Brain Chase
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this website.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Brain Chase is a reading, math, and typing skill-based website that challenges kids to use their knowledge to uncover and solve a mystery. Camp starting prices have ranged from $75-$99, with electives (ex. foreign language classes) for an additional fee. Kids will need to commit to the site's six-week challenge -- which involves about five hours of online work per week and some at-home activities -- but they can generally work at their own pace. The website and the activities frequently reward kids for their effort and their completion of tasks, which is a good motivation to keep working through each task. There aren't any ads on the website, but the cost to use the activities is a bit steep, which could deter some kids and families. Though kids can't email each other or otherwise meet strangers on the site, they can interact with social media on the Brain Chase site, which could expose them to strangers.
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What’s It About?
BRAIN CHASE pairs weekly reading, math, and typing challenges with an ongoing quest: Kids watch young animated adventurers as they travel across the globe, looking for treasure. Kids also receive several treasure-hunting tools in the mail to help with challenges. Teachers provide customized feedback to journal entries that kids submit; kids can customize the level and type of reading and math items they work on. Math exercises are tied to the Khan Academy education site, and kids choose reading selections from MyON.
Is It Any Good?
Created by two parents who were looking for a way to help their kids continue learning during summer, BRAIN CHASE is a clever, creative -- and, most importantly, fun -- six-week program, starting June 20, 2016 that provides both virtual and real-world payoffs. Kids will undertake weekly math and reading challenges, based on a difficulty level they feel is appropriate, and submit journal entries that teachers provide personalized feedback on. They'll also watch high-quality, engaging videos that feature a team of animated adventurers hunting for treasure -- which contain hidden clues about where an actual treasure is buried.
Kids can submit one guess every 24 hours; the one who submits the right location will be flown to it to dig up the treasure, which includes a key to a safety deposit box containing a $10,000 scholarship. With its prize money, focus on educational skills, and physical activity objects, Brain Chase could just be the solution to combating summer brain drain for students.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about solving mysteries, which encourages you to be perceptive and use critical-thinking skills and logic. Ask your child to identify signs that something has just happened in a room -- for example, in the kitchen, how you can tell someone recently cooked breakfast?
Many of the site's exercises let you try again until you get the correct answer. Does your child get frustrated after the first try? Talk about the importance of persevering and how it can help you learn new things.
Kids can click on a world map to guess the treasure’s location. How is it like and different from life in the U.S.? What are the economy, local culture, and attractions like?
Website Details
- Subjects: Language & Reading: reading, writing, Math: addition, fractions, geometry, subtraction
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: investigation, logic, strategy, thinking critically, Self-Direction: academic development, achieving goals, personal growth
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: Adventures, Numbers and Letters, Science and Nature
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Last updated: April 12, 2017
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