Monday, 12 December 2011

Go Bananas for Christmas! Five great games to banish Boxing Day boredom

The Bananagrams Family of Games
If you’re monkeying around seeking last minute gifts and stocking fillers this December, look no further than the range of award-winning games from BANANAGRAMS INC. No matter who you’re buying for, you’ll find there’s a game to suit every age:

BANANAGRAMS® (RRP £14.99) – the global word-play phenomenon is the ideal gift for kids aged seven to 107: a fast and fun anagram game that’s perfect for bringing the family together and banishing Boxing Day boredom. Requiring no pencil, paper or board, Bananagrams comes in a small portable banana-shaped pouch and was named Toy Fair 2009’s “Game of the Year”. Created by the word game-obsessed Nathanson family of three generations, ranging in age from seven to 75 years old, Bananagrams is a labour of love that that has quickly become an international hit, selling millions of copies worldwide and attracting celebrity fans including Scarlett Johansson, Kelly Clarkson and Cindy Crawford.

FRUITOMINOES® (RRP £14.99) – for players aged 5+, it features 28 beautifully crafted fruit-emblazoned dominoes in a compact pouch. It’s a fresh, fruity and colourful twist to the classic game of dominoes.

ZIP-IT® (RRP £14.99) – the perfect gift for the jet-setter in your life, Zip-It is a two-player crossword race that can be played anytime, anywhere in as little as 20 seconds. For players aged seven and up, Zip-It features 24 high-quality letter cubes packaged in a unique cloth pouch with scoring zippers. The ability to play compactly on an airplane or train tray make Zip-It the ultimate travel game.

APPLETTERS® (RRP £15.99) – originally designed with younger players in mind and features three levels of play to amuse children and challenge adults. The game comes in an apple-shaped cloth pouch containing 110 ivory-like tiles. In addition to the version for a younger audience, the game also includes instructions for more adult play - APPLE TURNOVER™ for an extra challenge and APPLESCORE™ for word lovers who like to have fun with palindromes and semi-palindromes.

PAIRSinPEARS® (£15.99) – a word construction game for children aged 6+, where players race to make pairs of connecting words in matching patterns. The pear-shaped cloth pouch contains four full alphabet sets in four distinct designs and the game provides a great way for children to develop memory and cognitive skills while learning the alphabet, pattern recognition, vowels, vocabulary, rhyming and more.

The games are available to buy from all good book and toy stores on the High Street or online from www.bananagrams.com.

FACTFILE:
Bananagrams®, Inc., is the family-owned Rhode Island company behind a range of innovative word games, including the international phenomenon BANANAGRAMS - the fast, fun anagram game that will “drive you bananas!” 

Currently available in 31 countries and multiple languages, original Bananagrams has spawned digital versions on Facebook, the iPad™, iPhone™ and iTouch™ and a series of books. Bananagrams, Inc. also offers the award-winning Appletters®, Pairs in Pears® and brand-new ZIP-IT® and Fruitominoes®. All the games feature attractive cloth pouches and need no board, pencil or paper - ideal for children and adults aged seven to 107 who enjoy witty word play, at home or on the go.

For more information visit: www.bananagrams.com
Check out our all-new Bananagrams blog @ www.bananagrams.com/peels
Like us on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/bananagrams
Follow us on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/bananagrams_uk

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Sunday, 11 December 2011

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Saturday, 10 December 2011

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Who is Senuna? Where would you find the islets of Langerhans? Mr Deasy, Gabriel Conroy and Robert Hand are all characters from works by which author? Which of the following is larger: 0.00099 or 0.001? ...and many, many more fiendishly fun questions to test your old-school knowledge

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Published by Random House.

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How To Survive Your First Christmas Alone

Your first Christmas alone doesn't have to be terrible. Make sure that you plan what you are going to do well in advance and that you arrange to keep busy over the holiday period.

Be organised and don't leave any spare time when you might brood. Don't worry about what your ex partner is doing or who they are spending it with; make sure that you are so busy having a good time that it doesn't matter what they are doing. Don't let any negative feelings (anger, jealousy) about your ex get in the way of enjoying yourself.

Prior to the Christmas break take advantage of all the parties you are invited to. If you haven't got a company party or a networking 'do' to go to then why not throw your own party? You can even throw themed parties - there are various pamper, chocolate and jewellery parties available. If everyone brings a bottle and a plate of food hosting a party doesn't have to be too expensive.

One of the options available is to go away on holiday. Why not fly to the Canary Islands with a friend. Have champagne by the swimming pool on Christmas Day and on New Years Eve thoroughly enjoy the party atmosphere. If you don't know anyone who is single why not try Buddies4Travel (www.buddies4travel.co.uk) who can help you find a suitable travelling companion.

Alternatively, if you lead a hectic life, you could decide to spend the time on your own and have some quiet 'me' time. Stock up on your favourite foods, a good book and some classic DVDs and relax.

Don't forget to buy yourself a self-indulgent present such as a beauty treatment, a massage or a new outfit.

If you have other single friends who are going to be on their own over Christmas you could get together and have a house party. Why not play some board games such as Scrabble, Scattergories, Trivial Pursuit or a Murder Mystery? You don't have to be a child to play games! If money is an issue make a pact not to buy each other presents or limit the cost of presents for each other and share the cost of the food and drink.

Another option is to volunteer to work for a charity over Christmas. Why not help provide lunch for the homeless or visit a lonely elderly person? These websites provide some ideas about how you can hel:-

www.timebank.org.uk/volunteer_christmas/
www.do-it.org.uk

If you have children you should communicate with your ex about the arrangements for the holiday well in advance. Reassure the children that you will be OK while they are spending time with your ex, that you have plans and will not be sad or upset. Ensure that they are happy with the arrangements that have been made for them.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Sue Atkins is a Parenting Expert, Broadcaster, Speaker and Author of the Amazon best selling book "Raising Happy Children for Dummies" one of the famous black and yellow series and the highly acclaimed Parenting Made Easy CDs. She has also just launched her 1st Parenting Made Easy app for iPhones and iPads.

She is currently writing a new book for Random House called "Parenting Made Easy" which will be available in April 2012.

Sue offers practical guidance for bringing up happy, confident, well behaved children from toddler to teen.

She regularly appears on BBC Breakfast and The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and is the parenting expert for many BBC Radio Stations around the UK. She has a regular monthly parenting phone-in on BBC Radio Surrey & Sussex and her parenting articles are published all over the world.

To receive Sue's free ebook bursting with practical tips and helpful advice from toddler to teen log on to www.theSueAtkins.com and download it instantly today.