“Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
It is my first time writing a blog, and although I felt very compelled to start my first blog entry as a reflection on building my blog, through numerous ‘trial and errors,’ I remembered the amazing educational game called ‘Free Rice’ and I just had to write about it.
I first learnt of Free Rice (https://beta.freerice.com/) in October of 2007 when the website officially launched. It is a multiple-choice quiz game, where every question that is answered correctly, 10 grains of rice are donated to children in areas of poverty.
I discovered that Free Rice was originally created by a father named John Breen to help his son learn new words for his SAT’s (Kelemen, 2007, para. 3). I found this new knowledge inspiring that the game was created specifically by a parent. In 2009, John Breen decided to donate the website to The United Nations World Food Programme (“Feed the World. Feed Your Mind,” n.d., para. 6).
John Breen with his eldest son.
Sourced: Screenshot from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfKA9WX3eRs
Source: PC Screenshot (WFP)
Free Rice can be used by people of all ages as there are varies levels of difficulty to choose from, however the game is focused more towards school aged children. Free Rice is dedicated to helping children gain educational value within many different subjects that can be very helpful depending on the individual needs or interest of the child. The subjects include; Global Goals, English, Geography, Humanities, Language Learning, Math and Science, with all subjects having sub-categories.
Source: Screenshot from Free Rice
With levels catered for everyone, from Easiest to Hardest.
Source: PC Screenshot
When I used to play Free Rice as a 12 year old and young teenager, the most exciting aspect was that I felt rewarded by getting answers right. It felt like ‘fun learning’ because I found it incredible that I could donate to other children that are not as fortunate as myself, simply by playing a free learning game. I would try to gain as many grains of rice as possible and imagine how many children I could be helping from all around the world. Little did I know, that because I was so focused on earning as much rice as I could, I was actually improving my education!
Source: Screenshot from PC (Free Rice)
From my own personal experience with this game, I believe that Free Rice not only helps with education, but helps moral values in children and building self-esteem with the feeling that they are doing something that is meaningful and kind.
Source: Image from Free Rice Facebook Page
Therefore, I think that if Free Rice were to be promoted in libraries, parents and children would become intrigued to play the game within the library. Free Rice also has an app that can be downloaded from both the Apple store and Google Play which can make playing the game more accessible. The app can be downloaded on the library computers, tablets, iPads and smart phones. This only required internet access and can be shared among family and friends.
Free Rice is not just used as a digital material, however can be used as a resource within school libraries, public libraries and digital archives to help promote education and incorporate fundamental values.
Source: Screenshot from Free Rice Facebook Page.
References:
Feed the World, Feed Your Mind. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.foundationguide.org/feed-world-feed-mind-freerice/
Free Rice (2018). Retrieved from https://beta.freerice.com/
Kelemen, M. (2007). Net Game Boost Vocabulary, Fights Hunger Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17307572
World Food Program USA (2019). Retrieved from https://www.wfpusa.org/get-involved/freerice/