Gaming for a greater good

RECYCLE by Enokson

The world is an inter-linked one. We cannot continue living in an unsustainable way. The ill-effects are already evident. We are polluting the very water and air we need to survive. When populations were small, spread out, human being could destroy and move on. Nature had the time to rejuvenate. Now things are different. We need to live more cooperatively.

People don't come on board with just presentations or explanations. New York City was planning to cancel its recycling program in 2001. Then two friends, one a law student and another who was pursuing his MBA, got together and drafted and built Recyclebank, which today partners multiple communities across the country.

The Problem

Landfills are costing cities 25 billion dollars as they handle 675 million tonnes of waste. What is recycled is a very small percentage. This gap has to be reduced and Recyclebank believes the use of technology can help. Most people in the country live more wastefully in the last few years, believing that greed is good. This has led to behavioral patterns which show increased consumption, leading to increased wastefulness.  

Using Game Mechanics

Elements of Gamification like rewards and points are embedded into the Recyclebank program. Homes and institutions are rewarded for the recycling they do, thereby saving the city money they need for maintaining landfills. They have also moved on to encouraging other savings in electricity and water. As an example, members can earn by unplugging appliances, choosing greener products and even having shorter showers.

By using education, recognition and financial incentives, built on game mechanics, Recyclebank does serious social entrepreneurship. 

4 Types of Educational Games which Kids Have to Play

Games are a fun way of introducing kids to new concepts and practicing already known concepts. With the revolution in educational technology around the world, it’s desired that we should adopt innovative teaching methods to make classroom learning as interesting as possible. Also, children learn the best when they are taught with mediums other than books in the classroom, like activities, games, projects, presentations, infographics, charts, etc. Presuming that these tools are incorporated in lesson plans, which subjects should be given the most preference while adopting these new methods? The four basic subjects or topics that must lead the avant-garde method of teaching are unarguably math, reading, critical thinking and conversational skills. They encompass most of the other topics and skills like writing, problem solving, communication, and science.

Studying by Scott Akerman

Reading games

Reading can only be fun when one can read! Otherwise, letters on a paper are as useless as a blackboard without a chalk. It’s a good idea to introduce kids to reading with small and simple reading games and activities.

·         Start reading early to your child. Supplement your reading with animated hand and face gestures.

·         Wait patiently for your child to participate, smiling and nodding at her at regular intervals.

·         Allow your child to interrupt. That will encourage her to participate and eventually grow a desire to read.  In other words, help them with their concerns.

·         Read frequently. If you’re reading a frequently-read piece of literature to your child, she will join you in no time and start narrating it with you.

·         Read simple and lucid literature that sounds melodious or is rhythmic.

Math activities

Math is the foundation of many an important subject: physics, chemistry, geography, biology, etc. Besides, it’s a subject that comes into use in our daily lives right from waking up in the morning (checking the time) to going to sleep (setting an alarm). Here are a few math activities that can be practiced with the kids to sharpen their counting skills!

·         Read a recipe and have your child measure the amounts for the ingredients. Use different measures such as teaspoons, cups, and pints.

·         Plan a meal and prepare the shopping list together.

·         If you’re getting vegetables from the store, have your child count and sort them out.

·         Have your child measure her height with the help of a paper that’s already been scaled and marked.     

·         Count pennies with your child. Hide a certain number of them from the stack. Ask your child to guess how many you’ve hidden.

Remember, games like Chinese checkers, Mancala, Yahtzee, and Dominoes also go a long way in improving math skills.

Critical thinking activities and tips

We are confronted daily with opportunities to solve problems and exercise our own judgment to explore the world around us. Not always do these challenges involve physical challenges. The skill to solve these problems and accept the challenges head on is critical thinking. Here’s how you can help children develop their critical thinking skills.

·         Provide opportunities to play.

·         Help children to solve their problems independently.

·         Don’t offer to solve children’s problems.

·         Help children develop hypotheses.

·         Urge children to be accurate.

·         Encourage them to be relevant, logical, and fair 

     

Games and activities to develop conversational skills

It’s important for children to develop great conversational skills as half of the battle is won if an interview goes well! Here are a few activities that will help children better their conversational and public speaking skills.

·         Address the child while you talk to her. That will later help her build self-confidence while speaking.

·         Keep it brief and simple every time you instruct the child. Help the child to comprehend the instruction and respond.

·         Ask the child to repeat the instruction back to you. That’s a great way of striking a conversation.

·         Begin any directive with “I want”. In case they refuse your directive, they can reply saying “I don’t want to…”

·         Give choices to your child while you instruct her to do something and have her choose from the choices and convey it to you in complete sentences.

·         Try rhyming your instructions, like “Do not gawk, please talk”.