“Sort Mania” is an educational game that teaches players how to recycle. I know this game may not seem like it would fit into the Physical Education Elementary Curriculum but we actually spend time discussing the importance of protecting the earth and recycling as well. The concept of recycling ties into our curriculum units of healthy choices and healthy activities. I also reinforce this concept while working in other units by playing games with recycling themes. That being said, I was really excited to find the game “Sort Mania” on the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) website. I played the easy version of this game to see if it would be good for my younger students. I was surprised to see how long the game was (after the fourth level completed I was only about one fifth of the way through the game.) I thought the game was really fun and very motivating for the player. Each level had a choice of different recycle bins and my job was to click and drag the items into the correct recycling bin. If I got it wrong, the evil trashcan would make a sinister laugh and gobble up my trash! The recycling bins were cute and would smile and lick their lips each time I correctly sorted the recycling items. What I really liked about this game was that after each level completed I got to plant my choice of flower, fruit, or veggie to decorate my garden that I could take a picture of and e-mail. The image above this post shows you the garden I was creating while playing this game. I can just see my students being so proud of their progress and posting the picture on their refrigerator or sending it via e-mail to their parents. How great is that?! I will definitely share this website with my students as well as the recycling coordinator and my school. The EPA had a lot of other games that they offered so I highly recommend people checking out their website to see what they have to offer.

I revisited the “Playnormous” website today where I had found fun nutrition games for kids earlier in the marking period. Today I played a really fun game called “Brain Gain” which is a game that asks the players various questions about fruits and vegetables. I think this game would be a wonderful game for any of my students. Although the PE curriculum primarily focuses on fruits and vegetables in the early elementary level, it is reinforced throughout all grades when we are learning about healthy choices and healthy activities. I think this game would be appropriate for all grades because it has three levels therefore can be easier or harder depending on the player’s knowledge. It also has an element of speed and dexterity therefore can be challenging for a wide variety of students. I think it is really motivating and fun because you can see your time ticking down and because the questions can be slightly tricky. I had fun playing this game and really can see a lot of benefits for my students. I will highly recommend Brain Gain for any of my students and might use it in my classroom for anyone who cannot participate in regular PE activities.

(This game was copyrighted by Playnormous in 2011.)

KAT's World

http://kats.roycastle.org/go_games.htm There are a lot of games offered on the Kid’s Against Tobacco (KAT) website. I played “Kat’s world” and checked out the beginning of a couple of the other games from this website. They are all anti-smoking games that teach the player about the negatives to smoking cigarettes. I think these games are very important for students in elementary school because we need to start early when teaching our children about the dangers of smoking. In PE, I spend a lot of time discussing healthy habits and lifestyles with my students. One of the topics during those units includes anti-smoking where I focus mainly on showing them how it affects their lungs and heart. I think that games like “Kat’s world” would really help reinforce what we are learning in PE and I will encourage my students to play it. I had a little difficulty playing these games because they were created in a format that does not fit my computer very well. The screen was extremely wide but very narrow as well so the images and writing were all skewed. I’m not sure if it was just my computer though, so I would ask my students to check it out on their home computers to see if it works better at home. What I liked best about Kat’s world was that I could see the player having a lot of fun with it. The screen was very colorful and aesthetically pleasing. Kat is an alien visiting a foreign planet where they are all addicted to cigarettes. The challenge was really fun where you have to answer questions about smoking correctly to save the foreign planet and convince them to stop smoking. At the end of the game, the player gets to create a happy, healthy planet for them once they have saved the planet. I can see my students having a lot of fun designing the new planet and feeling really good about themselves for saving the aliens from cigarettes. Hooray! (The Kids Against Tobacco Smoke is a part of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation in the United Kingdom. You can access their website at www.roycastle.org)

Wonder Rotunda

Throughout this experience of using and playing different digital games I must say I am seeing a lot of repetition within sites. There are lots and lots of sites that offer educational games for students, especially in the areas of reading and math. I also have seen a lot of similar game styles although the content may be different. As a PE teacher I mainly saw educational games about health and nutrition, but when it came time for sports games they were much more in the realm of “just for fun” and less educational. I am still searching for a sport game that is more skill based than just pointing and clicking the mouse. For example, I want to see a game where the player needs to assess and correct the form of a basketball player in order for the player on the screen to make the shot. This quest led me to my next game discovery of “Wonder Rotunda.” Although it is unrelated to sports, this game is much different than any other game I have seen during my gaming experiences. Unfortunately, it is a game that people need to pay for so I didn’t get to explore beyond various game trailers they offer in their grand “Wonder Rotunda” world. It is in the form of a virtual theme park that allows the player to navigate to various games, adventures, and challenges. I am really curious about one of the safari games where avatars will learn the dangers of going on a safari but also be educated about different animals living in those areas. I think it is a great mix of educational information and game captology. If anyone has a subscription to this game or has been a part of Wonder Rotunda please post a reply and let me know if it is as educational as it seems. I’m dying to know more about it but am not sure I should spend the money for it as an adult on a teacher’s salary with no children of my own!!! (This game was copyrighted in 2011 by Wonder Rotunda.)

Olympic Challenge

The game “Olympic Challenge” by Funschool asks the player various questions about the Olympic Games with multiple choice selections for answers. If the player answers correctly they are rewarded by shooting a bull’s-eye on an archery target. If they answer incorrectly the shot goes wide of the intended target. This game would be perfect for students to quiz themselves on their knowledge of Olympic Game sports. I think this game would be appropriate for my students to play leading up to the Olympic Games or even in the month following the games. I would use this game as a special prize with my students. I would ask them to play the game at home instead of playing other video games, tell me their results, and give me some information about the game. I would reward them with a prize of some sort for completing the challenge. The reason why I think this game is so great is because I am constantly trying to get the students interested in sporting events outside of school. I make it a part of my job to inform them about events like March Madness, the Superbowl, the World Cup, the Olympics, etc. and will often reward them for taking time to watch them or discuss them with me. This game would be a perfect incentive for them to learn about the Olympic Games as well as encourage them to follow them while they are happening.

(Disney Online holds the rights to this game.)

Symmetry Game

Symmetry Game I decided to look under some more traditional educational games websites today for some concepts that we work on in PE that overlap with their math units in their regular classes. In first and second grade we spend some time focusing on the concepts of symmetry. I generally try to teach the students about the differences between symmetrical and non-symmetrical objects as well as have the students identify various lines of symmetry. I play a lot of physical games reinforcing these concepts but wanted to find a game that my students could play at home or when given free time on the computer to review what we have learned. Today I found a game called “The Symmetry Game” from www.innovationslearning.co.uk. This game was a perfect game for my purposes because it asks the player to identify the number of lines of symmetry in various shapes. If the player gets an answer correct the game gives positive reinforcement and moves on to the next shape challenge. If the player gets an answer incorrect the game says “so close” and allows the student the opportunity to “see the shape fold” to clarify the different lines of symmetry that are in the shape. I think my students would enjoy this game although it is not very stimulating for younger children. It does not have any characters or bright colors, or anything that would really draw students to play it, but it is challenging and in general I think it will keep the player engaged while they are playing it. Final Conclusion: I think this game is very educational and is definitely a game I would encourage my students to play. (This game was designed and developed in association with Hampshire Schools.)

Action Allstars!

Today the game I played was called “Action Allstars” from www.primarygames.com. didn’t really like this game very much. It was a virtual world that gives the players various missions to complete while interacting with famous athletes. Things that were good about this game were that it differentiated in the beginning for players at different ability levels. It also gave the player choices between missions they want to complete. My game play of this game was limited because I was playing as a guest instead of as a member and it kept trying to entice me to become a member and receive information from their website. I also liked that it introduced a lot of famous athletes to the player and provides them with some statistics about the players. I got to play with Adrian Peterson, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning during my mission in order to solve the mystery of who stole the NFL hats. I am not sure of the educational value of this game because besides getting to learn a little bit about different athletes and using your problem solving skills to complete the missions I am not sure what else is very educational about it. I would not encourage my students to play this game in class although I would rather them play a game about sports than a pointless video game about shooting space aliens. I might be too harsh about this game though, it’s possible that if you were a member tons of facts may be available to the player throughout the game. I personally didn’t feel like going the extra distance to become a member for a game I will never play again.

(This game was copyrighted 2000-2011 by Primary Games Inc.)

Don't Be A Couch Potato- Game Trailer

TeacherTube Videos - Don't Be A Couch Potato- Game Trailer

My first video ever posted online! Here is my game trailer for an educational game I am making for my JHU class. I'm pretty proud so I wanted to share it with you all.

"Ride the Label"

While doing this blog I try not to play too many games from the same website but I just have to share this game with you all. After my last blog post, I continued to search the http://www.nourishinteractive.com/ website. I found a game all about reading and interpreting nutrition labels on foods which is something I have wanted to do with my students for a few years. This game was perfect for my purposes. In my PE classes I spend a good amount of time discussing and teaching my students about the food pyramid and about nutrition labels but I really think it is something that takes practice to get people in the habit of doing on their own. I would assign this game “Ride the Label” as homework for my students. I think that my younger students will need adult help in order to play this game but I think that my older elementary students would be able to do it on their own. The game starts off relatively easy but gets a little harder in each level. Players are asked to make food selections and compare nutritional information by reading the labels for each food. I really see the value in this game and think that too often people don’t pay any attention to food labels when purchasing foods at the grocery store. I would hope that by playing this game, my students would be more aware of nutrition labels and would also encourage their parents to be as well. I love this game!

(This game was copyrighted 2008-2011 by Nourish Interactive.)

"Pyramid Panic"

Today I played a game called “Pyramid Panic” from http://www.nourishinteractive.com/. Nourish Interactive is a website that offers lots of information and games to teach children about nutrition. Their slogan boasts that it is “the fun way to learn about nutrition”. I have told you all before that I am absolutely horrible at all video games and today I learned the valuable lesson that I should not play any sort of video game in front of my fiancé lest I truly embarrass myself. He has played video games probably every day of his life and thought it was hilarious that my little chef was getting trampled by donuts and other fatty foods in this game. I really found this game fun and very motivating. I had to jump and race around the fatty foods that chased me in this game in order to gather up the healthy food to make a balanced meal. I would encourage my students to play this game because I think they would have a lot of fun and because it reinforces what we learn about the five food groups. I think this game goes the extra mile in nutrition education because it provides the player with “fun facts” about the five food groups and it also reminds the player that they need to take an activity break after 20 minutes of playing games. I would like to check out some other games and informational pages on this website because I think they are very geared towards children and I would like to see what else they have to offer.

(This game was copyrighted 2008-2011 by Nourish Interactive.)

"I Heard Hurdle Race"

"I Heard Hurdle Race" The “I Heard Hurdle Race” from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website offers a game where the player answers true or false questions to clear hurdles to win the race. I played this game two times. The first time I answered them all and won the race!!! I played again; this time answering questions incorrectly to see what happens if the player doesn’t know the answers. The second time I played there were a few repeat questions but overall there were enough questions so the player could play multiple times and continue to learn each time. I liked this game because it asked good questions about exercise and then gave a good explanation for each answer. I think that students could learn a lot from this game about good exercise practices and I would definitely recommend it to my students. I think it is very important to discuss healthy exercise and physical activity practices so that children can apply what they know for the rest of their lives. I would recommend that my students play this game during free time, as a station activity in PE, or even as a whole group activity which could lead to peer discussions about each subject after a question is presented to them from the game.

Mission Nutrition

Today I played a game called Mission Nutrition from the KidsHealth website. I think this game is really great for children learning about nutritious foods. The game premise is for the player to make a healthy snack after school. I like the little extra touches of this game like allowing the player to click on the answering machine to hear a message from “mom” encouraging the player to find a healthy snack after school. The player is presented with various challenges to make the best food choice between different types of drinks and foods. What I like about this game is that it is simple to navigate and that it is full of nutritional information. When a player clicks on the correct answer they are often asked follow up questions and provided with extra information about their choice. When the player clicks on the incorrect food/drink item an explanation is given to them about why that is not the best choice and there is no penalty for wrong answers. I do think that this game is pretty limited in that there are only a few challenges in the game. I think the game could be improved if it were expanded to at least six or seven challenges. There are lots of other food items present in the cabinets, in the refrigerator, and there are many more cabinets to have more food items for additional challenges. I would definitely have my students play this game. Right now I am teaching a unit on healthy food choices and the food pyramid to my Pre-kindergarten through second grade students and we could use it as a warm-up or as a review in my classes. I would not recommend this game to my younger students though without an adult help. It involves a lot of reading and some difficult words so I would recommend that parents play this game with their children and use it as a way to engage your child in discussions about healthy foods. (This game was copyrighted 1995-2011 by The Nemours Foundation.)

POWER PLAY

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/powerplay.html

Today I was trying out a few simulation games my teacher had found for us. Simulation games (according to Wikipedia) are games that allow players to simulate real or fictional life situations. The most popular example of this type of game is The Sims game where people build mini worlds for their characters. I tried an educational game today called “Power Play” that challenges players to build a machine that will harness energy. It is a really simple game with straightforward directions and easy choices. A player could technically drag and drop over and over until they got the right combination. When I was playing it took me a couple of tries to get the right pieces because I didn’t realize each machine part changed sizes. I had been looking at it to see if the angle was correct or if the piece was the right size when that didn’t matter at all. Once I figured that out I could click and drag the correct icons without any mistakes. I liked this game for educational purposes for a number of reasons. First, like I stated earlier it is very straightforward. Second, I like that students can learn from their mistakes and continue on without being penalized. Third, I like the explanations they give at the end of each level. They explain how the energy was harnessed for each challenge in a way that all users could understand. I think this game could be used for most elementary aged students that are learning about energy. I highly recommend this simulation science game!

Squigly's Games for Kids

On day one of my class on Gaming and Media Design for learning my teacher challenged us to find some educational games simply by going to a search engine. I went to Google and typed in “Interactive Games for Kids” and ended up with numerous websites that offer games for all ages. As a PE teacher, my objective is to find educational health and physical activity games that I could use in my classroom. I started by clicking on a website that is called “Squigly’s Playhouse” with tons of games for kids. I initially wasn’t sure I would find many games that could be considered educational although there were hundreds of games offered just on this one website. I checked out a few of the sports games and was somewhat right in my initial opinion and somewhat wrong. The first game I played was called “Just a Volley” which I hoped would have some educational aspects related to our unit on striking or to rules involved in actual games of volleyball. The computer completely destroyed me in the game. The score was 15+ to 0 which just put me to shame. My parents did not buy us video games when we were kids and I haven’t played more than a handful in my life. Although this game was addicting, it unfortunately did not have much educational value. I would like to see the game at least stick to true volleyball scoring rules or limit each player to hitting the ball just once in order to get it over the net. I was not impressed with this game and will not use it in my classroom. The second game I played was called “Putt It In.” This game was a simulation game of miniature golf. There were a few aspects of this game that I liked. First, even as a complete novice in gaming I was able to do pretty well in this game using my knowledge of the angles that are required for making successful putts. It required coordination and strategy by being sensitive to the amount of power used and angle needed for putting the ball. I might have my students play this game during our Striking with Long Handled Implements Unit. We work on putting and often are limited with the types of obstacles we can create in the gym. I think this game would be good practice for my students in the cognitive aspects of putting in golf. I’m pleasantly surprised that I found a game that I could use with my students! http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com/Games/index.html (This game is copyrighted 2008-2011 by Barb Willner.)