Moshi Monsters - social networking for kids with puzzles

Completing the Daily Puzzle on Moshi Monsters

I was resistant at first when my boys came home from school wanting to play Moshi Monsters as it looks like it will require a subscription, but I've come to find it a very useful - and free - resource for my children.  

Children adopt a virtual monster when they register, which they then need to take care of by feeding, playing and dressing it. The game requires players to earn 'rox' which are then spent on anything you need. Most rox are earned by completing puzzles, and this is the most valuable part of the game. Kids can't just do the easy ones over and over they have to try all sorts of activities.

Example of a puzzle in the Daily Challenge to earn Rox

Children who can't read will need a fair amount of help to understand the puzzles, but should be able to complete them on their own once they can read independently or are familiar enough with the puzzle formats.

100 Rox is enough to buy an item of clothing or a few treats for your monster

The game also has a social networking aspect, you can become friends with other monsters and leave notes on their walls. This all seems very safe, and all messages need approval by your child before they appear on the wall.

There are aspects of the game that require membership, but so far my boys have been more than entertained with the options available for free.

Schoolhouse Rock on YouTube - times tables made fun

I remember the Schoolhouse Rock videos from my childhood (in the US) and am now happy to replay them to my own children as an excellent way of practising our times tables at home in a fun and musical way.

Starting with "Elementary my dear" for the two times table:




Introducing the two times table using a Noah's Ark analogy (without too much emphasis on the Bible story!). I like the way the song challenges the children by demonstrating MUCH larger calculations and how easy it is to break up the numbers.

If you like this, explore the other Schoolhouse Rock number/times table videos:
My Hero, Zero (0)
Three is the magic number (3)
The Four Legged Zoo (4)
Ready of Not, Here I Come (5)
Got Six (6)
Lucky Seven Sampson (7)
Figure Eight (8)
Naughty Number Nine (9)

Key Stage 1 Literacy - BBC Bitesize

BBC Bitesize - Literacy games for Key Stage 1 (Ages 5-7, years 1-2)

As you would expect from the BBC, a really useful set of interactive games designed to support your 5-7 year old in their literacy education.

These 9 games cover synonyms, punctuation, sentence construction, phonics, rhyming, alphabetical order, spelling, pronouns and conjunctions. Most of the games feature pirates or cowboys or some kid on activity (e.g. Kung-Fu to help construct sentences!) so particularly appealing to my boys.

I particularly like the fact the easiest level is labelled "medium" - psychologically, my 6 year old feels he's really achieved something to do the medium level. Lots of feedback means the child understands their progress, but this is one set of games that probably benefits from working with an adult to help explain the instructions and maintain focus. A good one to include with any home reward system - complete the hard level to earn a treat for example.