Video Games - No More!

This is cross-posted from an article I wrote for our parent newsletter. Now with links!

Summer is almost here. For too many kids, this time of year includes long hours spent with their Xbox, Nintendo, or laptop, playing video games. I suggest: “No More!” But not to computers, just to the games. Here’re some options for what else your child can do on the computer that will still make them happy:

Design a building, Explore the World – Google SketchUp, Earth – This is a free program for easily drawing in 3D. Kids can create new buildings and towns, or even render their own home. Other creators around the world are uploading their work into Google Earth, another free program. Here, kids can “fly” from place to place, and see sites all over the world in 3D. Different sorts of information can be turned on and off in the world’s greatest atlas. Kids can dive into the oceans and soar into space as well!

Learn an instrument, Compose a symphony – Garage Band, Jam Packs, Lessons – GarageBand can now run a lengthy series of piano and guitar lessons, providing kids with a patient tutor available 24/7. Jam Packs supplement GarageBand’s included loops, providing them with hours and hours of material to remix into their own musical masterpieces.

Produce digital art – ArtRage – This is a wonderfully complex but intuitive painting program. Kids can experiment with all sorts of media ---watercolors, oils, charcoal--- without the waste and frustration of real materials. When they find out that they really do love acrylics, and have learned a lot of how to use them, then buy them the real thing!

Write a program – Alice, Scratch – These free, well-designed programs, from Carnegie-Mellon and M.I.T., make programming fun and easy. Tell your kids they can play any video game they want – as long as they write it themselves! The world of programming is chock-full of great math enrichment and logical thinking practice.

Film a movie – Imovie, WindowsMovieMaker, IStopMotion – Making movies has never been easier. With inexpensive equipment and free software, kids can run around the city (or world!) filming wonderful shorts. With IStopMotion, they can make claymation, animation or time-lapse movies with ease.

Parents! Say “No More!” to wasted hours killing zombies, aliens, Nazis, terrorists, etc. Channel those electronic energies into something enriching and ---shhhhh--- educational.