Magic and Mayhem

Lately when the kids have been playing Webkinz I’ve asked them to do 50 questions in Quizzie’s Corner first, on various subjects.  It’s an easy way to sneak in some math, science, language arts and other subjects.

Tonight when Victoria came to say goodnight, she told me, “Hey Mom, you know how you have us do Quizzie’s Corner when we’re on the computer?  You should have us play on Free Rice instead.  I’ve been earning rice all night on all different subjects.  I’ve even been doing multiplication.”

(This from a kid who hates math!)

I’ve played a bit on Free Rice in the past, back when it was just vocabulary questions.  The basic idea is that you answer progressively harder questions (the better you do, the harder they get), and each one that you answer right earns rice that’s given to people in need.  Sponsors pay for the rice, which goes to the UN World Food Program (100% of the income goes to charity).

I had heard that they’d added other subjects but I didn’t realize how many.  There’s everything from chemical symbols to geography to language learning.  Best of all, since it keeps track of how well you do, it constantly adjusts to the right level of difficulty for each person.

Since Victoria is really interested in helping others, this is the perfect way for her to learn and study.  I think Anna will also enjoy it, and get a kick out of the tallies of how much she’s donated through her answers.

I think almost everybody knows about Free Rice at this point, but if you’re like me and had forgotten to visit often this could be a good time to give it another shot — and involve the kids!