Build a City
RSSGail Junion-Metz
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/#/lb/metoo/buildacity
On hot summer afternoons, young kids often prefer to stay inside, and online, keeping cool. It's at times like these that they may get antsy for something new to explore. Many older kids and teens love to play computer games like SimCity, which, unfortunately, is not ideal for young kids. It's also too expensive for many libraries to purchase. That's why "Build a City" is so cool. It's designed for both young and older kids, and it's free!
"Build a City" is a simplified version of a city-simulation game, but it incorporates some of the features that make the software-based games so addicting and so much fun. The audio will provide young kids new to the game with descriptions of each item they can add to their city. Some pronunciations (and even the words themselves, like "petrol station" instead of "gas station") may be different, but this just makes the game more interesting (especially if kids like the British terms and phrases found in the Harry Potter books). For inspiration, kids can view cities built by other kids by clicking on the "Gallery" icon. Once they construct their city they can either print a copy of it or send it to the "Me Too" gallery for others to view. (BTW--the picture above is of a city I built!)
