Three Free Online Puzzle Games

Here at Community School, we strive to use technology as a tool, and not just as a toy.  But sometimes it is fun to cut loose and play a game!  However, even in gaming, there are lessons to be learned and skills to be developed.  I'd like to take this opportunity to share a few games with you that are appropriate, fun, and full of opportunities to think and learn. (And, here's a plus, they can be played for free online!)

Cut the Rope:

This game, made popular on iPhone and Android, has made its way to the big(ger) screen.  You can play through two boxes of 9 levels for free online (at this time).  The object of this game is to slice through the rope with your mouse and deliver the candy to the Om-Nom. (He's an absolutely adorable, globby green monster with a serious sweet tooth!)  You collect stars by making the candy fall in such a way as to touch the stars on the way to Om-Nom.  Puzzles start easy, but get progressively harder to solve as you continue. This game can be played at cuttherope.ie (it is optimized for Internet Explorer 9, but can run on almost any current web browser) and is available in a trial version and a paid version in the iTunes App Store.  I would say this game is best for ages 7 and up, as children younger than that may lack the fine motor skills to execute the puzzle solutions.

Pursuit of Hat:


Pursuit of Hat is a cute little puzzle game in which a stuffed blobby guy keeps trying to get his hat back.  Because he is a stuffed critter, he can pull off his limbs (and even his body) to push buttons, move platforms, and make him small enough to fit in tight spaces and get to his favorite purple hat.  Though limb removal is not at all gruesome (it is rather cheerfully rendered, in fact), this is probably best for ages 7 and up.  This game has beautiful graphics and is a lot of fun to play.  It is available as a free download from the Google Chrome Web Store, and can also be played online at http://www.bigdino.com/game/272/Pursuit-of-Hat.


Isoball 3:


Isoball is one of those games that's simple to play but difficult to master.  Your goal is to get the ball from point a to a hole in the floor by using blocks to build a path. This game starts easy but gets harder as you advance.  This game gets very tricky very quickly.  While there is absolutely nothing objectionable in the graphics or gameplay, this game may be frustratingly difficult for young children, so I'd recommend it for ages 8 and up.  This game is available for download in the Google Chrome Web Store, and can also be played at http://www.gimme5games.com/play-game/isoball-3.  It is available for download (trial and paid version) in the iTunes app store as well.


These are three games I have found to be cute, kid-friendly, brain-powered games.  What do you think?  Do you have any fun activities you enjoy doing on the computer during your leisure time?  Let me know in the comments!

"Hooray for Books"! Month Activities

Here at Community School, March is "Hooray for Books!" month.  This month we are reading, reading, reading!  And the Computer Lab is no exception!  

Our Early Learner students were the first students to use our brand new Tag Reader Dr. Seuss books!  They explored The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?, along with other books such as Disney's Tangled and Go Diego Go! Underwater Mystery. 

Students in Lower Elementary classes enjoyed a fun, literacy filled, computer class this week.  Students had 20 minutes with the Leap Frog Tag readers to read books of their choice from our extensive (recently expanded!) Tag reader library!  Students favorites included Dora Goes to School, Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat, Scooby Doo's Shiny Spooky Knights, and Spongebob Squarepants Tour de Bikini Bottom.  Students also read  my favorite Dr. Seuss book with me!  We read Fox in Socks, paying special attention to words that rhyme.  After reading the book, we went to the Seussville website, where we played the online "Fox in Socks Rhyming Game", in which we found rhyming words to save Mr. Knox from falling into the gooey blue goo.  

I look forward to doing a lot more reading activities in the Computer Lab throughout the month of March!  

Radio Programs on the Way

Students in the middle school are wrapping up their 1940s radio programs before they travel to Atlanta next week.  This has been such a fun, exciting project. While they are touring Civil War battle grounds and learning about the Civil Rights movement, I will burn their creations to CDs.  Students will then be able to listen to their recordings and share their recordings with each other!