For long car rides with the kids, I recommend a handheld chess computer called "LCD Chess / Executive Electronic Handheld Chess Game" by Excalibur Electronics. It has 70+ levels, and is good for both beginners and more advanced players. Other features are:
"info mode," which allows you to see what the computer is "thinking" while it plays
selectable openings
the ability to replay "historic" games
"problem solving" mode.
It normally lists for $25-30, but I have seen it on sale for as low as $15.
Anyhow, when/if I have kids, you can bet they'll play something. Soccer, baseball, football, whatever -- aside from the other benefits of physical activity, I think it's a valuable place to learn how to deal with adversity (aka, lose).
My tall, skinny eight-year-old son exhibits numerous "geek" characteristics, i.e. he builds Mindstorms robots and Estes rockets, enjoys electronics/breadboard projects, chemistry, etc. He's never been part of the "in crowd," and was occasionally the target of verbal abuse by the jocks in his grade. Then one day, while we were having a catch in the yard, I asked him if he would like to try pitching. After about 15 minutes of catching his pitches, I came to realize that he possessed both amazing control and speed. I'm no baseball fan or expert, but he consistently got the ball over the plate and his pitches broke several blood vessels in my left hand.
To make a long story short, he ended up pitching for a local Little League team, and did an amazing job. He learned to handle pressure, as well as losing. He became interested in the physics of the sport, i.e. in questions such as "why does a knuckleball move so strangely?" He got to see some of the jocks fail miserably. Although he has absolutely no interest in being friends with them, the jocks now respect him and leave him alone. And he had fun.
Just my two cents...
Slashdot Mirror
For long car rides with the kids, I recommend a handheld chess computer called "LCD Chess / Executive Electronic Handheld Chess Game" by Excalibur Electronics. It has 70+ levels, and is good for both beginners and more advanced players. Other features are:
"info mode," which allows you to see what the computer is "thinking" while it plays
selectable openings
the ability to replay "historic" games
"problem solving" mode.
It normally lists for $25-30, but I have seen it on sale for as low as $15.
Anyhow, when/if I have kids, you can bet they'll play something. Soccer, baseball, football, whatever -- aside from the other benefits of physical activity, I think it's a valuable place to learn how to deal with adversity (aka, lose).
My tall, skinny eight-year-old son exhibits numerous "geek" characteristics, i.e. he builds Mindstorms robots and Estes rockets, enjoys electronics/breadboard projects, chemistry, etc. He's never been part of the "in crowd," and was occasionally the target of verbal abuse by the jocks in his grade. Then one day, while we were having a catch in the yard, I asked him if he would like to try pitching. After about 15 minutes of catching his pitches, I came to realize that he possessed both amazing control and speed. I'm no baseball fan or expert, but he consistently got the ball over the plate and his pitches broke several blood vessels in my left hand.
To make a long story short, he ended up pitching for a local Little League team, and did an amazing job. He learned to handle pressure, as well as losing. He became interested in the physics of the sport, i.e. in questions such as "why does a knuckleball move so strangely?" He got to see some of the jocks fail miserably. Although he has absolutely no interest in being friends with them, the jocks now respect him and leave him alone. And he had fun.
Just my two cents...