How I Use It
There are a variety of games to practice geography skills, many of the games involve maps. I have used some of the games as station options for students as we worked on similar topics. One of my students favorite games from National Geographic Kids is Copycat, but the website says it is being retired, which will be a shame. Some of the games practice rote memorization of location, like the locations of the continents. If students are willing to play the games on their own, that frees up more time in class to apply higher order thinking or creation based on the base knowledge. The games are divided into six categories: science and engineering, history and culture, geographic decision-making, animals, fun for families, and vocabulary.
Overall I like the games. There are some areas that would make the games even more valuable. Currently there is no description with the games until you open it. How am I supposed to know that 'Family Adventure' is a game that reviews map reading? The games also do not consistently work on mobile devices. Some of them do and others do not, but you do not know until you try. This has caused some frustration when I planned on using it in class but it would not work on the student devices. Many of the games have a plot line that requires reading. There are many sound effects, but no text-to-speech option, which could prevent some students from wanting to play. The games have great potential.