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Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Playing the 'How To Train Your Dragon 2' Game Right Now

5/28/2014

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You should be playing the “How to Train Your Dragon 2” game right now. Which one? School of Dragons, of course! Why? Here are the top 5 reasons to answer your ‘why’!

Picture
Photo by: School of Dragons
Reason #1– Movie in the game

The “How to Train Your Dragon 2” game is as close as you can get to the movie before it releases. The game is set on the island of Berk, a place where Vikings and Dragons coexist – though not without some challenges! The player is a young Viking who gets the opportunity to raise and bond with a dragon, challenging his race’s profession of dragon-slaying! Just like the movie, Berk in the game is a fascinating place with a visual extravagance of its interesting nooks and corners. Fans of the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise will definitely be impressed with this game!

Reason #2 – Are you Hiccup?

The first few glimpses of the “How to Train Your Dragon 2” teaser reveal a grown up Hiccup who is about take us on another dragon adventure. The mature facial features and the pleasant transformation of Hiccup in the teasers makes you want to take on the role of Hiccup in this fascinating MMORPG (learned this new word recently - stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). Will you make a good Hiccup?

Reason #3 – Learning science

The game is a constructive learning experience for kids. With plenty of quests (levels) based on the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) topics - like motion, energy, states of matter, landforms, and earth– kids will enjoy playing the game for long hours. Every quest features the gigantic and generous dragons guiding the players to explore and achieve.

Reason #4 – Living with the reptiles

Where else can you live with the adorable fire-breathing monsters (monsters, really?!) but in the island of Berk? It’s sheer joy that you experience when you construct a village from scratch and coexist peacefully with the dragons, and learn a bit of science in the process. Though there are a few evil dragons that need to be defeated, it only adds to the game-playing experience.

Reason #5 – Visual brilliance

If you’ve played the game, you’ll know what I'm talking about! The high resolution and advanced graphics in the game are a joy to watch. You can make out every crease in the dragons’ fangs and the mellow blonde streaks in the Viking boy’s hair if you’re playing the game on a computer that supports advanced graphics. The visual delights will keep you hooked!

My daughter Sarah is a die-hard fan of this game these days and can't wait for the movie to release next month.. Guess I'll have to give her company at the theaters!

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3 Fun Outdoor Science Games for Kids

5/13/2014

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Picture
Photo Courtesy – Wellspring Community School

Sometimes, labs and textbooks are not the best means to help your child learn science. These 3 fun outdoor science games for kids make the subject easy and fun. Happy exploring!

1. Nose workout
Follow your nose and give it a serious workout with this cool science game for kids.

You will need:
· Paper
· Pen
· Nose (preferably your own)

Instructions:
· Go for an early morning stroll this weekend. Notice the cool crisp air that smells so fresh?
· Find an orchard or park and walk through. How would you describe the smells?
· Go to the local bakery and inhale the various smells. What kind of smells are these?
· Describe the smells you encounter when you enter the subway, a restaurant and your school.
· What does your house smell like? Describe its smell and compare it to someone else’s.
· Go to a perfume counter of any big store and try some of their sample perfumes. Can you determine the predominant smell of each perfume?
· What does your local burger joint smell like?
· Now that you’ve given your nose a healthy workout, jot down your discoveries in a notebook.

2. Backyard stargazing
Introduce your child to the marvels of the universe with this backyard science game for kids.

You will need:
· Binoculars
· Lawn chairs
· Blankets (if necessary)

Instructions:
· Place the chairs in your backyard and have everyone gaze at the sky.
· Ask your child to try and spot familiar landmarks like the moon and some well-known constellations.
· Explain the difference between stars and planets and see if he can identify whether a heavenly body is a star or a planet.
· How many constellations can he identify by name? What are their characteristics? Do they appear the same in all seasons?
· Can he find the brightest star in the sky? How many stars can he count? Are they really stars or something else?
· Does he know which days of the week are named after heavenly objects?
· Can he tell the time by the position of the stars?
· When you come indoors, check out the large number of astronomy websites on the Internet.

3. River treasures
Discover all the treasures that float down a river with this interesting science game for kids.

You will need:
· Wire coat hanger
· Duct tape
· Mesh or screen

Instructions:
· Bend the hanger into a circular shape.
· Bend the screen or mesh around the hanger.
· Lock the screen or mesh into place with the duct tape.
· Go to a nearby stream or river, place the hanger into it and hold steady for a few minutes.
· Take out and see what you caught. It could be seeds or parts of plants or even fish or other water dwelling creature such as insects and minnows.
· If it’s a living creature, make sure you put it back into the river right away or it’ll die.

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Free Kids' Games for Sunday School

5/7/2014

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Picture
Photo Courtesy - bigbirdz

Most kids hate being cooped up indoors, even for a few hours. All that natural exuberance needs an outlet, after all. So don’t be surprised if they have a serious case of the fidgets when forced to sit still and learn scripture in Bible class. Here are three fun free kids’ games to make them look forward to Sunday school. You can also use them to reinforce the Bible lesson or as a reward for good participation.


1. Test your Bible Memory
This is a group activity to help young children memorize verses from the Bible.

You will need:
· Marker board
· Marker
· Eraser

Instructions:
· Choose a Bible verse and write it on the board.
· Have the children read it together.
· Invite a volunteer from the group to erase one word from the verse.
· Invite another volunteer to read the verse as it was originally written on the board. Have him erase one word from the remaining verse.
· Invite a third child and repeat the previous step.
· Repeat the process as the kids erase more and more words from the verse.
· This will keep the children engaged in the activity because they know their turn will come soon.

2. Lend a Helping Hand
This fun game teaches kids about the importance of lending a helping hand to fellow Christians.

You will need:
· Candy bars
· Packing tape

Instructions:
· Tape the candy bars high on to the wall. Make sure the kids can’t reach them without the help of chairs.
· Instruct the kids to try and reach the candy bars without using furniture or asking other people for help.
· Once the kids have given up, ask them to form groups of four and figure out how they can reach the candy bars by working together.
· Once, everyone has managed to reach the target, have them talk about the lessons they learned from the game. Encourage them to think about the importance of supporting their fellow Christians.

3. As Quickly as you Can!
Spice up your Bible lesson with this exciting game!

You will need:
· One Bible per child

Instructions:
· Hand out the Bibles and instruct the kids to close them.
· Open your Bible and select a passage at random.
· Call the passage reference out loud.
· As soon as you do that, all the kids must open their Bibles and try to find the passage as quickly as possible.
· The child who finds the passage first must read it aloud. If it is the correct one, he is declared the winner of the game.


 These free kids’ games are a great way to keep children motivated to learn more about their faith and become better Christians. 

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