Problem Solving Games

One or two year groups have completed their ICT assignments for the term and have been tackling some problem solving activities. Surprisingly, a good source of this type of activity is Miniclip, the legendary games site! We have been concentrating on two games in particular; the Red Bugs Puzzle and the Magic Pen, both of which are extremely stimulating and require a good deal of spatial awareness to complete. Well done to Mrs Bull who has completed the Magic Pen... my attempts were not quite so good.

You can follow the links below to have a go yourself.

Red Bugs Puzzle Clear the path for the red bug to reach the end of each level.

Play this free game now!!

Whilst it is true that some of the games on Miniclip may not be particularly educational, there are some fascinating problem-solving activities which require a good deal of predicting, planning and all round problem-solving skills.

Magic Pen Collect the flags with the red ball to complete each level.

Play this free game now!!

We've also been experimenting with the excellent simulation Armadillo Run. This science based game is another taxing piece of software designed to help students think creatively to solve problems whilst paying attention to the laws of physics.

What do youhave to do? According to the web site...

You have to build structures with the purpose of getting an armadillo to a certain point in space. There is a selection of building materials, each with different properties, which can be combined to form almost anything. The realistic physics simulation gives you the freedom to solve each level in many different ways.

First impressions of this simulation are very favourable and we'll be looking to include it in our curriculum somewhere next year.

You can visit the Armadillo Run web site and download the limited version of the game for free by clicking here.