Educational Games for High School Students

Another Way to Learn Science

• Reaction, the game of molecules, is a board game that tests chemical reactions. It teaches strategy and creation. The one who builds the majority of molecules wins.

  Your child has grown up using the computer, but might not think of how it works; in this process, he can devise his own Ethernet. Doing this project teaches your child about electronics and the Internet. He will need an Ethernet cable, connectors, scissors and cable crimper. Take off the cable sheaf and look at the various wires. Carefully lay out the wires, green/white, solid green, orange/white, solid blue, blue/white, orange, red/white, red. Lay the wires flat. Trim them and make sure the wires are in the correct wire order. Hold the connector with clip facing away from you. Make sure the wires are staying flat; otherwise, they will not hold the connection. Crimp to squeeze the plug; do the same thing with the other side. Using a cable tester, test the connections. Now you have a cable to surf the net!

  For another science game, high school students open to the first chapter of their science text. As a group, the students decide on a topic in the book. The students need to determine controversy, such as will there be a debate. If so, what material do they need to decide how to answer the questions? The students ask what facts they need for this topic. They have 20 minutes to go through the scientific method of asking questions.

Learning Life Skills Games

• Gazillionaire is a game that teaches business, economics and math. Used across the country, it encompasses social studies with economics. Gazillionaire is a simulation game where the student is in charge of a business in outer space. The player makes all the decisions dependent on running a business, from supply and demand to profit margins.
  Zapitalism is a business simulator and run on the fantasy island of Zapinalia. This game focuses on business, economics and math. This is more complicated than Gazillionaire.
  In Profitania, the player must operate a factory in a world that is subterranean. This simulation is very complex.

The Roving Reporter

• How about a roving reporter educational activity for your high school student? Have your student decide the purpose of the report. In a notebook, she writes down some of the questions about the subject. Not only can this be a written report, she can present it as a show. She can use her iPod for recording and interviewing material. As she interviews people, she also writes down their stories. After she edits the data on her computer, she can play it for her audience.