Posts Tagged ‘educational pc games’
Back to School Tips – Start with the Basics
What I really enjoy about homeschooling is being able to provide a huge variety of topics for my kids (and myself) to learn about. We are not limited to the specific recommended courses but instead, we can explore our interests, our wonders and even some off-beat ideas.
Of course, without the basics, none of this exploration is possible. The basics meaning, reading, spelling, writing and math. A strong foundation in these subjects will allow children to explore anything they want.
Recently, I had a chance to explore the ClickN SPELL program from ClickN KIDS. This program is an entertaining online program to help kids with spelling. It features the ability to set up a number of children and various learning levels. Each child can follow up to 100 lessons. Each lesson provides new words to learn through repetition. The spelling lesson will also increase typing skills as the child types in each spelling word. There is amazing encouragement as the child progresses and in each lesson the words get progressively more difficult. Each lesson ends with a practice round which reviews the words learned with a little mini-test. The results are then given in a report that can be viewed on the screen, printed and emailed to the parent. The cartoon cat that helps the child through each lesson adds some fun to spelling drills.
ClickN KIDS also has ClickN READ Phonics program to help a child learn to read. The programs provide some entertainment along with lessons and represents a “video game” idea which is sure to attract children to play!
There are no rules, that is the beauty of homeschooling. Working one-on-one with your child will allow you to determine the best way for them to learn, and then you can teach it appropriately.
If your child does not like to read, offer stories in comic book form, you can get classics, Shakespeare, even the history of the world in this form. Comics break up the words with pictures making reading easier for reluctant readers.
If your child likes hockey bring that into your lesson plan. A unit study on a specific subject that the child likes not only covers the curriculum but also inspires them to learn because they are learning about something they are interested in.
If your child is an auditory learner, work in some audio books, computer games and music to the lessons so that they have the best chance to learn. Likewise, visual learners and kinesthetic learners can be taught to their learning style.
If your child is struggling with a concept, or is not liking a particular subject, tweak it so that the lessons will be more interesting, or easier for them to understand.
With homeschoooling you can take the time to determine how best to teach lessons to your child. You can cater to their interests, their likes and their dislikes. You can make education fun and important to them – that should be the only rule!
In this world of technology there is more instance of children playing video games than board games. And although endless hours of gaming is not a good practice there are some learning advantages to video games.
Obviously, many subjects at different grade levels are offered through computer games but regular video games can teach too. The new technology of the Wii system allows for fun, fitness and learning as well as developing hand-eye coordination. Some games require strategy and logic to advance, keeping the mind at work. Many “Sim” type games offer chances of social interaction, worldly knowledge etc. from the safety of your own home. You can learn about finances, schedules and more through a simulated character. Even games that have a child looking after a pet can help to develop responsibility. And some games offer a chance for kids to join together in teamwork in order to win the game.
Although video games can be overpowering for many children, when played in moderation, they can provide a form of education as well.
Wouldn’t you love to have an entire lesson in one box! Well you can with educational CD-ROMS.
Many educational computer games include the basics for lessons in English, Math, Art, Geography, and other languages. An hour of playtime with one of these computer games can include an entire lesson without the children even realizing they are learning. It is a lesson of fun in a box (monitor)!
For many homeschoolers, learning is an integral part of their life, their everyday routine. Every day there is learning whether it be in the classroom, on a field trip or running errands.
It is important to encourage learning. An easy way to do this is giving educational gifts. A book, a game, a science kit or even a craft kit all have the potential to inspire learning in children. Don’t forget educational video games too – fun and learning together! Inspire learning not only in your own children, but other children to whom you give gifts.
Conscientious parents can be wary of the dangers lurking online – and understandably so. The Internet is chock full of images and pieces of information that are only suitable for a mature adult. But that harsh reality is no reason to deprive home-schooled students of benefits of computers. As a preventative measure, you can install software that restricts access to morally reprehensible Web sites.
Educational PC games provide a safe learning environment where kids can hone their academic skills while enjoying themselves at the same time. These experiences are especially rare in public schools, where learning comes to be associated with drudgery and rote memorization. By keeping your home-school curriculum fresh, you can guarantee your child’s interest and full participation.