Games That Make You Smarter

AnnMaria De Mars

Games we made — We do a lot of research in rural communities, American Indian reservations, small rural schools, social service programs serving people with physical and mental disabilities. We know that funding organizations want to see articles published in peer-reviewed journals (that is a whole ‘nother post), but we know also that only […]

Customized video games as effective education for tribal youth

June 25, 2017 in 7GenGames by AnnMaria De Mars

Gonzalo hard at work — You have an idea for an app. Great. Now, how do you get it into Google Play so that your legions of would-be fans can play it? Lucky for you, we have a pile of helpful hints for you. This is the first of a LONG series of posts, so […]

Getting your app into Google Play: Basic Steps

June 23, 2017 in Code Talk / Start-up Diaries / Tech Tips by AnnMaria De Mars

How many kids would love to have a dog of their very own? Yet, the world is full of reasons they can’t have one. Another family member is allergic. The landlord won’t allow it. The family moves too often. No one would be home to care for it. “Our […]

I was thinking of your child (and me) when I ...

June 23, 2017 in AnnMaria / Education: Innovation and STEM / Educational Games / Start-up Diaries by AnnMaria De Mars

Child in office — That teacher-friend of yours, Ms. Robinson, I hate her! This comment came from a very nice woman who had a child in my friend’s class, and she sounded like she meant it, too. Let’s call her Diana, because that wasn’t her name . I said, Come on, you don’t mean […]

That Parent or Teacher You Can’t Stand, Yeah, That’s Culture

June 21, 2017 in AnnMaria / Cultural content by AnnMaria De Mars

kid waving — It was a no-brainer, really. Everyone knows that kids lose ground over the summer and kids from disadvantaged homes lose the most. So, why not put our technical skills to work and DO something about it? Two years ago, concerned about the “summer slide”, we came up with this idea […]

Welcome to Camp Don’t Get Dumber Over the Summer

June 20, 2017 in 7GenGames / Start-up Diaries by AnnMaria De Mars

children in trouble — This is the latest in our series on behavior problems. You can find the previous post here and if you want to start at the beginning, go here. The previous post focused a bit more on children with disabilities, with advice about picture boards and sign language. However, many strategies […]

3 MORE STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

June 14, 2017 in AnnMaria / Educational Resources by AnnMaria De Mars

kids with cookies and cereal all over the bed — This is the latest in our series on behavior problems. You can find the previous post here and if you want to start at the beginning, go here. When children are frustrated by tasks that are too difficult Slow down: If you believe the child is acting out, for example, […]

Preventing Behavior Problems

June 13, 2017 in AnnMaria / Educational Resources / Special Education by AnnMaria De Mars

screaming child — As I mentioned in an earlier post, there are a few reasons young children may have behavior problems, and one of these is it gets them away from things they don’t want. When I taught junior high school, I had one student who was generally pretty good (I taught in […]

Behavior Problems That Get Children Away From What They Don’t ...

June 12, 2017 in AnnMaria / Educational Resources / Special Education by AnnMaria De Mars

kids playing — Yesterday, we talked about how sometimes behavior problems in young children are very logical, in that the child is getting what he or she wants. Ryan wants to have a turn playing on a trampoline, going down the slide or using other equipment. When he hits the other children or […]

Stopping Behavior Problems that Get Children What They Want

June 11, 2017 in AnnMaria / Educational Resources / Special Education by AnnMaria De Mars

boy yelling — Why is the child in this picture yelling? And, is it a problem? Is it his problem or someone else’s? He is yelling because he wants his mother to hear him over the sound of the other children playing, and his mother is several yards away. It may drive his […]

Behavior Problems that Get Children What They Want (and what ...

June 9, 2017 in Educational Resources / Parenting Like I Know What I'm Doing / Special Education by AnnMaria De Mars

child bathing — Although our site has a section, “Educational Resources”, it’s obvious, but not always acknowledged, that teachers aren’t the only educators. Always true, but particularly if you have a child with a disability, parents and siblings can be crucial in the education of their family member. Where do we start? There […]

Families and Disability: Behavior Problems of Young Children

June 8, 2017 in AnnMaria / Educational Resources / Parenting Like I Know What I'm Doing / Special Education by AnnMaria De Mars

badlands — From the 7GenGames TV channel, day 3 of our road trip takes us to Fort Berthold, North Dakota. Subscribe to our channel for regular updates. Thank you to Bruce Gillette for being my lovely assistant in game demonstrations with Twin Buttes Elementary School. You can get most of the […]

What you don’t know about North Dakota history

June 6, 2017 in AnnMaria / Cultural content / Reality Show by AnnMaria De Mars