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Alphabet Soup Game
In honour of Family Literacy Day last January 27 and the Usborne Readathon, which wraps up today, I am posting a link to a fun word game called Alphabet Soup. The object of the game is easy. Use the alphabet letters in the bowl of soup to fill in the blanks and then enjoy the answer to the joke or riddle.

http://pbskids.org/lions/games/soup.html

What If You Were On The Run?
To celebrate Canadian Children’s Book Week, this week’s Funday Site is a game based on Gordon Korman’s On The Run series. (If you haven’t read it yet, visit the library and check it out!) The game is called What If You Were On The Run? Keep ahead of the green man chasing you by answering (as best as you can) the multiple choice questions about escaping a scene. While you’re at it, you can also read sample chapters from the On The Run series by clicking on the book covers below.

http://www.scholastic.ca/titles/ontherun/

It is always important to make sure that these kind of sites are not some kind of hoax or joke. After some careful checking, I have found that this site is the real deal, and that the rice is indeed being sent through the United Nations. Always check your sites!

http://www.freerice.com/

Hallowe'en Hangman
In the spirit of Hallowe’en, I have posted a fun little version of Hangman with a spooky twist. Hallowe’en Hangman features a loudmouth skeleton who really lets you have it when you don’t pick the right letters! Try and stay in the game and win all levels in this ghoulish game!

http://www.dedge.com/flash/hangman/hangman.swf

Dance Mat Typing
So, how many of you think you can type? How many of you think it’s boring? Well, I found a little web site that shows you how to type in a fun way - just for kids! It’s called Dance Mat Typing and it’s brought to you by the BBC. You’ll love it! It makes learning to type both easy and exciting! Want to hear a story about me and typing? Scroll down a bit. Want to get on with it and play Dance Mat Typing?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

Soccer Smash!
Soccer season is in full swing, and even though the weather has been less than spring-like this past week, I braved the cold to attend both my girls’ games and saw many of our OLOL students take the field with them. I hope you all have a terrific season, and if the weather gets too yucky to play outdoors, you may want to test your skills online with Soccer Smash!

http://funschool.kaboose.com/fun-blaster/soccer/games/game_soccer_smash.html

http://www.coolmath-games.com/lemonade/index.html

Wordo
Time for another word game! Wordo is very challenging, but lots of fun. The game screen features letter tiles that drop down. Your job is to click on the letters to make a word. (Note: the tiles don’t have to be touching each other to make a word.) You must double-click the last letter of your word to submit it. Once you do, those tiles disappear. But you have to move fast, because they’re still dropping down and once the tiles pile up to the top of the screen, you lose a life. You can blast away extra tiles - see game instructions for details. Remember, you have three chances to go through five levels, so good luck!

http://www.primarygames.com/langarts/wordo/index.htm

Virtual Knee Surgery
If you get a kick out of surgery, then you’ll love Virtual Knee Surgery! Brought to you by EdHeads, the people behind Virtual Hip Surgery, Virtual Knee Surgery offers another operating room experience that puts the scalpel in your hand! Go ahead… this could be the start of a whole new career!

http://www.edheads.org/activities/knee/index.htm

Easter Colouring Pages
Hippity, hoppity, Easter is on its way! If you don’t like getting all messy colouring and decorating Easter eggs for real, you might enjoy doing a bit of online colouring! Check out these terrific colouring pages. Just dip your paintbrush in the colour you want to use, drag the brush to the area you want to colour and click to release it! Once you are finished, you can even print your page - looks great with a colour printer!

http://funschool.kaboose.com/fun-blaster/easter/games/game-easter-coloring.html

Shamrock Shimmy
Many of you already know how much I LOVE puzzle games — especially Mah Jong and Bejewelled. So in honour of St. Patrick’s Day, I have posted a link to a fun puzzle game called Shamrock Shimmy. Shamrock Shimmy is a lot like Bejewelled in that the object of the game is to get three or more of the same puzzle pieces in a row by trading one piece for another. Just click the two pieces you want to trade.

You’re playing against time, so be sure to have a quick eye to beat the timer. Hopefully you can score enough points to get on the high score list!

http://www.thekidzpage.com/freekidsgames/games/flipflop/easyshamrockflip.html

Cannon Math
I think it’s time to crunch some numbers, so let’s get busy with Cannon Math! The object of Cannon Math is to fire the little person onto the the correct math answer. Look at the math question above and decide which of the three numbers along the bottom of the screen is the correct one. Then use your mouse to move the levers and adjust the angle and power of your canon, click on the canon and — fire! Be careful not to use too much power though — one of my little guys went flying right off the screen!

http://funschool.kaboose.com/formula-fusion/number-fun/games/game_cannon_math.html

Bookworm
In honour of Family Literacy Day, which as you know is tomorrow, I've posted a link to another fun word game called Bookworm. The object of this game is to make words out of the tiles, which the bookworm eats. You have to connect the tiles, so they have to be right next to each other. Also, some tiles will catch fire, so you'd better use them up before they reach the bottom, or your whole library will burn! There are coloured bonus tiles that you should also try to use up to get extra points.
Give the game a few seconds to load up... and be prepared to watch a little commercial before it comes on. That's the price we sometimes must pay to enjoy a great game. (Just ignore the commercial and start thinking about good words to use instead!)

http://www.shockwave.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=bookworm&memberStatus=NotSignedIn&brand=clubhouse

Diego's Dinosaur Adventure
This week, I thought it was time that our younger students got to enjoy a game that's just right for them (although I have to admit even I had a lot of fun playing it!). So whether you are in Kindergarten or wish you were in Kindergarten, you'll probably have a lot of fun playing Diego's Dinosaur Adventure. Play three different games to collect dinosaur bones, store your collection in your field journal and colour your dinosaur, too! Don't forget to challenge Mom and Dad for extra playtime fun! (NOTE TO PARENTS: this game is an excellent way for younger children to develop hand-eye co-ordination and improve their mousing skills -- and it is a lot of fun, too!)

http://www.nickjr.com/playtime/shows/diego/games/dieg_dino.jhtml

Word Snaps
I'll be you didn't know that I like to play Scrabble! I just love to play word games, and the game I am posting this week is pretty close to playing Scrabble. Word Snaps is a lot of fun! All you have to do is try to make as many words as you can out of the letters you are provided. Just click on each letter to spell the word, and then click on "submit." You are required to come up with a specific number of words, and if you succeed, you can move on to the next level. If you come up with every word to fill in the blank word spaces on the bottom of the screen, you get bonus points. Go ahead and try it out. I couldn't stop playing!

http://www.cbc.ca/kids/games/wordsnaps/

Elf Snowball Fight
ELF is one of my favourite holiday movies, and I just happened upon this cute little Elf Snowball Fight Game. Aim your mouse at the elves and click your mouse button to launch the snowball, but don't hit Santa Claus! Just click on this link (or on the red words above) to play!

http://www.elfmovie.com/snowball-fight.html

Sushi Samurai
Even if you don't like sushi, you'll love this fun game! You play by using the cursor keys (the up, down, left and right arrows on your keyboard) to move your little man up and down the ladders and along the floors. The object of the game is to get your man past the long pieces of sushi so that they fall down onto the plate. However, be sure to avoid the tofu, mushroom, fish and other creatures -- they're out to get you! You can give them a blast of wasabi by hitting the space bar, which will turn them green -- and you can pass them. You can also freeze them by getting your man over the soup bowl-- but you can't pass them when they are frozen. If your sushi falls on them, you score big points! You can also get extra points by getting your man to the pickled ginger (the pink blobs) and be sure to reload your supply of wasabi by getting your man to the green blobs too! On some levels, if your man gets to the little jar of sauce, you get an extra life. I think that covers the rules, but if you forget, you'll find them at the game site. Good luck, and may honour be your appetizer!

http://www.cbc.ca/kids/games/sushisamurai/

Virtual Hip Surgery
I am hoping that with all the practice you'll get doing Virtual Hip Surgery, one of you will be a whiz at it in the future when I need work on my own hip! This is a very cool activity that takes you from pre-op to the surgery. Use a scalpel, bone saw and other tools to complete a successful hip surgery.

http://www.edheads.org/activities/hip/index.htm

Action Fraction
OK, want to have some fun with fractions and race cars too? Then you'll really enjoy Action Fraction. The questions may seem pretty easy at first, but with each race you win, the fractions get a lot more challenging! Try it for yourself!

http://funschool.kaboose.com/formula-fusion/number-fun/games/game_action_fraction.html

Mighty, Mighty Mah Jong
One of my favourite puzzle games is called Mah Jong. It's a game that dates back to ancient times in China. The game consists of tiles that are arranged in various shapes. The tiles have different pictures on them. What you have to do is find two matching tiles and take them away, and keep doing this until all the tiles are gone. The challenge is that only certain tiles can be taken away. A tile has to be free on one side, or higher than another tile in order to be taken away. Give it a try!

http://www.cbc.ca/kids/games/mahjong/

Ben & Jerry's Hallowe'en Games
In celebration of the ghosts and ghoulies that will be haunting our streets on Hallowe'en night, I have selected a Hallowe'en BOOnanaza of games from the makers of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream! It's got a bewitching assortment of games and activities for you to enjoy. My favourites are Whack-a-Ghoul (just like Whack-a-Mole) and The Mummy's Tomb, where you race against time to get through a maze before the mummies get you.

http://www.benjerry.com/fun_stuff/holidays/halloween/games/index.cfm

Hockey Showdown
Hockey fans, you'll love this little game where your team faces off against some tough opponents.

http://games.zeeks.ca/game_hockey_showdown.html?g=1683&category=9&level=0

Trivia Archer
I really like this game, because not only does it test your skill at hitting targets, it also tests your knowledge. Robin Hood would have loved it! The game is called Trivia Archer and you can find it by clicking on this link:

http://games.zeeks.ca/game_trivia_archer.html?g=1661&category=0&level=0

Frendz
This week I have chosen a game that reminds me a lot of a game I used to play when I was a kid. I knew the game as Othello, but this version is called Frendz. The object of the game is to try to have as many blue pieces on the board as you can by the time it is filled. You do this by surrounding the red guys with your piece and transforming them to blue. It's a fun game and really tests your sense of strategy.

http://games.zeeks.ca/game_frendz.html?g=1622&category=8&level=0

Sudoku
For those of you who enjoy puzzles, you'll love Sudoku. This is a number puzzle that was originally big in Japan. To play, just follow this link, read the instructions on the left of the screen, and put your logic to the test!

http://www.websudoku.com/

EcoKids
In the spirit of Earth Day, I have found some environmentally-friendly games that you can play on the amazing EcoKids web site. Just click on the address below to play games like The Great Bug Hunt, Errand Run, or I Don't Want to Clean My Room! Don't forget to check out the rest of this great Canadian site for more ideas about saving our planet!

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/browse_topics/index.cfm

Hangaroo
This sarcastic little kangaroo doesn't like it when you pick the wrong letter, so don't blow it! The game is just like hangman. Pick the right letters to guess the word or phrase.

http://www.primarygames.com/langarts/hangaroo/start.htm

Catch a 'Chaun
It's St. Paddy's Day, so celebrate the wearin' o' the green with this fun little arcade game. All you have to do is be lightning-quick with your mouse and catch that little leprechaun!

http://www.prongo.com/patty/catch/index.html

Scholastic Games
If you love Captain Underpants, Harry Potter, Deltora Quest or Goosebumps, you will love this page of games based on the book! Play Robo-Booger Roundup, or the Abby Hayes Craze. There's tons of fun to explore with Scholastic!

http://www.scholastic.com/kids/games.htm

GameGoo
This isn't actually just one game, but a whole bunch of fun games that help you learn at the same time! I really enjoyed playing Squanky The Tooth Taker Tooth Tally and Wizards and Pigs Poetry Pickle. These games even feature different levels, so our younger students can play, too! (Just click on Beginner to the right of the screen)

http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/gooey.html