News, Reviews, and Recommendations!

Feed your mind

Mountain Goats is a fun, simple, 20-minute family game that’s all about rolling dice and moving your goats to the tops of the mountains to gain the most points.

It’s great fun, and simple enough that you can learn to play in under a minute.

Homeschoolers… you’re going to love it ;)

Whenever someone comes into Brain Spice and asks how to teach a subject in their homeschooling program, I always recommend including as many games as possible.

…then I always follow it up with, “But don’t just get games because they say they teach that subject. Make sure the games are actually fun!”

Often, the games that teach a subject or skill best aren’t classified as “educational games”. They’re family games - and the learning is just a by-product of playing.

Those are my favourite kinds of homeschooling games.

Ecosystem: Coral Reef is a perfect example of this.

Do you think Cleopatra became Queen of Egypt before or after the invention of the toothbrush? 

That’s the sort of question you have to ask yourself when you play Timeline. 

…(I’ll include the answer below - I know you’re wondering now!)

I was doing a jigsaw puzzle with the kids this week, and had a random thought.

Who actually invented jigsaw puzzles? Was it accidental… or did someone come up with this on purpose? 

For homeschoolers, games like these are a powerful tool - not just for learning logic or practicing reading, but for building perseverance, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.

Because homeschooling isn’t just about ticking curriculum boxes or getting perfect test scores. It’s about raising curious, capable kids who know HOW to think - not just WHAT to think.

When all the focus is on results, kids don’t learn to love learning - they just learn to fear failure.

And that’s the opposite of what we want.

Games like these teach kids (and adults!) that success rarely happens on the first try - and that’s totally okay. Getting it wrong the first time isn’t failure - it’s part of the process. 

Learning that genuinely feels like play!

If you’ve played Spot It! before and loved it, you’ll jump straight into these with no learning curve at all - because Super Genius uses the same gameplay. 

It’s fast-paced, fun, and perfect for kids who love a little competition… and all the while, it sneakily builds real learning while everyone’s too busy trying to win!

This week’s pick might not sound as exciting as some of the fun activities I usually recommend - but I genuinely love these books and suggest them to everyone!

Whether your child is struggling with maths or does it for fun, these workbooks can be a great little addition to your daily routine.

They’re simple, structured, and confidence-boosting - and actually kind of fun!

I believe that every child is beautifully and wonderfully unique - each with their own passions, strengths, and way of learning. 

But when a child starts to fall behind in reading, and everyone else around them seems to be picking it up easily, it’s heartbreaking how quickly their confidence in so many areas of life can start to fade.

At that point, it’s not just about reading anymore - it starts to affect how they see themselves.

I am occasionally asked why an “education store” would bother selling magic tricks.  It seems that not everybody feels positive about this entertainment art.  Some even see the hobby as a little immature or dishonest.

I have a few things to say...

Science is an incredibly inspiring subject. However, when you're first putting together a homeschool Science program, it can be an overwhelming experience. 

Science is incredible! It's hands on! It's fun! It's exciting! Which is why it's so easy to get too excited, and buy anything and everything so that you can teach your child everything in a fun and exciting way! 

Unfortunately when you do that, more often than not those resources will then likely sit in a cupboard collecting dust, because you will have so many amazing ideas and resources - you won't know where to start. Either that, or your child's schedule will be so full that it won't leave room to follow where their natural curiosity would lead them. 

Which is why, when first starting out, I suggest starting simple.