A Tangler is a puzzle that must be solved by a team. Groups of 3-6 students read and interpret clues in order to find the correct solution--but no one has all the information needed to find the answer on their own. In order to succeed, everyone must contribute. Players must share the information they have with teammates, and eliminate irrelevant clues, as they work together to reach a conclusion. Some Tanglers are fictional; others include interesting historical, geographic or scientific information.

Tanglers includes a lesson plan for using the puzzles, and another to help students create original puzzles of their own. Students can write Tanglers using based on their curriculum--a great way to integrate thinking skills into any content area. Students can also practice research skills as they search for the details that will make for an intriguing puzzle.

Tanglers Too! will help students develop problem-solving skills while also improving their ability to work cooperatively. In addition to enhancing reading and math comprehension, Tanglers help reduce teacher-dependent behavior by giving students practice relying on their own abilities and those of their classmates.

What is a Tangler? Many of these puzzles are logic problems; some are math word problems. Clues to the answer are written on cards that are distributed among groups of 3-6 students. No one student has enough information to solve the puzzle alone. Students must share their information and work together to reach a solution.

Tanglers Too! is designed for students of grade 7 and above. It offers puzzles that are somewhat more challenging than those in Tanglers.

Have you ever wondered why it seems like you are standing still - even though you are on a planet that is moving through space? Albert Einstein wondered why. Do you know what the famous equation E=mc2 means? Einstein could have explained it Do you know why black holes exist? In this engaging book, author Paul Fleisher answers these and many more questions as he looks at the laws of relativity and quantum mechanics. With easy-to-understand concepts and experiments, readers are introduced to the basic principles of modern physics in an exciting way.

Have you ever wondered why a prism turns ordinary sunlight into a rainbow? Isaac Newton knew why. How can a magnet be used to generate electricity? Michael Faraday could have told you. Can you explain how a toaster toasts bread? In this book, author Paul Fleisher answers these and many more questions as he looks at the laws that describe how waves behave. Through simple experiments, detailed illustrations and concepts that are easy to understand, readers are introduced to the basic principles of light, electricity and magnetism in a fun, exciting way.

Have you ever seen a magician make something seem to disappear Did it make you wonder if anything can really just vanish? To answer these and many other questions, author Paul Fleisher looks at the scientific laws that describe how matter and energy behave. Through simple experiments and concepts that are easy to understand, readers are introduced to the basic principles of matter and thermodynamics in a fun, exciting way.

Have you ever wondered why a 10-tonne boat floats but a tiny pebble sinks? Archimedes knew why. How does a basketball or tennis ball bounce? Robert Boyle could have described how Can you explain why a hot-air balloon rises but a balloon you blow up drops to the ground? To answer these questions and many more, author Paul Fleisher explains the laws that define how and why liquids and gases behave the way they do. Through simple experiments, detailed illustrations and concepts that are easy to understand, readers are introduced to the basic principles of fluid mechanics in a fun, exciting way.

Have you ever wondered why objects drop to the ground or what keeps the Moon from crashing into the Earth? Isaac Newton wondered why. Do you know whether a bowling ball will fall faster than a cricket ball? Galileo could have told you In this fascinating book, author Paul Fleisher answers these question and many more as he explores the scientific laws that describe how and why objects move. Fun experiments that readers can do on their own and helpful illustrations introduce the basic principle of classical mechanics.

Snakes, lizards, rabbits, mice, mountain lions, and hawks are some of the many animals that make up a desert food web. But do you know how desert animals depend on cactuses, grasses, and other plants to stay alive? Or why tiny insects, fungi, and bacteria may be among the most important living things in a desert? See desert food webs in action in this fascinating book.

Beetles, toads, squirrels, owls, deer, and black bears are some of the many animals that make up a forest food web. But did you know that leaves, berries, mushrooms, and tiny bacteria are also important? Or that humans can affect the health of a forest? See forest food webs in action in this fascinating book.

Be the one to make a difference in your students' thinking! With more than 100 games to choose from, Brain Food is your one-stop source for exploring the fun in learning. This compilation is filled with new as well as traditional brain games, and most need little more than paper and a pencil to get you started. Each game is classroom tested and tailored to encourage cooperation and teamwork as well as deductive logic. The book includes:

• word games,
• math games,
• logic games,
• memory games, and
• much more!

One exciting aspect of this book is that it has a bit of an international flavor. It is filled with fun games from around the world that challenge and stimulate young minds. From the Japanese strategy game Hasami Shogi, to the traditional African game Wari, to the deductive game Witch Hunt, to the word challenge Wordbuilder, these mind-stretching tools encourage complex thinking skills.

Games by their very nature require thinking. With Brain Food you'll get teaching tools such as Alphamazement--a game of strategy that challenges both visual and verbal skills by having players connect letters of the alphabet in a zigzagging maze. Or, try the traditional Maori game Mu-Torere to enhance visual and mathematical skills.

Grades 4-12

Seals, otters, oysters, fish, pelicans, and sharks are a few of the animals that make up an ocean food web. But did you know that almost all ocean creatures depend on algae to live? Or that bacteria, crabs, and lobsters break down dead plants and animals into nutrients? See ocean food webs in action in this fascinating book.

Prairie dogs, vultures, grasshoppers, goldfinches, pocket gophers, and bison are some of the many animals that make up a grassland food web. But do you know how the many types of grasses in a grassland benefit these animals? Or how earthworms and other decomposers play an important role in the food web? See grassland food webs in action in this fascinating book.

Prairie dogs, vultures, grasshoppers, goldfinches, pocket gophers, and bison are some of the many animals that make up a grassland food web. But do you know how the many types of grasses in a grassland benefit these animals? Or how earthworms and other decomposers play an important role in the food web? See grassland food webs in action in this fascinating book.

Like the nationally known Destination Imagination competition, Mind Builders offers simple engineering problems to be solved by student teams. It begins with a few exercises to introduce the team concept. These are followed by ten warm up problems that can be completed within an hour or less, with little advanced preparation. Finally, teachers choose one of 12 engineering challenges to be completed by teams over an extended period, and presented to judges on Challenge Day.

For more than twenty years, the Richmond, Virginia Public Schools' program for gifted students has conducted an interscholastic competition similar to the nationally known competition, Destination Imagination. In the featured contest of this yearly event, teams of five students present solutions to engineering problems that they have worked on for several weeks or more. The problems are multidisciplinary, including elements of research, writing, mathematics and science, and a creative dramatic or musical presentation. Each challenge requires just a few inexpensive materials and a minimum of equipment.
In addition to their use with gifted students and others in interscholastic competitions, these problems make excellent challenges for classroom use, or even for use with extracurricular or recreational organizations such as Scout groups or Boys and Girls Clubs. They are written to include basic skills from the core curriculum, and require students to work cooperatively to solve problems with multiple solutions. This book offers 12 simple engineering problems plus ten warm up problems to be solved by student teams. Each challenge includes detailed specifications, hints for teachers and coaches, scoring rubrics, a list of references that will help students get started on the problem, and a check-list for administering each competition.

A Friend in Need is a Man's Best Dog is a collection of humor, essays and verse, both published and previously unpublished. The book includes satire and parodies, as well as essays on political environmental and education issues. Also included is a small collection of short verse. The book is a retrospective covering almost forty years of Fleisher's writing career.

Moose, lemmings, owls, wolves, bumblebees, and grizzly bears are some of the many animals that make up a tundra food web. But did you know that worms, beetles, mushrooms, and bacteria break down dead plants and animals into nutrients? Or that tundra animals depend on berries, seeds, and other plants to stay alive? See tundra food webs in action in this fascinating book.