By the time they are in fourth grade, most kids will be the first to tell you: they can read and write lots of words. But what they're just learning is how words can stretch beyond concrete definitions and into all sorts of delightful meanings. At this exciting stage, we can think of few cooler learning toys than Apples to Apples. Players get five cards, each with a common word. One kid is then the "judge," who turns over one green card with a general category. Whose red card is the best "apple to apple" fit? Or, in a variation, whose is the "crab" apple"the clearest opposite? Watch kids laugh their way into a new level of word mastery"and be prepared for good parent fun, too. (Out of the Box, 4-10 players, $24.99)