Chalk this post up to not seeing the forest for the trees.
I have a love/hate relationship with computer games. On the one hand, computer games are Jerry's great passion, and I think it is wonderful that he can share that passion with his sons. On the other hand, I really hate walking into Jerry's office to see my family holed up with three heads glued to their monitors for hours while a fourth head bobs around, trying to figure out how he can get in on the action.
Today, I realized I don't need to battle the pull these games have over my family. I need to turn it to my advantage!
I do not like teaching information that is best memorized. I'm much better at using the Socratic method to pull big ideas out of the boys' heads or doing a hands-on project. Memorization requires a consistency that is not my strong suit, and to be honest, I think it's boring. That said, there comes a point when the spelling of some words can only be memorized, and math becomes much faster if the basic facts are learned by rote.
It started simply enough this morning. A while ago, Cybermama over at Adventures in Cyberschooling posted about her success with SpellingCity.com. SpellingCity allows you to input a list of spelling words, which it then uses to create games that teach those words. Armed with the list of spelling words provided by Moving Beyond the Page, I set Landry up with games for 15 words. He played for a while, then took a test on the website and passed with a perfect score. He loved it and was asking for more! Better yet, this site provides a printable report for the charter and handwriting worksheets that give Landry the opportunity to use his spelling words to practice cursive. And, the basic version is free!
Given the momentum of the moment, I remembered another game recently recommended to me for teaching the multiplication tables called Timez Attack. I downloaded the basic version for free and set Landry loose. Now, this game is set in what appears to be a dungeon and requires that you answer questions correctly to continue down your path. It has that same dark and dreary look of many of Jerry's games. And it was a complete success. Landry was hooked instantly, and Kipp asked for a copy on his computer.
While I have no problem with Kipp learning his multiplication tables, I got to wondering if I could find an addition game that would reinforce those math facts. Lo and behold, Jerry found a very cute little game called Addition Attack where Kipp has to shoot down the right answer for the given problem. And again, it's free.
Now, I'm searching for a game that will test the boys' knowledge of the placement of musical notes on the scale. So far, I'm not finding anything that will catch the boys' attention like Timez Attack.
Still, I just walked into Jerry's office to find three heads glued to their computer screens and a fourth watching each screen intently in turn. This time, however, only one was playing the usual role-playing game. And I walked out without silently cringing.
I have a love/hate relationship with computer games. On the one hand, computer games are Jerry's great passion, and I think it is wonderful that he can share that passion with his sons. On the other hand, I really hate walking into Jerry's office to see my family holed up with three heads glued to their monitors for hours while a fourth head bobs around, trying to figure out how he can get in on the action.
Today, I realized I don't need to battle the pull these games have over my family. I need to turn it to my advantage!
I do not like teaching information that is best memorized. I'm much better at using the Socratic method to pull big ideas out of the boys' heads or doing a hands-on project. Memorization requires a consistency that is not my strong suit, and to be honest, I think it's boring. That said, there comes a point when the spelling of some words can only be memorized, and math becomes much faster if the basic facts are learned by rote.
It started simply enough this morning. A while ago, Cybermama over at Adventures in Cyberschooling posted about her success with SpellingCity.com. SpellingCity allows you to input a list of spelling words, which it then uses to create games that teach those words. Armed with the list of spelling words provided by Moving Beyond the Page, I set Landry up with games for 15 words. He played for a while, then took a test on the website and passed with a perfect score. He loved it and was asking for more! Better yet, this site provides a printable report for the charter and handwriting worksheets that give Landry the opportunity to use his spelling words to practice cursive. And, the basic version is free!
Given the momentum of the moment, I remembered another game recently recommended to me for teaching the multiplication tables called Timez Attack. I downloaded the basic version for free and set Landry loose. Now, this game is set in what appears to be a dungeon and requires that you answer questions correctly to continue down your path. It has that same dark and dreary look of many of Jerry's games. And it was a complete success. Landry was hooked instantly, and Kipp asked for a copy on his computer.
While I have no problem with Kipp learning his multiplication tables, I got to wondering if I could find an addition game that would reinforce those math facts. Lo and behold, Jerry found a very cute little game called Addition Attack where Kipp has to shoot down the right answer for the given problem. And again, it's free.
Now, I'm searching for a game that will test the boys' knowledge of the placement of musical notes on the scale. So far, I'm not finding anything that will catch the boys' attention like Timez Attack.
Still, I just walked into Jerry's office to find three heads glued to their computer screens and a fourth watching each screen intently in turn. This time, however, only one was playing the usual role-playing game. And I walked out without silently cringing.
