In this class, we will enjoy a brief icebreaker or sharing activity, then engage in a game that will challenge your learner's memory, focus, and thinking. When relevant, I will also casually teach strategies to increase these skills, and thus your learner's confidence. 

No writing or reading is needed in this class, though there may be a few times when being able to recognize English letters and numbers 1-20 will be needed. There's plenty of interaction in this class to keep the learner's interest. Many times if they are viewing objects, animals, etc. I will have the words printed underneath them to support their reading development. 

Along with increasing a child's memory, attention, concentration, and focus, some of these carefully developed games can also improve visual and auditory recognition, reaction time, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Most of our games naturally increase language as well. In a group setting, these games can also support skills such as communication, sportsmanship, and social skills. During some games, I will at times ask students to share their strategies as we go along so they can learn from each other.

The cognitive skill development supported in this class is important as a child matures.  They not only learn new information, but also work to remember, think more critically, and process and recall what they learn, then apply it in a progressive way. 

Please know that while I do my best to end after our 35 minutes, there may be days where we run a bit over our allotted time in this class,.

I'm a teacher who is not only dedicated to having fun with my students as they learn, but I'm also sensitive to the fact that some learners dislike making mistakes or may believe they may look "dumb" to their peers when they do. I work hard to create a supportive classroom environment with no pressure to always be "correct". We are to simply try our best, whatever that may be that day. Our games are not meant to be competitive, but instead focused on group enjoyment and supporting each other. 

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PLEASE NOTE: 
Classes will continue to cycle until I end the section. You may join at any time. Please see your section for the specific games we will play each week.
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GAMES: 

What’s Missing?
An array of objects are shown and studied, then 1-3 removed without learners seeing what they were. Students then need to recall what was missing. Learners will be asked what strategies they're using to recall objects, and I will also point out and teach some as we go.

We're Going on a Picnic! 
The ultimate memory game that you may remember from your own childhood! We will take turns naming one object that we're taking on a picnic, starting with A and getting as far as we can until our time is up! I will have slides with many choices for those who have not yet mastered letter sounds (this could help!). The tricky part is that before we give our item, we will try to name all of the objects stated before, in ABC order. 

Total Recall!
A series of pictures, colors, or shapes will be displayed for a few seconds. Learners will pause, then do their best to recall what they saw, in order. 

What’s That Sound?
I will play sounds from different types of animals, along with their picture and name. I will then play only the sound, letting them recall which animal it is. If there is time, we will then do the same with various musical instruments. 

Photographic Memory.
I will share photos and a video with learners, ask them to study it, then remove it. I will then ask questions about details in the video or photo, such as "What color was the man’s hat?"  

Same...Not The Same:
Learners will look at four things and ponder how they are the same, then decide why one of them is different and doesn't belong...but someone else may think something else doesn't belong. You may be able to find why more than one is different. Maybe they all are in their own way! This game uses both critical and creative thinking with no right or wrong answers. The way other learners interpret the puzzles is interesting, helps us see outside of our own perspectives, and can lead to great discussions! 

What Changed? 
Learners will be shown a photo, or video, or look at something on me or in my room and asked to study the details briefly. Then, out of their view, something will change (a bracelet removed, a color changed, a small object added, etc). They will look again and decide what has changed. Learners will have an opportunity to take a turn changing something on themselves or in their environment for other learners to guess as well!

What am I? 
I will describe an object, slowly giving more information on the object until it is guessed. We will then switch it up and I will give learners a topic (food, animal, etc) that the secret word belongs to. They will take turns asking one question each turn to get closer to the secret word (e.g. Is it a dessert? Does it have four legs?) until it is known.

Zoom Out! 
 I will show learners a photo of a common item, animal, etc, but it will be zoomed into one spot. I will zoom out slowly as needed to support learners in guessing what the photo is, then reveal the entire photo when it's been guessed correctly. 

No-Go Game!
This game will challenge your learners' focus and memory as well as their brain flexibility and quick thinking. Learners will be given instructions on what to do when certain objects appear on the screen (and what to do/not do) when they see others...but nothing stays the same for long, and some things are downright strange and the opposite of what our brain 
would expect! 

Spot The Difference: 
Can you tell the slight differences between two seemingly alike photos, side by side? Bring excellent eyesight, patience, and attention to detail to this game!

Dual Tasks: 
The brain can struggle to do two things at once. We're going to challenge ourselves in this game with both cognitive and physical tasks that will keep our brains. We may just learn something about ourselves and multi-tasking as well. 

Mystery Bag: 
Can you use your critical thinking to compose questions that will lead the group to guess what's inside each bag before time runs out?! 

Sound Matching: 
Testing our audial (hearing) memory isn't something we do very often, our brain is much better at recalling visual information, but learners will challenge themselves with this twist on the classic "flip two" memory game using sounds only!

Color Capture:  
Learners will be tested in several ways in this game. For example, we will work to recall the location of various colors in a photo (tangrams, for example) after studying it and the photo is removed and a grey version is shown. Learners will also be asked to study a specific hue, one at a time, then match the color they saw from a line-up of similar colors. 

Memory Draw:
Learners will test their visual memory in several different ways during this game, studying basic photos for shapes, color, and placement using simple figures to draw from memory. 

Riddles and Mysteries!
We will use our critical thinking in this game to find the answers to riddles, brain teasers, and mysteries! 

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Monday 11:15 AM, 12 PM, 7 PM, and 8 PM 

May 27th: Zoom Out
June 3rd: Mystery Bag
June 10th: Sound Matching Challenge
June 17th: Memory Draw
June 24th: Color Capture
July 1st: Riddles and Mysteries 
July 8th: No-Go Game!
July 15th: What’s Missing?
July 22nd: We're Going on a Picnic! 
July 29th: Total Recall!
August 5th: Same...Not The Same 
August 12th: Do You Recognize Me?
August 19th: What's That Sound? 
August 26th: Photographic Memory
September 2nd: What Am I? 
September 9th: What Changed? 
September 16th: What's That Sound? 
September 23rd: Photographic Memory
September 30th: What Am I? 
October 7th: What Changed? 
October 14th: Spot The Difference
October 21st: Dual Tasks

This section will continue to cycle through the games and move through summer and beyond.
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Tuesday 11:15 AM and 1:00 PM EST

June 24th: Spot the Difference
July 2nd: What's Missing?
July 9th: No Go Game
July 16th: We're Going on a Picnic! 
July 23rd: Mystery Bag
July 30th: What's That Sound? 
August 6th: Photographic Memory
August 13th: Same...Not The Same
August 20th: Memory Draw
August 27th: Sound Matching Challenge
September 3rd: Color Capture
September 10th: Dual Tasks
September 17th: Do You Recognize Me?
September 24th: Total Recall
October 1st:  Riddles and Mysteries 
October 8th: What Changed?
October 15th: What Am I? 
October 22nd: Zoom Out 

This section will continue to cycle through the games and move through summer and beyond.
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Tuesdays at 8 and 8:45 p.m.

June 25th: Dual Tasks
July 2nd: Mystery Bag 
July 9th: Zoom Out!
July 16th: No-Go Game!
July 23rd: What’s Missing?
July 30th: Sound Matching Challenge
August 6th: We're Going on a Picnic! 
August 13th: Memory Draw
August 20th: Color Capture
August 27th: Riddles and Mysteries 
September 3rd: Total Recall!
September 10th: What's That Sound? 
September 17th: Same...Not The Same
September 24th: Photographic Memory
October 1st: Do You Recognize Me? 
October 8th: What Changed? 
October 15th: What Am I? 
October 22nd: Spot The Difference

This section will continue to cycle through the games and move through summer and beyond.
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Thursday 10:00 am, 7 pm, and 7:45 PM EST

June 13th: Total Recall!
Do You Recognize Me?
June 20th: Same...Not The Same
June 27th: What's That Sound? 
July 11th: Photographic Memory
July 18th: What Am I? 
July 25th: What Changed? 
August 1st: Riddles and Mysteries 
August 8th: Spot The Difference
August 15th: Dual Tasks
August 22nd:  Zoom Out
August 29th: Mystery Bag
September 5th: No-Go Game!
September 12th: What's Missing?
September 19th: We're Going on a Picnic!
September 26th: Sound Matching Challenge
October 3rd: Memory Draw
October 10th: Color Capture 

This section will continue to cycle through the games and move through summer and beyond.
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FRIDAY 1:00 PM EST 

June 21st: Spot The Difference
June 28th: Dual Tasks
July 5th: Mystery Bag
July 12th: Zoom Out
July 19th: No-Go Game!
July 26th: What’s Missing?
August 2nd: We're Going on a Picnic! 
August 9th: Do You Recognize Me?
August 16th: Sound Matching Challenge
August 30th: Memory Draw
September 6th: Color Capture
September 13th: Riddles and Mysteries 
September 20th: Total Recall! 
September 27th: Same...Not The Same
October 4th: What's That Sound? 
October 11th: Photographic Memory
October 18th: What Am I? 
October 25th: What Changed? 

This section will continue to cycle through the games and move through summer and beyond.
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FRIDAY 7:00 PM EST  

June 28th: What Changed? 
July 5th: Sound Matching Challenge 
July 12: No Go Game 
July 19th: We're Going on a Picnic! 
July 26th: Memory Draw
August 2nd: Color Capture
August 9th: Riddles and Mysteries 
August 16th:  What's That Sound? 
August 23rd: Total Recall! 
August 30th: Same...Not The Same
September 6th: Photographic Memory
September 13th:  Same...Not The Same
September 20th: What's That Sound? 
September 27th: Photographic Memory
October 4th: Spot The Difference
October 11th: Dual Tasks
October 18th: Mystery Bag 
October 25th: Zoom Out!x
November 1st:: What’s Missing?

This section will continue to cycle through the games and move through summer and beyond.
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Friday 9 pm EST

June 28th: What Am I? 
July 5th: What Changed? 
July 12th: Spot The Difference
July 19th: Dual Tasks
July 26th: Zoom Out
August 2nd: Mystery Bag
August 9th: No-Go Game!
August 16th: What’s Missing?
August 23rd: We're Going on a Picnic! 
August 30th: Total Recall!
September 6th: What's That Sound? 
September 13th: Color Capture
September 20th: Memory Draw
September 27th: Riddles and Mysteries 
October 4th: Same...Not The Same
October 11th: Sound Matching Challenge
October 18th: Photographic Memory

This section will continue to cycle through the games and move through summer and beyond.
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Saturday 1 PM and 1:45 PM EST 

June 22nd: We're Going on a Picnic! 
June 29th: Total Recall!
July 6th: Same...Not The Same
July 13th: What's That Sound? 
July 20th: Photographic Memory
July 27th: What Am I? 
August 2nd: What Changed? 
August 10th: Do You Recognize Me?
August 17th: Spot The Difference
August 31st: Dual Tasks
September 7th: Sound Matching Challenge
September 14th: Memory Draw
 September 21st: Color Capture
September 28th: Riddles and Mysteries 
October 5th: Zoom Out
October 12th: Mystery Bag
October 19th: No-Go Game!
October 26th; What’s Missing?

This section will continue to cycle through the games and move through summer and beyond.
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Saturday 8 and 8:45 pm EST (similar schedule to Friday a 9 pm)

June 29th: Photographic Memory
July 6th: What Am I? 
July 12th: What Changed? 
July 19th: Spot The Difference
July 26th: Dual Tasks
August 2nd: Zoom Out
August 10th: Mystery Bag
August 17th: No-Go Game!
August 31st: What’s Missing?
September: 7th: We're Going on a Picnic! 
September: 14th: Total Recall!
September: 21st: Sound Matching Challenge
September: 28th: Color Capture
October 5th: Memory Draw
October 12th: Riddles and Mysteries 
October 19th: Same...Not The Same
October 25th: What's That Sound? 

This section will continue to cycle through the games and move through summer and beyond.