inn – Brooklyn, New York
• The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern – Cleveland, Ohio
• The Library Bar & Grill – Norman, Oklahoma
• Clyde Common – Portland, Oregon
• The Grey Lodge – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Moe’s Crosstown Tavern Charleston, South Carolina
• Ice House – Yankton, South Dakota
• Ginny’s Little Longhorn – Austin, Texas
• Shooting Star Saloon – Huntsville, Utah
• Zig Zag Cafe – Seattle, Washington
• The Mecklenburg Inn – Shepherdstown, West Virginia
• Nomad World Pub – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

If one of these bars is located in your area, go in, find a comfortable bar stool and check them out. Who knows, one of these could be your new favorite bar.

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Ben Weissman writes about using Discount Bar Furniture and Swivel Bar Stools to make your Home Bar a great entertainment center.

Have you ever thought about which bar stools Hemingway would have sat on? This probably isn’t the type of thing that would enter the average person’s mind on a daily basis but for some people, particularly Hemingway fans, it is a reasonable question.

A recent news story from sunny Florida brought this question to light for many people. The famous and upscale Sloppy Joe’s Bar are taking the owners of Captain Tony’s Saloon to court to settle an issue over who can really claim rights as the owner of the original Sloppy Joe’s as well as bragging rights for a piece of the legend of Ernest Hemingway. The lawsuit which was filed on July 7th in the US District Court said that Captain Tony’s infringed on the trademark of Sloppy Joe’s. Legends say that Hemingway spent a great time drinking and writing at each bar. Fans of the individual bars argue over the facts that Hemingway ever drank or even visited the opposing bar.

Regardless of which bar is the true owner of the story, if either, there’s one thing that’s brought to mind when we think of this. If Hemingway really spent as many hours as they say (and as some of his stories would suggest) sitting in the bar writing, what kind of bar stools did he sit on. Were they comfortable? Did they have backs to them? Were they metal or wooden? Did these bar stools swivel?

There are so many questions which one might ponder about the chair that the famous Hemingway may have sat in for so many hours a day, writing and drinking. One would think that these bar stools were comfortable if he spent so much time in them but we can’t say for certain. A regular, ordinary old wooden bar stool may have been his thing. Writers are known for their intricacies and this could have been one of Hemingway’s.

Since there’s no proof of which bar, if either, Hemingway really spent so much time at, it’s hard to say exactly what kind of bar stools he sat on. One thing we can assume is that the bar stools he sat on were most likely similar to the other styles of the times. You can look at the era in which Hemingway would have been frequenting bars to get an idea for the types of stools that may have been common but there is little proof of exactly what type he would have been sitting on. Since the bars themselves have also changed over the years, it’s not likely they still have the same types of bar stools. This is especially true about Sloppy Joe’s which has gained international fame as more than just a bar but also a restaurant, museum and tribute to Hemingway. Sloppy Joe’s would be considered much more “high class” than bars of Hemingway’s day and it’s more like the bar stools he sat on were more like those of the quant Captain Tony’s.

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Ben Weissman writes articles about using Discount Bar Stools and Pastel Pub Sets to decorate your home bar beautifully and inexpensively. Make your Home a Personal Retreat.