Lego Games

Recently Lego has branched out into a new area, games. I like games. I try to get my family to play games, and I'm only sometimes successful. But if you add Legos, who can refuse?

We have played several of these games and enjoyed all of them. The first one we tried was the Lava Dragon game. My older son had fun putting it together, and once it was ready we gathered around to play. The game was very easy to learn, and my 5 year old had no trouble following the rules. It seems a simple race to the top, but there is a very interesting mechanic in this game in that the die you use change during the course of the game. Every time it's rolled, a colored tile is added so that the next time that side is rolled, the action is different. This makes it very interesting and exciting to see how the die is changing during the course of the game.

The next one we tried was Magikus. So far, this seems to be the simplest of the games. The kit includes some neat figures, so there's fun to be had even when you're not playing the game. In this game, the players simply collect the ingredients for a magic stew. This is definitely more fun with more players. With only two players it really is just the luck of the roll that decides who wins.

The last one that we've tried is Ramses Pyramid. This also is a race to the top game, but it does have some twists, physically that is. On certain die rolls the player actually twists the different levels of the pyramid, and this can change the path that a player has to take to the top. This game has proven to be the most popular so far, with everyone in the family getting involved. This kit also includes some really neat pieces like mummies and scorpions that are fun outside of the game.

What's great about these games is that just like normal Legos, you can modify and create your own games with these sets. Optional rules are included in each of them, and you're encouraged to make up your own. Even my 5 year old has made up different ways to play Ramses Pyramid, changing the way you win and changing what the symbols on the dice mean. Now when we play he asks, "Do you want to play the normal way or my way?" I do have to remind him that he's not allowed to change the rules in the middle of the game, but overall it has really encouraged the kids to be creative.

My older son actually went to a birthday party where they played several of these games as part of the party. They can generally be done in 30 minutes to an hour, with additional players making the games longer. There are several others that look fun, including a recently released Harry Potter game. Here are the others that are out right now:

Books for my 9 year old boy

My 9 year old is an avid reader. Sure he likes video games and tv too, but he spends most of his time reading. He's also a very advanced reader for his age, which presents a problem. The books that are at his reading level contain content that he is not quite mature enough for. So we've been struggling to find books that are appropriate but still challenging enough to hold his interest.

He's been interested in Harry Potter since the video game came out, so he wanted to read this. My wife and I were a bit hesitant at first, so I did some research online and my wife read the first one before we let him get started. So after reading the first four, in general I would say that they are appropriate for his age, with a few caveats. Obviously, they involve magic and wizards and witches. So if that's a problem for you, avoid these. I would point out that the Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia also include many of these story elements, but no one seems to have a problem with that. In the fourth book, a few minor curse words are mentioned (the d word, that also relates to obstructing water:), and my wife tells me this is the case with the fifth book as well. As Harry gets older, there are some subtle hints of his feelings for one of the girls in the school, but it's very subtle and probably went right over my 9 year old's head. I'm not sure how much more there is later. But because of these two issues, I can only wholeheartedly recommend the first three books.

My wife also read "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan, and she deemed it acceptable. My son has gone onto to complete that series as well as the first book in a new series by Rick Riordan, "The Red Pyramid". I'm currently reading "The Red Pyramid", and while there aren't any elements that are horrible, it does have a stronger element of early, awkward teen romance, and several inappropriate uses of "God". These books are based on mythology, so obviously those references are fake, but "God" is often used as an exclamation when things go wrong or when the character is angry, which obviously isn't the way I want the word used.

Being a Star Wars fan, I've also read many of the Star Wars books for kids, and there is really nothing objectionable in them. There are several series. I've read the Jedi Apprentice, Jedi Quest, Boba Fett, and Last of the Jedi series, and I would let my son read any of those. Combined, that's about 45 books, so that should keep him busy for a while. The first one, which he's already read, is "The Rising Force".

But knowing how quickly my son reads, I know that it's only a matter of time before he finishes those. I looked into other series I'd heard or seen, such as the Warriors, Artemis Fowl, or Daniel X, but had issues with those. I then decided to check out christianbook.com to see what they had, and was pleasantly surprised to find many series that I think my son, and maybe even myself, would enjoy. The links below don't take you to christianbook.com, but this way you can see the covers along with the names of many of the series I've found. All of these are the first in a series, and I haven't read them so I can't personally vouch for them, but based on the reviews I've read on the christianbook.com website. I'd be comfortable with my son reading them. Just the fact that christianbook.com lists them assures me that they most likely do not contain content that I would object to.