Learning Geography while having Fun!!

I absolutely love board games, but Christo has no interest in board games, so I had nobody to play with... until my oldest son turned 10! He loved the game even more than me, he was even more competitive by nature than me and since he is a man, he thinks more strategic than me :-)

So the era of playing RISK began. During those years, now 7 years ago, Christo needed to fly to Johannesburg once a month for two or three days at a time.  We would plan the afternoons/evenings with much precision to get the little ones in bed as early as possible, and then, with a nice fire to keep us warm, we pulled out the board game, and had hours of fun. Obviously not without tears too, since learning to loose don’t come easy to anyone, especially for my Ten-Year-Old-Son!

I guess I didn’t arrange enough opportunities for my son and me to play this brilliant, strategic game. I certainly would if it wasn’t a game that had the potential to keep on for hours and hours!  In our growing family, with many little, inquisitive people, the board game  also had the possibility to be messed up in seconds by little hands. As soon as the fun of the first exciting months wore off, it only became an effort for me. Until it only became an item on my son’s list of things to do on vacations!

Then one year ago, CJ discovered the online equivalent of the board game RISK -  Conquer club! 

Now I want to interrupt myself.  We have never been in favour of computer games for our children and they never had play stations.  My children’s friends often played Age of the Empires, but we weren’t comfortable with the game, though CJ did ask us a few times to rethink our decision.  We wanted them to play a game in what they needed to think strategically.   We liked the idea of planning a battle, but without the religious extras and cold blooded violence. When CJ discovered Conquer Club it gave him the opportunity for strategic  planning of a battle and teamwork skills, without the violence and extra unwanted stuff. We gave him the green light! 

Little did we know how much this game would build into our son’s character and personality, as well as the bonus of educating him, without effort!

The benefits of this online game:

-Up to four free games can be played at a time; (we loved this option for a start to give CJ the opportunity to show himself faithful in not indulging in this game, neglecting his chores and schoolwork);

-Premium option, for unlimited games are available, for a small annual amount,(CJ recently received a gift premium for six months as reward for designing a map.  Since he showed himself worthy of managing his time between chores, schoolwork, extra murals and Conquer Club we approved the gift); 

-Conquer Club strengthens Teamwork, Diplomacy and Leadership Skills. (Over the past year CJ was the founder of three teams: 

The A-Team, The Scorpions and The Roman Charioteers);

-Promoting socialization  internationally as well as age borders (He even plays with a ‘grandpa’ from the USA, building a very special friendship);

-Provide Sibling fun opportunities (CJ, Heidi-Mari and Josua, periodically play team games, which strengthen their relationship as siblings and gives them hours of fun together);

-Character building is enforced through the option of rating each other after a game 

(It is CJ’s pride to keep up a high rating on his profile and showing true integrity through his game strategies);

-Opportunity to climb in ranks 

(CJ started as a new recruit, then dropped to a cook, but then gradually worked through Cadette, Private, Corporal, Sargent, Lieutenant and is currently a Captain, working hard to earn the rank of Major!);

-Conquer Club also provides the opportunity to earn medals and trophies

(CJ currently has 3 trophies and 9 medals, which he displays with pride on his Conquer Club profile for the world to see!);

-Way to be a witness for Christ in the world (CJ joined a group called the ‘Jesus Freaks’ who discuss different faith topics from time to time.  Since this is a safe place for him to be himself, he can share his mind and be a witness of God’s truths).

But the biggest surprise of playing Conquer Club is the knowledge he obtained on the geography of the world! 

We don’t have a separate geography curriculum in our home schooling program.  During our home schooling journey we looked up a few places in the World Atlas as we stumbled upon them in Science, but not nearly enough to build a common knowledge about the geography of the world.  At this stage CJ knows almost every state in every country on every continent of the world, due to all the different games he is playing on Conquer Club. 

Conquer Club currently have one hundred and eighty seven plus maps to choose from.  These maps includes world maps, 

continental maps, 

countries, 

neighbourhoods and

even famous battles.

If you are interested in Conquer Club or need advice contact CJ

What a fun way to learn, and for us, that is what home schooling is all about!  Learning skills and gather information, while living life!  

Special thanks to CJ helping me to compile this posting

With love

Linnie

This post is part of the #6th South African Carnival of Homeschool Blogs with the theme Geography Fun. To join the carnival or visit past carnivals visit the SACHS Blogs page.  We hope you enjoy browsing!