A TOS Review: Dig-It! Games
Learning about ancient cultures has always fascinated me. I love my modern conveniences, but there is something intriguing about discovering how different people groups lived throughout history. South and Central American culture is something that I have enjoyed learning about since Connor and I studied world cultures when he was in early elementary, but never had I learned such interesting and exciting things as I did through this review.
Dig-It! Games sent us Mayan Mysteries to review. Mayan Mysteries is an online interactive learning adventure for your pc. You have the opportunity to learn about Mayan customs and history while embarking on an adventure with the characters archaeological professor Alex Quinn and his niece and nephew. There is an infamous thief, Ladrone, who is out to steal priceless Mayan artifacts, and you and the team have to figure out how to stop him. Through this game, you are introduced to fascinating history, map and memory skills, secrets behind the Mayan calendar, the Mayan math system, and so much more.
While playing this game, I was intrigued with how much a person can learn while playing simple games. There is an I Spy type game where you have to find hidden items in pictures. These items are things that the Maya would have used in everyday life. While helping a child sell items at his father's market place, you have to learn about the Mayan math system.
There is a lot of reading, but it is not a typical history book entry. Most of the reading is written in a way where you are having a conversation with someone either from the time of the Maya or someone on a dig site. Either way, it's like someone is sharing information with you about their way of life, or a discovery they have made, so it is much more interesting than a bunch of facts set before you to memorize. Conversational learning is one of my favorite ways to grasp history.
After reading these sections, you have a group of questions to answer. There are points to be earned, and an even bigger incentive - looters are out to get you if you answer incorrectly! It's pretty fun to watch your jeep pull away in success, and pretty frustrating when your are caught!
Overall, I think Mayan Mysteries is an intriguing way of learning about this time in history and this ancient people group. I have to admit, I haven't used video games for school time much in the past. Of course, we've had different spelling and vocab games on the computer over the years. And there have been many math games we've delved into. Not to mention that certain building game that my boys could spend literally hours on every single day...but this was completely different than any other site we've used in the past. Never before have I seen a video game that brings history to life - not only to life, but brings you right with it. While playing the game, your child is integrally involved in solving the mystery and saving the day - something that my boys get very excited about.
I am excited to see what other games Dig-It! Games puts out there in the future. Immersing children in this game builds within them such a varied skill set that I can't imagine any child not enjoying their school time in this setting. I plan to use Mayan Mysteries even more this school year - we haven't solved what Ladrone is after yet, so don't spoil it for me if you beat us!
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