To start, choose a category such as geography, famous people, inventions or animals. The first player says one item from the category: ZEBRA, for example. The next player must come up with an item in the same category that begins with the last letter of that word: ANTELOPE. The next player may say ELEPHANT; next, TAPIR, and so on. If a letter proves impossible (Y poses difficulties after you've used YAK, for example), use the letter right before the last one (a, in this case). 

LUNCH BOX RULES

Some kids like to brown-bag it mostly because of long lunch lines. They are able to sit down immediately and enjoy their lunch at a leisurely pace, while the cafeteria kids wait up to 15 minutes for theirs and then have to scarf it down. Then there is that little issue of taste and quality: Cafeteria food isn't that good. The French fries are soggy; the pizza is greasy, and the so-called sandwiches? "We won't even go there!," To make matters worse, the menu is so monotonous that the lunch-line fare began to looks like pet food.

• School lunch is a compromise between what kids want to eat and what you want them to have. Want them to eat raw vegetables? Send along a little container of their favorite dip or dressing. How about that banana or apple? Pack a little peanut butter or caramel spread to dip it in.
• Avoid repetition. Even a good lunch is a yawner if you have to eat it every day.
• Spring for fresh-sliced deli meat when possible and good sandwich rolls instead of squishy sliced bread.
• Invest in small, sturdy lidded containers for dips, spreads and dressings; Glad now makes disposable half-cup tubs. Also, reuse plastic salad containers.
• The best part of school lunch? Dessert! Give kids a treat, even if it's a fun-size candy bar or a few small cookies.

CHUNKY PIZZA DIP
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