University game break.

The Sims 3 Collection
The Sims 3 Collection (Photo credit: origami_potato)

Not everything is entirely educational and good for you. Sometimes a game is just a game. I haven’t figured out how to properly spoil the fun of the University expansion for the The Sims3, so the girls are still enjoying it. Perhaps they’re goal-setting in a way. Thinking about life after high school.
{Perhaps I could just tell myself that.}

Hope real life isn’t much like this game for them. I didn’t have the traditional university/Greek experience, so that’s literally all Greek to me.

We did try to do some experiments with the Sims3 game play. Red2 tried to make juice with ingredients of different quality ratings. They score the produce you grow with a simple system: good, great, excellent, etc. She found clearly that you could sell the sqeezings that were made with finer ingredients for more money. The extra sim work was worth the extra ‘simoleons.’

Indiana Jones movies map
Indiana Jones movies map (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I thought the traveling expansion would be a tad bit useful. We had some conversations about China, Egypt, and France, but in the end, they were just game play. Brushing up against geography a bit.

Maybe some good geography lessons would be to do an Indiana Jones-style map of all the locations in James Bond movies or all the places on the globe that Jennifer Garner went in Alias. They’re a bit young for Alias still, but I bet there are some good ‘sight-seeing’ value to these movies. Did they actually film in all the locations or was it just movie magic? That would be a good research project.

Have any subversively devious and fun ways to talk about geography?

Science Fiction Curriculum

Cover of the Glinda of Oz
Image via Wikipedia
on our big big list

Getting back to the originally promised topic. The girls. Due to some county school board issues, mostly zoning, we’re going to start up the home school wagon this fall.

Having crazy-awesome kids is a blessing that I’m proud to share about. I’m looking forward to being a huge part of their education. I know it’s something most parents don’t get to do.

I do promise not drone on about all the details unless they pertain to my Science Fiction Daddy topics. And because I’m me; some of it will.

Red1 and I have already started planning out her reading lists for the year. We are making a plan to include a unit on all the Wizard of Oz books, play, films, etc. and another unit on Science Fiction. We’re going to look for some award winning sci-fi standards but are open to suggestions. Remember we’re in the fifth grade but at a very high reading level. Her favorites right now are the Rick Riordan novels about that Percy guy.

A couple of articles that we wanted to keep track of here:

Red2 who is going into second grade, is excited about the Paul Bunyan phenomena. I say phenomena, because after doing some research his story is pretty amazing. He’s got it all. Humor and stories mostly, but look at all the geography packed in there. This is going to be fun.