Ends 'N Blends (1968)

""Ends 'N Blends expertly combines fun and learning. It is an exciting, creative game which your child will want to play again and again. The game will increase reading and spelling ability. It will stimulate interest in and understanding of words. "Created and developed by a professional educator, Ends 'N Blends has been tested and proven successful in the home and classroom. While playing the game, hundreds of words will be formed by combining word beginnings (consonants and 'blends') with word endings ('word families'). As he plays, your child will master the use of word families and learn to read a countless number of new words independently." (From the rules introduction.) The game consists of a game board divided into eight columns and eleven rows. Every third 'cell' contains a word segment such as "all", "ap", "ick", "ay", "ook" and several others. There is a spinner evenly divided into two sets of the numbers 1-5 and a "Hit or Miss" section. A set of over ten dozen "Ends 'N Blends" cards or tiles each contains a single word segment such as "sn", "ight", "ot", "at", "tr", "g", "fl", "ing", and many others. Forty-two "Hit or Miss" cards carry instructions such as "Return one point marker", "Take one end 'n blend. Spin again.", "Take one end 'n blend card from each player. Spin again.", and so forth. A small box holds approximately 40 thin, transparent red discs used for points. Finally, a small booklet entitled "Your Child's Reading: Suggestions For Parents" is included. Players use the spinner to determine the number of "Ends 'N Blends" cards/tiles to draw. The player then places these cards on the board, matching them up to the word segments there to form as many whole words as possible. He then receives one point (red disc) for each whole word. First player to fifteen wins. If the spinner points to "Hit or Miss", the player draws one of those cards and follows the instructions. "