Homeschool Savvy

2009-03-06T05:50:00.000-08:00

Using a base ten system seems to make so much more sense than a base sixty system. So how did it ever come to be?

Here is a fabulous explanation in six short minutes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iEPJ7a4Fm0&eurl=http://www.experiencefestival.com/forum/show-5103-39898-43909.html&feature=player_embedded

Pixton - Learning Through Comic Creation

2008-12-01T05:59:00.000-08:00

Pixton Comic Creation Site

PlayLadyPlay Comics: my profile

Santa Game

This is a fabulous site that starts being fun right away.

I haven't found anywhere on the web that is as fun to create your own profile. If you go to my profile, you can see that I've added my two dogs, my own hair colour... and I pretty much look like me. I was even able to post a note to people who come to see me! I was also able to allocate where I live on this planet. And eventually, as I build friends, I will be able to see all the different countries my friends live in too! Cool!

At first glance though, I thought I'd have to create all my own comic strips and characters. Honestly, I don't have time to do that but I wanted to be able to show my kids something that I had made up quickly.

Well, it turned out that there are preset comic strips available too! All I had to do was insert my words and voila!

Not only can you have fun creating comic strips, but there's a geographic element also. When setting your profile, part of it is placing yourself on the world map.

The Santa game also supports learning about geography. Every few presents that are dropped brings the player to a map of the earth where a question is posted about a chosen country. The player then clicks on the map where the country is located. As the player answers the geographic questions accurately, they gain points.

On top of geography, range identification is also established as the visual difference between a country that is 52,000km2 and a country that is 520,000km2.

I found this educational gold mine when searching the internet for a Santa game for the kids.

Fabulous!

Dupligon: Pay Attention, Sit Up Straight and Watch the Corners

2008-01-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

Dupligon

Fabulous angles and memory work!

Grow: Incredible!

2008-01-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

Grow: Version 3

Fabulous brain exercise. How is your method of deduction working?

Instant Flowers

2008-01-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

These flowers are not so instant as you design each and every one of them yourself.

I would suggest ages 4 and up. I spent at least 1/2 an hour playing with it myself this morning.

Instant Flowers

Not only gives lessons in colour and design but in physics as well. For example, try growing the centre of the flower to it's biggest possible size and you will see the petals on your flower spread apart... or come closer together as you shrink the centre of the flower.

Extra discussion about the game could involve scientific names of the parts of a flower, like the pistil, etc.

Maybe even add on a kitchen experiment...

Prairie Frontier - Anatomy of a Flower

How To Grow A Flower

Growing Plants Unit

Blogs of Games

2008-01-08T06:07:00.000-08:00

I'll make it pretty later. Right now I'm busy reading... :D

Independent Games Festival

Technically it's not a blog. However, it's hugely inspiring just to go in and look around at the people who have been nominated for different categories and what kind of product they're turning out.

Kloonigames

What a fabulous site! One of the things that really caught my eye was the whole 'personal challenge' of what kind of a game can be created in seven days... SEVEN DAYS!!! If that's not inspiring and empowering to the kids who aren't sure if creating games is doable, then I don't know what is.

I'm busy checking out M3 right now... amongst other things.

2D Boy

Another 7 day game creator up for an award. Goo.

He doesn't seem to let the general public play his games but some of his articles about transitioning from an idea to something concrete and how to refine it are worth reading:

Ron's Rules for Play Testing Great article that applies to far more in life than just game testing. :)

Meddybemps - Preschool and Up

2008-01-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

Meddybemps

Links are all for games that can be played on screen.

Age range: preschool and up

At the very beginning I was just looking around for some preschool games that didn't require mouse clicking for my two year old so that he could play by himself without my help for a while. We came across this great train game that he enjoyed quite a bit:

Train in the Train Yard

Here are some links to games that he enjoyed with my help but could also be enjoyed solo by ages three and up. Less than three and the clicking and mouse control are too advanced:

Easter Egg Colouring - This one only required help to click up a new egg onto the screen. Then the baby enjoyed moving the cursor around the screen on top of the egg. Whereever the cursor touched, a bit of the egg's design would appear. Spoiler: Save the yellow egg for last.

Magic Paint

Writing Sheets - It's actually quite fun to try and stay on the lines using your mouse to write with. My two year old enjoyed guessing the numbers and letters I was writing.

The Sensitive Pumpkin - We enjoyed changing the pumpkin from a happy mouth to a sad mouth.

Easter Egg Hunt - We enjoyed counting to twelve. Just click your 'reload' button at the top of your screen to scatter the eggs and start over. First, we did it in English, then French, then Japanese. Finally, we finished in English. I expect he'll be able to hold and click the mouse to drag the eggs to the basket before he's three. This'll be a nice thing for him to do when I'm making dinner.

Crazy Castle - Strategy Weaponry

2007-12-31T05:30:00.000-08:00

Do you need cheaper ammo., a faster gun or area coverage?

I know many people don't like/approve of shooting games but simple ones like this actually have a lot of strategy involved that go way beyond just shooting a weapon.

http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/Crazy-Castle.html

A Great Lesson In Physics

2007-12-22T16:48:00.002-08:00

Snow Line

Kongregate Overview

2007-12-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

A little like Neopets but with a darker, older interface that appeals more to older kids. And it should because many of these games require more of the player than the games at Neopets.

That doesn't mean we quit Neopets, it means we added another membership for those days that we're wanting more complex/demanding games.

We still kept Neopets for those days that we want to eat warm soup, look at bright, happy colours and play games that are 'friendlier'.

Let's face it, as homeschoolers we know that transition from one level to another is not the same as going from Monday to suddenly being Tuesday. It's more like: Monday, Tonday, Tunday, Tuenday, Tuesday.... Then we slip back to Monday again for a while but advancing to Tuesday more quickly during the second transition.

Anyway, it's free to join and no charge for the games. This makes it a great free game place worth joining because of the wide variety of skills that many of their games help build without the player really being aware (simply because they're too busy having fun).

During play, the member (like in Neopets) earns points for playing games but also for rating games, giving reviews, etc. There are also special badges that can be earned... and believe me *that* can be a real thrill and something that kids think is worth talking about at the dinner table.

The badges are good items to get as they show certain skill levels have been acquired (speed, practice, etc.) A great place to start is with Fancy Pants because it's the easiest badge to earn and really gets you wanting more. (Yes, I'm speaking from personal experience.)

One of the better points of this site is that you get added point for uploading a game that you've made.

What?

Don't know how to make a computer game? Well, there's no time like the present and no place like Kongregate (that I've found so far). This is the place where you can track down the makers (like the guy who created Fancy Pants - a favourite of our whole family from our toddler through to the adults) and ask them questions. Many of them have blogs and are more than happy for any feedback they can get, as well as being happy to help a school-aged kid get started in the newish realm of game creation.

Talk about a cool challenge!

And even if the kids think, "No way, I'd never be able to make a game!" Every time they're playing a game, there will be that little voice in their head that reminds them that *someone*, *somewhere* sat at a desk and uploaded this thing that was created (most probably) in a home, by someone 'youngish'.

Kongregate Home

Hexoim

2007-12-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hexiom is driving me crazy... I love it!

Talk about a great brain exercise! A little along the lines of Sudoku but better because of the visuals that deal with hexagons and their various combinations.

Math without the math - iykwim. ;)

MSAR (my suggested age range): 8 and up

Internet Games - Mass Attack

2007-12-10T15:05:00.000-08:00

Mass Attack

What can I say? Fabulous!

Paper Weaving

2007-12-01T07:56:00.001-08:00

Supplies:
Any two types of paper.
This can mean strips of paper grocery bags; newspaper; light cardboard from gift/toy boxes; craft paper.
Scissors, strip cutter or ruler to help rip strip of paper that are relatively even.

This is fun for all ages because the complexity of the craft can be altered to suit the age of the artist.

For example:

My eight year old son just likes to see what two colour of craft paper woven together look like.

My ten year old daughter made a protective book cover out of hers.

I place little Christmas stickers or used an ink stamper on the lighter squares of my woven paper and will use it for Christmas wrapping paper.

You could use the same technique using markers and writing one letter on each light-coloured square and leave the note somewhere for your child to find. Then they will get your 'secret' message by 'reading' the small squares in sequence.

Eg. |L |o |o |k| |i| n| |t |h |e| |f|r|i |d |g| e| |f |o| r| |a| |t| r| e| a| t| .|

Then you can start experimenting with skipping different numbers of 'threads' and interweaving different colours for different effects. Can you make the shape of a star or a fish?

I'll try to add some photos later.

Introduction to HomeschoolingTutoringLearningLovingLiving

2007-12-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

2007-12-01T07:39:00.001-08:00

Table of Contents

Art
Behaviour
English
French
Journal
Music
Science

Internet Game Membership Reviews

Kongregate

Internet Games

Hexiom - Kongregate