I am taking my daughters to a science museum today. Thinking about museums and interactive displays made me think of some science games that I’ve been reviewing for years. I went to my archive and came up with five fun science games for elementary school students.
Pip and the Big Wide World, produced by WGBH, offers a great collection of online games, videos and offline activities designed to help students learn and practice math and science skills. One of the strengths of the games I tried was identifying patterns. In all, there are twenty-one online games available through Pip and Big Wide World.
Shutterbugs Wiggle and Stomp is an educational game produced by Smithsonian. The purpose of the game is to help children recognize the movements of animals. In the game the children go through a virtual zoo with a zoo keeper. As you walk through the virtual zoo, the zoo keeper asks students to take pictures of animals that are running, jumping, stomping, and performing other movements. Shutterbugs Wiggle and Stomp can be played online.
Habitats is a fun little game at the Smithsonian Science Education Center. The online game challenges elementary schools to match animals to their habitat. The game shows representative images of the students’ four dwellings; Deserts, coral reefs, jungles and wetlands. Students drag pictures of animals from a list to their respective habitats. Students get instant feedback on their every move in the game. Once an animal has been placed in the right habitat, students can learn more about it in the Life Encyclopedia by clicking on it.
Equation is a free game offered by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. The game, designed for high school or high school students, teaches students what can be done to deliver clean water and balance global water resources. In the game students select an area to explore the current water supply. Based on the information provided, students take steps to build desalination plants, conduct further research, respond to natural phenomena, and attempt to move water between regions. Acquisition can be performed in a web browser. It is also available as a free iPad app and a free Android app
Feed the Dingo is a fun game that teaches students the importance of maintaining a balanced ecosystem. In the game students have to create and maintain a desert ecosystem. The game begins with an empty slate in which students have to add plants and animals. The game runs for twelve virtual days. Students need to add more elements every day to balance the ecosystem. At the end of each day, students are given feedback on which plants and animals are healthy, which are endangered and which are dead.