Archives for Games

Check out Duck Carnage for Android

A friend of mine released a new Android game entitled Duck Carnage.  The game is similar to the old school Duck Hunt, but a lot more fun!  The game is a great stress reliever!  I’m not usually a shoot-em-up type of gal, but I enjoy taking these ducks out of the sky!  As you progress through the levels, the backgrounds become more realistic and you are able to purchase new weapons. 

A bonus for this game is your young boys and girls will really enjoy it.  I’ve had a hard time finding games that are simple and straight to the point for my young son.  When we are on a road trip, he’s constantly asking if he can play “shooting games” or “boy games.”  Duck Carnage has been a life saver for those trips!  The game also helps develop motor skills as they have to follow the ducks on the screen and press quickly in order to shoot them.  The sound effects are easy on the ears, but if you are really in a quiet spot, there are options to disable sound effects.

The name of the game is a little misleading – no real carnage takes place.  No blood or excessive violence, just fun cartoony play time.  Check out Duck Carnage now in the Android market.

Category: Games, Gaming, General, Just for Fun, Skill Development       Tags: , ,

Top 5 Games for Families in 2011

image 2011 is expected to be an awesome year for gaming.  Games have infused into our culture and its easy to understand why:  they are a stress-reliever.  Not only that, but with the Wii and Kinect from Xbox, they are becoming more interactive and good for the entire family.  Some of my best memories as a kid was when the family got together and played board games.  Even though the technology is much fancier, gaming together as a family offers the same results for your kids.

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Category: Children & Technology, Games, Games for You, Geek Speak, Just for Fun       Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nintendo Warns the 3DS Is Not for Preschoolers

Nintendo 3DS Aqua Blue Final Hardware

Children under age 6 should not use a forthcoming portable 3D video game player because it could permanently damage their eyesight, its manufacturer warned.

The Japanese company Nintendo plans to introduce its 3DS player in Japan in late February, with launches in the U.S. and other markets soon after.

Nintendo has posted a warning against use of the device in 3D mode by children younger than 6,  stating "a potential impact on the growth of children’s eyes."

Nintendo indicated that the danger lies in the fact that the neural processing that underlies eyesight is still developing in young children.

As a result, the company suggested, the delivery of different artificial images to the left and right eye — as all 3D video systems do — could be harmful to proper eyesight development.

Nintendo states the device can be switched to a 2D mode that should be safe for children.

The game company also recommended that adult 3DS users take breaks every 30 minutes when playing 3D games.

Users of current 3D systems that play on home television screens have reported nausea as well as eyestrain after prolonged usage.

Nintendo and other manufacturers currently recommend that users take regular breaks from these games, although the new warning is the first to suggest a 30-minute playtime limit.

See here for the full release.

Category: Children & Technology, Games, Gaming       Tags: , , , ,

Cooking Dash 3 Thrills and Spills Review

image Last night, I excitedly installed the pre-release of the new Cooking Dash 3 Thrills and Spills.  I’ve played a few casual games in my time, but haven’t delved into them lately.  If you have played previous Diner Dash games, you will remember Flo & her Grandma as the main characters.  They are back again, yet this time Flo and her friends are teenagers. 

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Category: Casual, Games, Gaming, Just for Fun, Rent or Buy?, Skill Development       Tags: , , ,

Satisfy the Gaming Need

 My three year old has become a game addict.  I know. . .all the statistics and parenting classes would not approve if they saw the depths this child will endure to do some gaming.  Some families are heavily into sports, others are engulfed in fishing or outdoor sports, while our family loves computers.  The Internet and games to be more precise.  The problem lies in the fickle mentality of a three year old.  An online browser game can be challenging and tiring to a young end-user.  The rants of  "I want a Batman game," or "I need a DIFFERENT game," are constantly being demanded.

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Category: Children & Technology, Games, Just for Fun, Skill Development       Tags: , , , , , ,

Best Practices to Teach Basic Computer Movement – Part One

It takes a lot of effort and time to teach a young child how to use a mouse or keyboard.  It takes even longer to get them comfortable enough to maneuver through a GUI with little effort.  Yet, once your toddler or young child becomes comfortable at this level, the amount of actual intervention on your part decreases immensely.  The goal is not to get them an interactive babysitter but to give them independent computer skills which will build them a strong foundation for their future.  Children of today will never remember a time when computers or the Internet did not play a predominate role in their lives. (Unless of course they grow up sheltered from modern technology.)  These kids excluded, the geeky child is engulfed by technology. 

 

The future of computers is fuzzy but one thing is certain:  they will never go away.  With that promising thought in mind, let’s get our children off on the right track and give them the tools to empower their lives with an open and ready to learn attitude.

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Category: Children & Technology, Games, Skill Development       

Add This Page to Your Favorites

TLSBooks.com

My daughter came to my office with me after her dance class this morning.  We had such a great time!  I scooted a chair up to my desk, opened up her juice box, and then printed off gobs of worksheets for her to complete.  I used the site TLSBooks.com to print the worksheets.  I am excited to have found the site.  The site description says there are thousands of worksheets & color sheets for free, and they aren’t kidding!  Not only are they free, but they are very good quality.  The site categorizes by age group and then into different subjects.  I’m very impressed by the site.  Usually if you are looking for worksheets, you run into websites with loads of pop-ups and links hidden within ads.  TLSBooks.com is free of ads and no signing up.  Check it out and let your printer go wild!

Category: Children & Technology, Educational, Games, Parenting, Site Reviews       Tags: , , , , ,

Cooking Mama ‘mia!

image I purchased the Nintendo DS version of Cooking Mama in hopes my 4 year old wannabe Rachel Ray would entertain herself for at least 30 minutes. Instead of hammering in my fridge or breaking eggs in her miniature fantasy kitchen she could crack a few with the DS wand right? Wrong. Either her age or impatient temperament was a factor in their disagreement. Instead of freeing up some of my MUCH needed and desired relaxation time, I listened to cries and whines about how "Mama can’t do it…" or "I can’t do this!"

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Category: Children & Technology, Games, Rent or Buy?       

Free Online Educational Games for Kids

 

Here’s a list of my kids’ favorite online games. . .they don’t even realize they are learning!

Star Fall
My three year old daughter loves this website. She learned her letters in a matter of days, and also what sound each letter makes. The main purpose of Star Fall is to focus on teaching children how to read. This site is great because you aren’t required to download anything and they update the content on a continuous basis. If kids have gone through the entire site a few times, they can come back a week later and there will be something new for them to do. The manner in which content is displayed is very intuitive and easy for preschoolers to follow. This is a must have bookmarked site if you have preschool aged children.

Prongo.com
Prongo.com is another free educational game site that continues to provide fun interactive activities for kids of all ages.

The Kidz Page
The Kidz Page is loaded with activities for kids. From education games, to printouts, to games that are just plain entertaining, this site is an endless resource for parents wanting to give their kids computer time without having to worry.

Sheppard Software
The Sheppard Software website offers free online games with educational value for older children. The content is broken down into different subjects, such as Math, Vocabulary & Science. The games are entertaining and don’t make you feel like you are learning. I personally enjoy the ‘Math Man’ game, it takes me back to my Ms.PacMan faze but I’m actually working my brain while playing!

Category: Children & Technology, Educational, Games       

Using Facebook Apps for Child Development

image Social networks have taken over millions of households around the world. The ability to share instant updates to all of your friends and family as well as pictures, videos and links has changed our view of the Internet. In the past, email and chat was the digital connection between individuals. Now, with sites like Facebook and MySpace, you can post all of your updates in one spot and everyone can view them instantaneously.

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Category: Children & Technology, Games, Skill Development       Tags: , , , ,
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