If you've been homeschooling for any length of time, you've probably discovered that playing games can really enhance your child's education. Math games, geography games, word games, and games that require logic serve to reinforce the things we are learning in our more academic endeavors. In addition, we find that our children deepen their relationships with one another as they learn to work through the disappointment of losing and, conversely, the joy of a game well played.

Professor Noggin's Pets Card Game offers many of the benefits mentioned above. It is a game that levels the playing field across the ages because the directions are simple, if not Spartan. Players decide collectively whether to play the "easy" or the "hard" level. There is also a variation to play with players of multiple skill levels. Then simply roll the dice and the player on your left asks you the question on the card that corresponds to the number on the die. If you answer the question correctly, you get to keep the card. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins. These are definitely uncomplicated rules of play for even a little one to understand.

The questions are the best part of Professor Noggin's Pets of North America Card Game. They are facts that most children, or adults for that matter, would not readily know the answer to. Because the cards are re-used if not won by a player, review is automatic and the players learn the facts as the game progresses.

The questions on the cards cover a wide range of subtopics under the heading of "Pets." An easy question might be, "Rabbits like to eat many types of flowers. Why should you not let them eat buttercups or carnations?" A hard level question might be, "What should rabbits be given daily to provide them with enough fiber for digestion: cabbage, carrots, or hay?" The questions are great for children who are interested in pets; they will learn all aspects of pet facts and pet care, covering the following pets: rabbits, potbelly pigs, rats, turtles, hounds, tropical fish (freshwater), tropical fish (saltwater), snakes, pedigree cats, non-sporting dogs, parakeets, kittens, cats, ferrets, hedgehogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, toy dogs, herding dogs, tarantulas, sporting dogs, gerbils, chinchillas, parrots, lizards, working dogs, and white mice. If you have a budding veterinarian in your home, Professor Noggin's Pets Card Game would make a terrific stocking stuffer or reward for a job well done.

I have seen Professor Noggin's Pets Card Game in educational supply stores as well as in game and toy stores. Professor Noggin's games offer a variety of subjects, from famous inventions to insects to the Civil War. These games provide something for everyone as well as encourage productive use of a child's non-academic portion of the day.

Product review by Kendra Fletcher, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2006