China is becoming more dominant in the news as the Olympics approach so a Michigan State University professor has created an online video game that teaches Chinese culture and language.
Called Zon/New Chengo, the multiplayer Web-based role-playing game was created by Yong Zhao, MSU distinguished professor of educational psychology and technology. A native of a poor, remote area of the Sichuan Province, he has become a highly influential researcher in Chinese education, bringing in more than $20 million in research to the university.
"Games are supposed to be fun and educational," said Zhao."This game offers a vicarious, virtual experience of China."
Want to know more? Check out Detroit Free Press and the About Us section at Zon.
This looked really interesting so I decided to sign up. Once you have entered your new account information, you get to choose your character. There's not a ton of choices. You can choose between male/female and the female at least has four more choices for features & clothing (I don't know about male because I didn't think to look). Unfortunately, you can't personalize much further such as color of hair or style of hair. All you can do from there is choose the colors of your clothing. Once you have activated your free account, you're shown your passport that's been stamped by Zon. There, you're ready to play!
The scene opens in the airport and you can imediately start exploring. As you click on things you can hear the name of that item spoken in Chinese. There's also a background music you can choose not to hear. There are lots of people to talk to, including the other players. Once you're done in the airport yo're able to get a cab to talke you to your hotel.
For those not familiar with MMORPG's, you're in for a real treat. There are a ton of these games out there, taking place in whatever type of world you're interested in. While most of these do cost money to play, not all of them do and you just have to poke around to find them. I've always enjoyed thse because it gave me a chance to talk to real people in real time. That was a big thing for a young mother stuck at home in the middle of the country with a small baby and no one to talk to. And of course, the world that I played in was fantasy, my favorite genre.
So check this out. While it's not for smaller children since you need to be able to read to do most of this stuff, you can still sit a child on your lap and expose them to the language even if they can't take an active part. What a really fun way to learn about another culture and language.
|
*
Comments (0)
* Post A Comment!
* Permanent Link
|
Dec. 5, 2007 The Cinnamon Bear
I learned of this vintage radio show last year and it's a wonderful tradition to start. It's the classic story of Judy and Jimmy Barton who are searching for the family's Silver Star that graces the top of their Christmas tree. They discover the star has disappeared from the attic and there they meet Paddy O'Cinnamon, and fly to Maybeland in his Soda Pop Airplane in pursuit of the Crazy Quilt Dragon, whom they believe has taken the ornament. Before they're done, they meet a host of characters, including Crazy Quilt Dragon, The Wintergreen Witch, Fe Fo the Giant, and even Santa Claus. There are 26 episodes in all, so if you time it right to start in November, and listen to one episode a night, you finish up on Christmas Eve.
I had actually forgotten about this so I have a few episodes to catch up. The kids have been so sick lately, and I've been so busy that I totally spaced and I shouldn't have. It's a nice way to spend time with the kids. The good note though is that Deedee's mouth is almost totally better and the last vestiges of blisters and bleeding are pretty much gone. Even Kitty's finger (I know, forgot to mention this) is getting better. Some time ago, her poor little finger got mashed in a drawer. It bruised pretty bad, and split a little. It's still bruised under the nail, and she's losing said nail but the nail bed wasn't damaged and a new nail is already trying to grow in. It looks worse than it is. Anyway, the reason I was reminded about this is because Homeschool Radio Shows (where I learned about it in the first place) sent out a link for the entire 26 episodes to be downloaded at once. When I did this last year, I received on episode every day.
However, last year when I first learned about it and looked into, I found a lot of resources that's not included with this. You can find that post here as well as my post about traditions. |
*
Comments (0)
* Post A Comment!
* Permanent Link
|
Apr. 30, 2007 Highlights Top Secret Adventure Club
I just discovered something really awesome. I grew up with the Highlights magazine, and my children are subscribers to Highlights High Five (for children 6 and under). What I've always really enjoyed about Highlights are not only the great crafts and stories, but the hidden pictures. They may seem like a silly waste of time, but they're actually training you to pay attention to your surroundings. They're great for conentration, thinking skills, logic, etc.
I've lost count of how many times I've walked right by something only to have it pointed out by my husband or children. It was there, but I just didn't see it. This is great for your cognitive and thinking skills. One of my husbands and mine favorite activities to do together are hidden picture games. We spend an enjoyable hour looking for the hidden objects and it's amazing that you can be looking right at something, and still not see it.
This newest activity I recently signed James up for and just recieved the first kit in the mail. It looked like it might be too old for him, but I thought I would give it a try because it looked so awesome. This book club introduces children 7 (or 8, it varies so I'm not sure) and up to 27 different countries, one at a time, through a mystery and adventure series.
~Starting with a jigsaw puzzle that reveals a mystery, kids become young puzzle detectives. They learn about the people, culture, terrain, history, and geography of the featured country while searching for clues to solve the who, what, and where of the mystery. Top Secret Adventures will help expand knowledge and stimulate curiosity in children as they gain understanding of other cultures. ~
That right there caught my attention. In this house, the three biggest subjects are reading, history, and the world (geography, etc.). So I talked my husband into letting me try it. I figured that I could at least take a look at it and I could always cancel later. What I got was a great packet that contained a large wall map of the world with all adventures marked on it (there are a ton), a folder for that specific Adventure (I chose Greece), a great book (32 pages) that has a ton of great facts and color photos, jigsaw puzzle, a little passport, stickers to go in the passport for your adventures, a 32 page puzzle/game book, and cards for each of the suspects. This all fits into the folder (similar to a lapbook) so it's easy to store for lots of adventures.
At first glance, I thought this really wouldn't work at all for my little guy, since he's not quite five. However, as I looked it over, my creative juices really got going. There is no reason he couldn't do the jigsaw puzzle, or learn from the awesome book of facts. So I figured that as each country came in, we could devote the week to that specific country. We could put the puzzle together and then look for it on the map. We could learn facts from the book, and even eat food from that region. Then I could store each Adventure in the handy folder it came in so when he was older we could haul it out again. These are about the size of a normal portfolio folder, perhaps a little larger so I could store like magazines in a magazine box. It would also be interesting to perhaps do a lapbook for the country as we learn about it.
Read more about Top Secret Adventures here. Join here and you'll soon be on your way to your first Adventure in Japan! (I received a card in the mail about this, and it had three choices, including Japan, which is why I was able to choose Greece. However, it seems that you can't choose if you sign up online.) I'm also interested in Which Way Usa, also by Highlights, which would be an awesome way to learn about our country but Carey put his foot down on that one. :D At least for now.
|
*
Comments (0)
* Post A Comment!
* Permanent Link
|
Apr. 6, 2007 State Easter Eggs for 2007
Click here to see all of the beautiful eggs!
There is a site that my husband enjoys viewing at least once a day, called Metafilter (warning, content not always safe for younger viewers). You never know what you're going to find linked off of it. There are interesting sites, world news, etc. Yesterday, this was linked and I thought it was really neat. I never knew that this was done. Apparently, beginning in 1994, every state, including Washington D.C., chooses an artist to decorate an egg and those eggs are then presented to the President and First Lady. They're all different, and some of them doen't even look like eggs anymore. They range from gaudy to exquisite works of art to silly items that my children might have done (see Wyoming). All of them are wonderful though.
Here is Idaho's presentation by talented artist Russ Hagen.
|
*
Comments (1)
* Post A Comment!
* Permanent Link
|
Dec. 7, 2006 25 Holy Days of Christmas
Celebrate the Christmas holidays with your children while sharing the holy story of Jesus and His birth. This consists of a story and then lesson questions for each day. I know, I know. December has already started, but I just found this today. This is a wonderful Christmas / Bible themed curriculum.
Madonna and Child by Amanda Headley-White
|
*
Comments (0)
* Post A Comment!
* Permanent Link
|
Nov. 18, 2006 Cool Thanksgiving Facts
In an effort to tell my children more about the first thanksgiving and why it came about, I unearthed these cool little snippets. I only knew about 5 of these facts before today, so even I learned a lot.
- They very first thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 sometime between September 21 and Noveber 11 and actually lasted three days.
- Did you know that since the date is different every year that the President must proclaim that day as a national holiday?
- George Washington suggested November 26 as a national day of rest and thanksgiving in 1789.
- The very first feast was planned to not only because the settlers were thankful for a bountiful harvest but also to thank the Iroquois for teaching them how to prepare the many new and different foods.
- In 1939, in an effort to create more business opportunity for the busy Christmas season, President Franklin Roosevelt moved the date to the fourth Thursday in the month and then in 1941 Congress ruled that it would stay there.
- Sarah Josepha Hale lobbyed long and hard for it to be declared a national holiday. She was also the author of Mary Had a Little Lamb.
- Abraham Lincoln asked fellow Americans to set aside the last Thursday in the month for Thanksgiving 1863 as a way to unite the nation.
- Some of the foods eaten at the first Thanksgiving was maize (not to be confused with corn), cranberries, probably several different types of sqaush, and several types of meat that may or may not have included turkey but which most likely did include wild game as well as fish and fowl.
- Black and white were not the only colors worn by the Pilgrims; they were mostly reserved for religious observance. The pilgrims mostly wore earthen tones such as deep reds, greens, tan, blues and some violet.
- The Iroquios taught the settlers how to make ibimi (bitter berry) sauce by cooking cranberries with water and a sweetener.
- The Horn of Plenty or Cornucopia, which symbolizes this season of plenty, actually originated in Greece.
More Thanksgiving History
The History Channel
Thanksgiving Traditions and History
The Holiday Spot: Thanksgiving
American Greetings: Thanksgiving
James colored this picture. And we read The Very First Thanksgiving Day.
Be sure to tune in to the History Channel on November 19 at 8/7 central to watch Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower. I got to preview the first 10 minutes of it and this is a wonderful opportunity for a history lesson. I can't wait to watch the rest of it.
|
*
Comments (0)
* Post A Comment!
* Permanent Link
|
Oct. 30, 2006 Honoring The Dead
Yesterday in church, I was reminded just how important it was to honor our dead. The cycle of life and death is very important and while it is important to cherish our loved ones while they are with us, it's just as important to remember them when they're gone. We must remember our roots so that we may understand that from which we came and if we are to properly perpare for the future.
Yesterday, the chalice was lit by my youngest daughter Kathrynn, escorted by her proud father. Our minister did that deliberately (although a child always lights the chalice with an adults help) to help us remember the grand cirlce of life. Kathrynn is at the very beginning of her life at only four months and yet helped bring the thought of our mortality to the fore. And she led the procession when it was time to light a candle in remembrance of those that have passed on.
Many cultures have their own rituals, including Dio De Las Muertos and Samhain. However, the United States really doesn't have one of their own and many people today have gotten away from it. In fact, the Anglo Saxon tradition is to shy away from such morbid thoughts of death. I remember as a child, every year the last weekend before Halloween my mother would go to the local cemetary and clean the graves. She took just as much care of a grave that belonged to a complete stranger as she did with one of our own family members although she only ever left flowers on those of close friends and family members. However, that's not the only way you can honor the dead. Our custom of Jacko O'Lanterns began with simple turnips as not only a warning to evil spirits but as a way to light the path for any deceased family members who wished to drop by. Even something so simple as lighting a candle beside the picture of a lost loved one.
Reminded just how important this was, my children helped set up a small altar last night. I set up a small table and covered it with a plain black cloth. On it, we sat pictures that my children helped choose, and I set a few trinkets on it, flowers and candles. We also sat down and set up a family tree (for the immediate family) as well as looked at the huge family tree that my grandmother compiled. I of course was in tears by the time this was done. However, this was a wonderful lesson for my children in that it made us think of our history, of where we have come and where we are going.
This verse was sung during our meditation time during church. And although this is in English, it was actually sung in German.
All Souls' Day
Put on the table the frgrant mignonettes,
carry the last red asters here,
and let us again talk of love
like once in May.
Give me your hand, that I may secretly press it,
and if anyone sees it, it makes no difference to me,
give me only one of your sweet glances
like once in May.
Today it blossoms and smells sweet on each grave
one day in the year indeed the dead are free,
come to my heart and I have you again,
like once in May.
We Remember |
*
Comments (0)
* Post A Comment!
* Permanent Link
|
|
