Tim Walsh shares the Eureka moment of inventing a best-selling board game.

The idea for Blurt! came while I was helping my girlfriend, a third grade teacher, in her classroom. I opened a children’s dictionary and read aloud, “The nut of an oak tree.” I wasn’t looking for a response because I hadn’t asked a question, but a kid next to me mumbled, “Oaknut…. The nut of an oak tree is an oaknut, right?” I said, “No, it’s an acorn, but that’s FUNNY. Let’s try another one.” So I opened up to a random definition and read it aloud. The kids got more and more excited to race each other to the correct words. The light bulb went off, and the game born in a third grade classroom went on to entertain millions of families (not to mention many more third graders!) The best part of the story? I married the teacher.

Please read my previous review here.

This game would make a great Christmas gift for anyone on your list. And I have a donated game for one lucky Dirty Shirt reader to win. Please see rules below to enter to win today.

Giveaway

• MAIN RULE – Tell me in comments who you will give this to if you are the winner. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Add my Christmas button to your site and let me know you did in a separate comment (code is at the top of blog)
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.
• 1 Extra Entry – Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – Merry Christmas! @Jentifa is giving away a Blurt! Word Race Game! Check it out here http://bit.ly/6ojKCH. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on December 7, with winner being announced the morning of December 8. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Tim Walsh shares the Eureka moment of inventing a best-selling board game.

The idea for Blurt! came while I was helping my girlfriend, a third grade teacher, in her classroom. I opened a children’s dictionary and read aloud, “The nut of an oak tree.” I wasn’t looking for a response because I hadn’t asked a question, but a kid next to me mumbled, “Oaknut…. The nut of an oak tree is an oaknut, right?” I said, “No, it’s an acorn, but that’s FUNNY. Let’s try another one.” So I opened up to a random definition and read it aloud. The kids got more and more excited to race each other to the correct words. The light bulb went off, and the game born in a third grade classroom went on to entertain millions of families (not to mention many more third graders!) The best part of the story? I married the teacher.

This is one of the fastest, funniest board games I have played in a long time. And the best part is it allows me to spend quality time with my kids and have them learn all at the same time. It is so much fun to see who gets the right answer the fastest by doing just what the game is called, Blurting the answer out. Funny how “Blurting” something out seems to get louder and louder each time, but we all have so much fun. And in that process we learn, I will also admit to a little friendly smack talking courtesy of my kids when they get something right first. I have even implemented this game into my daughter’s curriculum by having her write down the word that I read the definition of. It helps her vocabulary and her spelling. But don’t just take my word for it, watch the video below and see how much fun Blurt! is:

I love this game and I know you will too. You can find it at the following stores: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, your favorite specialty toy retailer or from Educational Insights. Great game, I recommend it to everyone for hours of fun!

Why Sylvan Works

Sylvan has been a proven and trusted partner for parents for thirty years. Sylvan’s line of educational products equip families with fun, effective, and grade-appropriate learning tools. Our workbooks and learning kits feature activities, stories, and games to reinforce the skills children need to develop and achieve their academic potential. Students will reap the rewards of improved confidence and a newfound love of learning.

Being a homeschooling parent I am always on the lookout for books, workbooks, DVDs, CDs and just about anything else that I can use to teach my children. So when I was asked to review the Sylvan Super Workbook for 4th grade I jumped at the chance. My middle child is in 4th grade and I knew this would be put to good use!

I am happy to report that after a few weeks of working through this book I am pleased with how the workbook is put together. See the Super Workbooks are actually three subjects in one. You get Spelling, Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension in engaging exercises and activities all based on Sylvan’s proven system. This is what you can expect from the Sylvan system in the workbooks:

• Bite-sized skills increase confidence.
• Repeated practice ensures mastery.
• High-interest topics keep kids’ attention.
• Self-assessment allows kids to determine their strengths and learn where they need more practice.

I am very impressed with how they use the information they need to teach the kids. My daughter has picked up some great study habits and she loves that we don’t spend hours on one subject. I recommend these workbooks to everyone homeschooler or not, as they can really add to your child’s learning experience.

I have been given the wonderful opportunity to also host a giveaway of 1 of the Super Reading Success 4th Grade Super Workbooks. Please see below for the rules to enter:

• MAIN RULE – Tell me in comments what else you would like to try from Sylvan by looking around here. (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
• 1 Extra Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed or by email (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Stumble this post and leave your Stumble name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Favorite The Dirty Shirt in Technorati and leave your name (I will be checking) in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button in subscribe section on on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment
• 1 Extra Entry for Tweeting about this giveaway. Please leave direct URL in comments so I can check.
• 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog.

This giveaway will run through midnight on March 2, with winner being announced the morning of March 3. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.