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Teachers need to be able to connect games used at school to curricula and students' lives. (Allison Shelley/EDUimages), CC BY-NCOne highlight of my Grade 3 life was dying from dysentery at the hands of a video game. I was ahead on schoolwork, and allowed to use the classroom computer to pioneer a family across America in the game The Oregon Trail. It was odd that I played this in a Canadian school — rather than exploring something like the challenges of long-haul trucking in the game Crosscountry Canada. But with players still joking about Oregon Trail memes today, it’s clear...

10 Tips for a Stress-free Road Trip with Kids   We all know that planning a road trip can be stressful (both the planning and the execution), especially when you’re traveling with kids. But it doesn’t have to be! With a little planning and preparation, you can make your road trip a breeze. Here are 10 tips to help you plan a stress-free road trip with kids:   1. Choose your destination carefully:  If you’re driving long distances, pick a destination that’s somewhere in the middle, so you don’t have to drive for days on end. Make sure everyone is on...

There are a few topics out there that pretty much everyone seems to have strong opinions on. Politics. Religion. And... parenting! Your ideas on how you think it’s best to raise your kids say quite a lot about who you are as a person and what your values are. There are different approaches to parenting, and it can be extremely difficult to figure out what’s best for a specific family. However, when it comes to red flags and things to avoid doing, it’s pretty much clear to most people when a parent has royally messed up. Though, often, it's far...

You want to do some bonding with your kid over their favorite indoor activity: Minecraft. There’s one small problem: What the hell is a Minecraft? Before you start embarrassing yourself by telling your pre-teen and their friends that you’re hip to the lingo (that’s what uncool people have always said) better get yourself familiar with this video game that is a third LEGOs, a third coding, and a third youth subculture.First, mine and craft are the 2 basic parts of the game. You dig for material. Then you build with it. But learning the basics such as “flying” and placing...

What are instructional scaffolds? Instructional scaffolds are temporary tools that help students move from what they already know to what they cannot yet do on their own. Think of them as you would training wheels. A child may be able to ride a tricycle, but just doesn’t have the balance yet to ride a bicycle. Training wheels are a tool that helps the child bridge the gap between the two types of cycles. What are some examples of these types of tools? Some of our favorites are: Auditory Feedback Phones: We find this device particularly helpful for students who cannot...