At least there’s Nancy Drew

Ah the summertime. Kids sleep in, they hang out with their friends, and their minds turn to mush. OK, not necessarily the last part. But without the rigor and structure of school the summer can be at best a holding pattern until September rolls around. At least that’s what it feels like in our household. Alice is doing better at school, and at ‘doing school,’ but that doesn’t mean that she independently studies chemistry, algebra, advanced Spanish or reads Shakespeare in her free time.

This summer is about as others. Reminders, requests and occasional bribes to do something cognitively stimulating. This summer she is focused a bit on studying for SAT and ACT tests, so that’s something. And once the Spanish workbooks arrive, she’ll do those. Again, structure. And she’s reading. Not War and Peace, but she’s downing about a book a week from the young adult fiction section of the library. And the few required books for her IB (international baccalaureate) English and World History courses next fall.

And then this week, there’s Nancy Drew. Not the books, the software game. This must be her 12th or so game that she’s played over the last six or eight years. Actually, they’re terrific. Each game has the same format. Nancy is brought to a location where a crime has been committed. An old movie theatre, the set of a soap opera, a ranch, a maritime museum… There are 4 or 5 guests, staff or otherwise witnesses for her to talk to. And she has her standbys of George, Bess and yes, the Hardy Boys to call for clues, or help. The game involves lots and lots of puzzles to solve to get clues. It’s programmed to offer information sequentially and upon discovery of other information.

And it can be really tough to solve. Frankly I’ve never solved one of the games myself, though I haven’t given the days to try to solve it either. My playing usually has involved helping Alice, or playing for a couple hours at a stretch.

It may not be the most stimulating game, or sharpen even skill she’ll need in college or in life, but there’s a lot of problem solving, logic, and facts related to the game’s theme (some more important than others) that she learning. Of course she plays these games and we hope it motivates her to want to program or create her own mystery game. Or write a mystery novel. Or something lofty and meaningful. Well, not yet, anyway. But at nearly 16 with free time between ballet classes and hangouts with friends, there could be worse things for my kid to be addicted to.

~ by modelmom on July 16, 2009.