Learning is Serious Fun

If I had to sum up my philosophy of education, this would be it: Learning is serious fun. The foundations are simple:

1. We learn best when we are having fun. (Consider how many people love playing Cranium, or the like.)
2. Learning is natural when we're having fun. When we're engaged with the object, the learning process happens most authentically.

The conclusion is obvious: the best teachers are those who most fully expose the fun of learning. That is not to say that learning isn't at times very hard work; rather the fun of it helps to build our stamina for the parts that we wouldn't as naturally incline to.

So here are the question for you:

1. What are the best learning games for kids?
2. What are the best ways to make learning phonics fun?

Note: I'm assuming that the kind if fun I'm talking about is intrinsic and authentic. It is not "If you do _____, then you get something fun" but that the learning process itself is fun.