I have a confession…I have avoided the game RUSH HOUR by ThinkFun even though I have heard and read many good things about it. I walked on past it in the store because I thought it looked too complicated. Well, I was wrong. What a GREAT game for kids and adults! It challenges minds to push farther, probe deeper and think more creatively. The goal of the game is to “drive” your red card out of the grid to freedom. It is a modern version of the Rubik’s Cube puzzle that I grew up with, but the best news is you can play this game at different levels…beginner to expert. There are also two ways to play- you can purchase the game at a store(or on Amazon.com) for around $15.00 OR you can play the computer version for free at
http://www.puzzles.com/products/RushHour/RHfromMarkRiedel/Jam.html . My suggestion to mentors…practice it on your computer before teaching your child the game. Work together to come up with a strategy to solve the problem. Start at the beginner level and work your way up to the expert level. When you get grid locked ( and you will!) talk about how it feels to be in this type of situation in real life and what are some ways to solve our problems.