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Pick Math Missions For Great Math Activities for Children

October 26th, 2010 No comments

What is great about coming up with a program of math activities for children is that, often, the child learns without actually realizing that she is learning. Consider as an example, the math software for children by Scholastic called Math Missions Grades 3-5: The Amazing Arcade Adventure. The envionment of the game is a cartoon neighborhood called Spectacle City, founded by Horton Spectacle. As hard as the city’s honest citizens try to turn the city into the greatest in the world, Randall Underling the villain, wants more than anything to stop them. The problem that these funny citizens face is that no one in the town seems to know any math at all. Players need to step in to help everything happen in the city; and most of the time, the kind of help needed in any situation is mathematical.

Even at first glance, Math Missions excels as a colorful and entertaining environment for a child to compete in, and it features lots of really clever little math activities for children. The more participating players help in the building of the city, the more money they earn. As soon as a child earns enough, she can use this seed money to invest in the city’s arcade and actually come to own it. Becoming an owner isn’t an empty and grandiose exercise at all. Children make business decisions about how it is run, advertise and keep track of profits. Right away, children get drawn into the whole earning activity, and play hard to make enough money to make it happen. They just don’t realize how good they are getting their math, is all.

As soon as a child signs in and plays for the first time, she chooses a level of challenge out of the three available. Most of the time, the game appeals to a fourth grader much better than it would appeal to a toddler. After all this trouble, it would be disappointing if all that happened was that the child was run through a few basics. But that is simply not the case. If anything, Math Missions leans a touch in the direction of the difficult.

The game features a store called MegaBuyts that helps the child work with tasks like understanding graphs. In the sporting goods store, they learn to pick uniforms for the members of a team based on personal preferences and size, and in the grocery store they learn how to eyeball things to correctly pick containers for stuff. Of course, every one of these math activities for children needs them to take the subway or the bus to get to where the activity is, and that  requires them to make change, a math activity in itself.

This is an environment that’s full of great surprises around every corner. There are magicians, treasure hunts, cartoon characters, you name it. Not only do kids get to manage their own store, they also get to save the town in the process. Everything feels fresh and new in the game, and there is enough entertainment to balance out the education. As a game with math activities for children, this one really wins all around.

Are Private Schools Right For Your Kids?

October 20th, 2010 No comments

Some parents have to make a choice between public and private schools. Some families automatically use the public schools in their area because they know they are good schools, and they don’t have the money for private, even if they wanted to go that route. If you are thinking about a choice between the two, you have to think more about the basic question of if you can afford the tuition to send them to that school. Though it may seem they would get a better education in a private schooling environment, but that is not always the case. Weigh the pros and cons before you decide.

One advantage that some parents see with some private schools, especially military boarding schools, is that the children often have a uniform that they wear. This is the same for both religious based private schools as well as others including therapeutic boarding schools. There are two ways to look at this. In one way, your children do not have a chance to express themselves through clothing, which is important to kids. On the other hand, it takes away the distraction of these differences between people. This can help cut down on distractions. Remember, your kids can dress any way they like after school, on the weekends, and throughout the summer break months.

Private schools can offer a better education than some public schools, but it does depend on where you live. There are some great public school systems out there that can match and even do better than the private institutions in that area. This is when research is key. If the public schools in your area have a better education to offer, why would you pay for something else? Talk to neighbors and even visit the public school to talk about curriculum and how well they place in state averages. You can do the same with the private schools. See which one you think really offers the best education.

On the other hand, your child may get a more direct education through private schools. This is when research again comes into play. Find out the teacher student ratio at the public school in comparison to  what they have in the private one. The less students per class often means more direct one on one time with students. Some do not need this as much, but if your child struggles with some subjects, as most do, this interaction can make a huge difference in their education. If the private schools has classes half the size of the public, then private may be the answer to your problems.

Cost is often the biggest issue when deciding between private and public schools. Some families simply can not afford to go with a private schools. There are some programs for lower income families and some types of scholarships, but these are not always easy to get. There are charter schools as well, but these are not in all towns and cities, and fill up fast. If cost is the only reason that you choose public, work harder with your child’s school to get the changes made that will make it better for all. Sometimes, families just have to make do with what they have. You can make the difference in your child’s education, so if you find a school lacking, change, or pick up the slack

Reasons to Take a Chemistry Online Course

October 15th, 2010 No comments

Although I officially finished school many years ago, I believe in being a lifelong learner. That’s just one of the reasons why I continue to sign up for college classes whenever possible. Sometimes I’ll take a class that will be useful to my career or that can lead to a professional certificate, but mostly I enroll for pure enjoyment. In fact, I’m currently taking a chemistry online course and now have the pleasure of studying with a whole bunch of folks from different backgrounds who are taking the class for a variety of reasons.

One of the most common reasons to take a chemistry online course is to earn college credit. Most schools now offer online classes because they are more convenient for students and because they lighten the load on campus. So there are quite a few traditional undergrads in my section that fall in to the 18-22 age bracket. These students love taking Internet courses because that means they never again have to wake up early for an eight o’clock class. Boy, I wish this option had been available when I was earning my Bachelor’s degree. My attendance record would have been much better!

Another reason to take a chemistry online course is to fulfill an employment requirement. In certain fields, employers require workers to keep their educational qualifications up to date. I’m not talking about full-time professional chemists here, but rather people who need to have a basic knowledge of chemical principles and formulas in order to get their work done. Usually these folks haven’t studied the subject since high school, so their chemistry online course is a much-needed refresher.

And finally, there are people like me who just want to study for fun or personal enrichment. I was never any good at this subject during my university days, so I’m just trying to prove to myself that I can understand the basics if I put my mind to it. I’ll give this chemistry online course my best effort, but at the same time, I’m not worried about the tests or projects. After all, I’m doing this for myself, so the grade doesn’t matter.

The good thing for would-be students everywhere is that it’s very easy to find an affordable chemistry online course to take. Internet college classes are quite common now, and almost every school offers at least a few different choices. Best of all, you don’t even have to be enrolled in a degree program in order to sign up for one or two random courses, so the application process is very quick and simple.

The bottom line here is that if you need to take a chemistry online course for work, school, or fun, you’ll have no trouble finding a suitable one. And don’t forget you can take as many classes as you want in other subjects as well, so make a commitment to better yourself by enrolling today!