I have long been impressed with the publications coming off the presses of Troll Communications. This little maze book by Patrick Merrell only adds to my enthusiasm for this company. This is a good product folks, and you get what you paid for in this case.
We have his collection of 23 highly imaginative and rather unique mazes; all with different settings and themes. Included in this collection we find mazes designed around:
Cities
Schools houses
Numbers
The Human Brain
Cactus Gardens
Forrest and Gardens
Old Housing Complexes
Rail Roads
Pretzels (You have to be pretty good to figure this one out)
Ant Hills
Hills
Super Highways
Maps
And many, many more.
Each is cranked out in a charming way by "The Maze Machine" and each is introduced by funny and amusing comments. Of course there is a key in the back of the book. The colors used are very mellow, but clear and concise and quite stunning in contrast.
This book, and others of its ilk published by the same company, are ideal for working with kids of various degrees of ability. Some are quite simple, while others are complex enough to challenge even the most jaded maze expert. I like the variety in the themes.
Now reader take note: When working with larger groups of children you run into the problem of running out of books quite quickly, or at least having them thoroughly scribbled on with in a matter of minutes. Now despite the fact that these pages are very easily reproduced using even a very primitive color printer, you must be aware of the fact that to reproduce these puzzles without the companies permission is against the law! DON'T DO IT.
But that being said, I have found that if you dismember the book, i.e. cut the pages out separately, enclose them in a plastic document protector, give the kids washable markers, you can use the things over and over again. If you have several of these books/puzzles and use them a lot, you can cut appropriate size pieces of plex-i-glass, tape the puzzles to the back, and again, use them over and over again with washable markers.
This is a fun book and the kids like it.
We have his collection of 23 highly imaginative and rather unique mazes; all with different settings and themes. Included in this collection we find mazes designed around:
Cities
Schools houses
Numbers
The Human Brain
Cactus Gardens
Forrest and Gardens
Old Housing Complexes
Rail Roads
Pretzels (You have to be pretty good to figure this one out)
Ant Hills
Hills
Super Highways
Maps
And many, many more.
Each is cranked out in a charming way by "The Maze Machine" and each is introduced by funny and amusing comments. Of course there is a key in the back of the book. The colors used are very mellow, but clear and concise and quite stunning in contrast.
This book, and others of its ilk published by the same company, are ideal for working with kids of various degrees of ability. Some are quite simple, while others are complex enough to challenge even the most jaded maze expert. I like the variety in the themes.
Now reader take note: When working with larger groups of children you run into the problem of running out of books quite quickly, or at least having them thoroughly scribbled on with in a matter of minutes. Now despite the fact that these pages are very easily reproduced using even a very primitive color printer, you must be aware of the fact that to reproduce these puzzles without the companies permission is against the law! DON'T DO IT.
But that being said, I have found that if you dismember the book, i.e. cut the pages out separately, enclose them in a plastic document protector, give the kids washable markers, you can use the things over and over again. If you have several of these books/puzzles and use them a lot, you can cut appropriate size pieces of plex-i-glass, tape the puzzles to the back, and again, use them over and over again with washable markers.
This is a fun book and the kids like it.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
- Accelerated Reading level : n/a
- Publisher: Troll Communications
- ISBN-10: 0816741115
- Sneak-a-Peek
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