[UbuntuWomen] Ubuntu games [was: Introduction

[Fred H Olson]

<vid at svaksha.com> Wrote:
> Easier said that
> done but I've used the "five or more" game to teach a simple 5-times
> multiplication rule -- anything multiplied with '5' will always have a
> resultant answer with '5' in the units place.

Did you mean 'any odd number'  since 2 x 5 = 10  ?

Three years ago I won a One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) laptop
http://fholson.cohousing.org/blog/#i2o_ at my local Linux club. I
carried it around for at least a year showing it to folks to promote
the project. It's bright green color and toy-like appearance appeals
to kids. On numerous occasions I asked 4-7 (?) year olds if they knew
arithmetic and would like to play a game.  (If they said no, I asked
how much 5 x 5 was -- kids who know arithmetic don't always know the
word...

If they were amenable, I'd show them the OLPC memory game which is
similar to the old "memory" card game where you spread cards out face
down and try to match cards by turning over two at a time.  The OLPC
game has simple integer addition problem "cards" on one half of the
display and answers on the other half. (simple by default - other
problem/answer setups are selectable and can be created by users).
Kids almost always got into it.  The game requires repetition til one
find correct combinations that reinforces the rote learning of
arithmetic - a great combination.

Is a game like this available for Ubuntu?  Have "Sugar" (OLPC's
operating system) games been ported to run easily on Ubuntu?

For older kids, it would be nice to see a port of "ChipWits"
( originally: 1984 Mac) which teaches (essentially) symbolic logic.
There has been some interest including from OLPC but I'm unsure
how far it's gotten.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipwits

Fred whose 21 yo son no longer plays my computer games but did
     call for help with a flat tire Saturday night...
     Parenthood goes on :)

--
Fred H. Olson  Minneapolis,MN 55411  USA        (near north Mpls)
     Email:        fholson at cohousing.org      612-588-9532
My Link Pg: http://fholson.cohousing.org         My org:
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