Beth Longwell
5th Grade Teacher
Sunnyvale, CA

Dear Mark,

I am a fifth grade teacher in Sunnyvale, California. About a month and a half ago I played the junior version of Apples to Apples with a 7 year-old relative. We all had a great time, and my mom (who had purchased the game for the 7 year-old) informed me that there was an adult version too. I had so much fun playing the children's version, that I wasn't convinced I even needed the adult version! Well, she bought it for me, and I have really enjoyed playing it with my husband and friends.

But, that's not where most of my excitement comes from. I purchased a Junior 9+ version online to bring to school for my fifth graders to play. Today was the first rainy day that we've had in a while, so I took out the game and introduced it to a few of them before school started. They LOVED it. It's hard for me to explain my students, but many of them are below grade level academically and many of their families are pretty needy. So I am always excited to see them "sparked." I couldn't believe the persuasive arguments I heard coming out of their mouths as they tried to get their card chosen. They were thoughtful and creative. I even observed some great strategizing. Today a few of them had "cafeteria duty" -- normally a privilege that they look forward to. But today a couple of my boys were trying desperately to get out of the duty so they could play Apples to Apples at lunchtime. 

I just wanted to thank you for a great game, and for the excitement that you created in my students. I will probably end up purchasing a couple more boxes as the excitement, and consequently the demand,  spreads! 

Beth Longwell

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