Make It Count with Money Games at MortgageCalculator.org

Remember my nephew Morgan who loves music, Math, and Super Mario? Well, he's now five years old and is officially enrolled in preschool. He's been attending in-person classes  since the start of the year (one hour session, three times a week), and so far, he finds school fun and interesting. He's also made a lot of new friends, being the congenial little boy that he is.

Currently, he's on a week-long "health break" (sort of a semestral break, only shorter), like most preschool and grade school kids here in the Philippines. No homework or modules for now, but he's making productive use of his time by playing board games, singing karaoke, and swimming at the pool. When he's given screen time, he either plays Super Mario on his Nintendo Switch or goes through all the different video games at the Mortgage Calculator website.

My bubbly five-year old nephew, Morgan.

I chanced upon the Mortgage Calculator website while doing some research on real estate and home loans. As the name implies, the website has online calculators that can help you compute monthly home loan payments using different loan terms, loan amounts, and interest rates. They also have savings calculators, refinance calculators, and even home affordability calculators which can give you an estimate of how much you can afford to borrow for your new home. All these came in very handy for my research, but it was the money games that made me stay longer on this website - long enough for Morgan to see what I was doing on my computer and try the games for himself. 

Here are some of Morgan's favorite games on Mortgage Calculator.

Cash Back.

Select the number of bills and coins and give the change.

Cash Back is a basic arithmetic game where players use bills and coins to give the customers their correct change. It's a fun way to introduce money to kids, and teach them how to calculate using the different denominations. 

Supermarket Numbers.

Click the appropriate blocks to get the number on the upper left.

Another arithmetic game is Supermarket Numbers. The game starts with addition blocks, where you have to select two numbers to add up to the numerical goal shown on the top left. As the game advances, more blocks are added with functions like subtraction, multiplication, and division. 

Tap Supermarket.

Click on the customers at the counter and the empty shelves that need to be refilled.

On the other hand, Tap Supermarket is a grocery store simulation game where you oversee the store operations from manning the till, refilling the shelves, and managing the stocks. You earn money by checking out the customers in the payment counter, which you can then use to purchase new display racks and expand your store inventory. As the game progresses and you gain more experience, you can unlock the second checkout counter and a third grocery stocker.

Pizza Cafe.

Serve the customers immediately before the hearts run out.

Another simulation game is Pizza Cafe where you need to serve customers with the pizza that they ordered. There are different pizza variants which require different ingredients, and you need to assemble, cook, and send them to the conveyor belt until it reaches the customer. There is a time limit, so you need to make the pizza as quickly as possible before the customer walks out. You can also use the phone at the bottom right to order ingredients once they've ran out.

Hidden Food.

Click on the object as soon as you spot them.

Finally, there's Hidden Food, a simple search game where you have to find food items or kitchen appliances hidden among a cornucopia of fruits, vegetables, and other things related to food and cooking. The game starts easy, but as you advance to the different levels, it gets a tad more difficult as you need to find more items while the board becomes more densely packed. Surprisingly, Morgan managed to get to Level 10 with a bit of help from me. 

Enjoying some screen time on the iPad.

There are dozens upon dozens of fun games at the Mortgage Calculator website, and every single one of them is free to play. No sign-ups needed, no downloads required. Everything is browser-based so all you need to do is simply go to the website and click on the game that you would like to play. The site is ad-free, so you don't have to worry about annoying pop-ups or irrelevant ads showing up on screen. 

Yue will be having his "health break" next week, and from the looks of it, he'll be spending most of his break playing these money games as well. 

Math Games and more at Calculators.org

If we're friends on Facebook or if you're following me on Instagram, then you're probably familiar with or have seen photos of my nephew, Morgan. Everyone in the family believes that this little boy is some kind of genius because of his abilities that are well above average for his age. 

Morgan showed great interest in music before he even turned one. Then he learned how to read when he was a little over two years old. Shortly after, he could easily sing songs in our videoke because he knew how to read the lyrics. At three years old, he can do basic arithmetic operations such as addition and subtraction. Now that he's four, he can easily do mental math up to four digits.

That being said, I've recently discovered a website that's up to Morgan's alley. It's called Calculators.org, and this website is a cornucopia of fun and educational games for kids. They have a wide selection of Math games which suits kids of all ages. From simple counting and sequencing games, to basic arithmetic, to mind-boggling Sudoku, this website has it all!

Some of Morgan's favorites include Math Bee and Feed Math. In Math Bee, you can choose among the four basic operations and answer simple problems. Morgan easily breezed through the problems, especially with the addition part.

Math Bee.

Feed Math, on the other hand, focuses solely on addition. Here, you have to feed the boy with numbered sushi dishes. The two numbers must add up to the number on the boy's shirt. Time is replenished after each round, and the numbers get larger as you progress with the game.

Feed Math.

Calculators.org also has a great selection of puzzle games, and Morgan truly enjoyed playing with them. This kid has a penchant for jigsaw puzzles, and he sure was thrilled to see that he can play with puzzles "even on a computer".

Kids Puzzle.

The other puzzle games are a tad more difficult, such as Cartoon Puzzle and Jigsaw Deluxe. Here, you can choose the number of puzzle pieces, up to as many as 100. We stuck with the simpler puzzles because hey, we're doing this for fun, after all.

The 100-piece Cartoon Puzzle.

Aside from puzzles and Math games, Calculators.org also has a wide array of board games. Most of these are reminiscent of the classic board games from our childhood, and it was nice introducing them to Morgan. He had so much fun playing Snakes and Ladders with Yue, whom he refers to as his "best buddy number four". (His parents are one and two, and his sister Maggie is best buddy number three, haha!)

Snakes and Ladders.

Yue was excited to see the Chess among the board games, but since he can't play this with Morgan just yet, he decided to play against the computer. In a few years' time, maybe the two boys can go to head to head in an actual chess game.

Master Chess.

If you have kids who are into Math, puzzles, board games, or even word games, I strongly suggest that you introduce them to Calculators.org. Not only will they have hours of fun with their plethora of games, they'll also learn a lot from them, too. These games are absolutely free, and you don't have to sign-up just to play. You also need not download anything as the games can be played directly from your browser. The site is ad-free, so you don't have to worry about annoying pop-ups in the middle of your game.

Morgan (and Yue) had a blast with these free educational games at Calculators.org, and I'm sure your kids will, too.

Food and Fun at CulinarySchools.Org!

After the crazy week that was (aka exam week), Yue and I finally get to enjoy some free time as his school finally declared this week to be "Academic Ease" week - no synchronous classes in the morning, and no offline activities or school projects. That means not having to set my alarm at 6 in the morning, plus plenty of time for me to catch up on my writing backlog and watch my favorite Korean variety shows and Kdramas.

For Yue, this will be a week of no studying and just pure gaming fun, haha! With a new gaming console and an upgraded computer processor, this kid is bound to enjoy his "Academic Ease" week to the fullest. He's even discovered a new website with a huge collection of online games, and that's what keeping him busy right now.

Culinaryschools.org.

We chanced upon Culinaryschools.org while searching for a temperature and weight conversion chart for his Science class, and as it turns out, this website offers more than just conversion charts and health calculators. Culinaryschools.org is also a comprehensive source of information of all things related to culinary arts - from the types of chefs, to different degrees and majors, to schools where you can get top-class culinary training... this website has it all!

For the kids, Culinaryschools.org has an extensive collection of online games related to food and cooking, because well, we gotta start 'em young! I'm sure even adults will find (some of) the games fun and entertaining, because I did! Here are some of the games that both Yue and I enjoyed:

Tap Supermarket.

Tap Supermarket is an isometric game where the player manages a grocery store by manning the till and checking out customers, restocking products, and expanding the line of goods sold. You can unlock new sections of the supermarket as you earn more money and get more stars.

Sushi Matching.

Sushi Matching, as the name suggests, is a matching game where you connect three or more of the same type of sushi in a row. There are 25 levels in this game, and for each level, there are specific sushi matches that you need to make within a time limit. The faster you finish, the more likely you'll earn three stars for that level.

Victor and Valentino Mission to Monte Cabre.

There's also Victor and Valentino Mission to Monte Cabre (yes, the same Victor and Valentino from the Cartoon Network series), where you explore and complete missions in Monte Cabre and the Underworld. You go through obstacle courses, answer quiz questions, smash pinatas, and try to find as many hidden talismans as you go along.

We Bare Bears Shush Ninjas.

Another Cartoon Network game that we truly enjoyed is the We Bare Bears Shush Ninjas, because yeah, I'm a sucker for anything We Bare Bears. Inspired by the Shush Ninjas episode from the first season of this well-loved animated series, you simply tap on the loud eaters and drinkers, and those using or talking on their phones to shush them and keep them from making too much noise inside the cinema. 

3D Dalgona Candy.

Finally, there's the 3D Dalgona Candy, a punch-out game inspired by no less than the critically-acclaimed Netflix series, Squid Game. The rule of the game might seem like a no-brainer as you simply have to cut out the carved symbols in the candy, but playing the game was actually quite challenging. It took me five tries before I could finish the first level, and that was a simple square! Thank goodness this game is not as violent as the series, haha!

Younger kids will have even more fun with Culinaryschools.org as the website has more games that are suitable for preschoolers and grade schoolers. These games are not only entertaining, they also help kids learn more about food, healthy eating, the importance of exercise, and even numbers and counting. It's a great way to spend "Academic Ease" week, don't you think? 

Cards, Tiles, Words | Fun Games at Solitaire.Org.

It's been a little over a month since the academic year started, and just like last year, we're still in online distance learning mode. And now that my son's school works and projects keep pouring in, day after day after day, this household has become a tad busier, noisier, and well, crazier than the usual. 

Surprisingly, amidst the busy-ness of guiding Yue with his projects and school activities, doing household chores, and beating writing deadlines, I still find the time to watch Korean dramas and play online games. Not exactly the hardcore games like Valorant, Sekiro, or Devil May Cry, but more like casual games to help me unwind, de-stress, or just keep my mind off of things. I've recently discovered Solitaire.org, and this website has become my go-to whenever I need to take a quick break from writing, ease my anxiety, or simply chill out after a long and busy day.

Solitaire.org.

Solitaire.org, simply put, is a cornucopia of free online games. The site has an extensive collection of card games - from the classic Klondike solitaire to more challenging ones like Russian solitaire, Spider solitaire, and Taj Mahal. I really don't get the hang of the other versions of solitaire, so I usually stick with the classic Klondike whenever I feel like playing cards. 

Klondike solitaire - classic never goes out of style.

Aside from card games, Solitaire.org also has an interesting collection of mahjong tile games, including Cooking Mahjong where you 'cook' dishes by matching recipe ingredients. I'm a greenhorn when it comes to mahjong, but this game has really got me hooked!

Cooking Mahjong.

But wait, the fun doesn't end with just card games and tile games! Solitaire.org also has a selection of hidden objects games to stimulate your brain, improve your visual perception, and boost your awareness to details. I easily breezed through all ten levels of the Garden Secrets Hidden Objects, but Hidden Kitchen drove me to my wits' end because the objects were way too small, haha! I had to ask Yue for help in finding some of the hidden items, and eventually we both gave up after the fourth stage, lol.

Garden Secrets Hidden Objects.

Hidden Kitchen.

Of all the games in this website, it's with the word games that I had the most fun. The geek in me loves stuff like these, and I totally enjoy the Daily Word Search and Letter Scramble every single time. 

Daily Word Search.

Daily Word Search, as the name implies, is a puzzle where you search for words. There's a new puzzle everyday, and you can choose between 12x12, 14x14, or 16x16 puzzle sizes.

Letter Scramble.

Letter Scramble, on the other hand, is a Scrabble-styled game where you spell as many words as you can before the time runs out. If I were to pick my most favorite game in the website, this is it because I'm a Scrabble nerd ever since I learned how to spell and write. Even my son loves this game because he's a Scrabble champion himself, haha!

Another thing to love about this website is that you don't have to download or sign-up for anything to play. All the games are browser-based so you simply visit the website, choose from their wide variety of games, and play. The site is ad-free too, so you don't have to worry about annoying pop-ups that might appear in the middle of your game. 

If you're into card games, tile games, or word games, then you'll definitely have a blast with the games at Solitaire.org. I bet your kids will love this website, too!

Get Your Game On with Plays.Org

We're now entering the third week of my son's school break, and as expected, he's spending most of his time playing video games. I really don't mind if he plays video games for hours, after all, he's now on vacation and he deserves this break after finishing seventh grade with flying colors. Besides, with the pandemic and all, and the strict quarantine guidelines here in the Philippines, kids can't go anywhere and are required to stay at home all the time. Playing video games is their way of coping with the pandemic, and connecting with friends (think Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox) whom they haven't seen face to face for a long while.

Aside from the usual games on Playstation, Yue also plays games on his smartphone and on his desktop. (Yes, video games everywhere, on all platforms, haha!) Just recently, he discovered plays.org - a treasure trove of fun and free browser-based online games. The site immediately caught his eye not only because of the graphics, but also because of the plethora of games to choose from.

Well someone's having fun on plays.org! (Excuse the faded keyboard letters, lol)

Plays.org currently has over 150 games in their catalog, with one or two new games being added everyday. You can see some of the more popular game titles on the site's homepage, and you can check out the different game categories when you scroll down towards the site's footer. The site has pretty much everything - from classic arcade games to simulation games, puzzles and pattern games, even logic and word search games that can help sharpen the brain and improve your memory. What's even great about this site is that you don't have to download or sign-up anything. You simply play the games on your browser. There are no annoying ads or pops-up, too, which can be very annoying and bothersome when you're in the middle of a game.

Archery Stickman.

Some of the games that Yue found really fun and interesting are Super Knight Adventure and the Archery Stickman Game. The latter, as the name implies, is a basic game with stickman figures. You simply need to shoot the other stickman with arrows before he shoots you.

Super Knight Adventure.

Meanwhile, Super Knight Adventure is a beat-em-up game where you battle against zombies and collect coins and gems while you're at it. The objective of the game is to defeat the zombie and obtain the key to the treasure chest. You move on to the next level once you open the treasure chest. Yue enjoyed this game so much that he was able to finish all ten levels in fifteen minutes (maybe less). 

I played some of the games myself, and the geek that I am naturally gravitated towards the word games and the puzzle games. I love the Waffle Word Finder Game because it is reminiscent of my all-time favorite word game Boggle. 

Waffle Word Finder.

Find the Hidden Pug, on the other hand, is a cute and simple game inspired by Where's Waldo, where you need to find the pug hidden in a sea of dogs. There's a time limit, of course, so you have to find the pug as fast as you can.

Find the Hidden Pug.

I had a lot of fun browsing through the collection of games, and my son seems to have made it a goal to try each and every one of them, haha! Yue's playing time can go on for hours, but as long as he's done with his household chores (he's now in charge of watering the plants and vacuuming the house), and he doesn't skip meals or lose sleep over video games, then I'm cool with it. Being cooped up at home for more than a year now can definitely take toll on our kids, and these video games can help them get through the isolation and madness of this COVID-19 pandemic. 

7 Best Playstation 4 Games for Kids.

For the longest time, I had been against my husband's idea of buying a gaming console for our son. 'I don't want gaming to affect his studies' and 'we don't need another addictive gadget at home' were my usual reasons for refusal. Yue didn't seem to mind that I wasn't buying his Dad's idea, until he discovered all these 'cool games' (as he puts it) through videos on YouTube. That includes Fortnite, the insanely popular action survival game played by his favorite YouTuber, DanTDM, and most of his friends at school.

Since then, he became hell-bent on having a console, even coaxing his grandmums (my Mum and my aunt) to buy him one - lol. My Mum, who has great negotiation skills, struck a bargain with Yue - if he maintains his 'high honor' status by the end of the school year, she'll buy him a console. Yue did just that and more - he even won first place in Reading Comprehension and got two bronze medals in his first national karate tournament. And with that, Yue finally got what he wanted and what he deserved - his very own Playstation 4.

All smiles! He finally got his reward from Grandma. :)

So what comes next after finally owning a game console? Choosing video games appropriate for my son's age. The games that came with the PS4 Hits Bundle are all rated M (Mature 17+), so it's imperative that I buy new games suitable for my 10-year-old. Although majority of the PS4 titles are geared towards adults, there's also a great deal of kid-friendly games playable on Sony's console. Here are some of them:

Minecraft.
Recommended for age 7+

Minecraft 
One of the most popular games to date, Minecraft is a virtual sandbox that gets your creative juices flowing. The gameplay in Minecraft is whatever the player wants it to be - a world trying to rebuild after a zombie apocalypse, or a kingdom inspired by your favorite bedtime story. Players customize their worlds and the creatures in it and how they choose to interact. There are infinite possibilities, and your only limitation is your imagination.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.
Recommended for age 7+

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
This game brings back a lot of childhood memories - after all, Crash Bandicoot was one of the first few games that my sibs and I enjoyed playing on our Playstation 1. Now, our favorite marsupial is back with a remake of his first three adventures - Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot Warped. These classic games from the 90s have been 'modernized' with colorful graphics, streamlined animation, and updated gameplay, but you'll still be hit with a wave of nostalgia as you go through the tricky levels. More often than not, you'll be asking yourself, "How did I go through this when I was a kid?"

Lego Worlds.
Recommended for age 7+.

LEGO Worlds

Like Minecraft, LEGO Worlds allows players to build constructions in a 3D procedurally generated world. Players can create anything and everything one brick at a time, or use large-scale landscaping tools to create vast mountain ranges or tropical islands. It's like building Lego creations without the fear of stepping on actual Lego bricks.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes.
Recommended for age 10+.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes features an original story where players take control of Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Wolverine and many other Marvel characters as they unite to stop Loki and a myriad of other Marvel villains from assembling a super-weapon capable of destroying the world. With the entire Marvel universe contained in this Lego-fueled action adventure game, this game guarantees hours of fun for both kids and kids at heart.

Overcooked 2.
Recommended for age 7+.

Overcooked 2

If your kid has a knack for cooking, then Overcooked 2 is the perfect game for your chef-in-the-making. Like the original Gourmet Edition (aka Overcooked 1), this second course is a fun and family-friendly co-op game that requires you to serve as many dishes as you can under time pressure. With new ingredients added and new recipes to choose from, Overcooked 2 guarantees twice the fun and the challenge as the first installment.

Just Dance 2019.
Recommended for all ages.

Just Dance 2019

Work up a sweat and groove to the beat with the latest release of the 'ultimate party game'. Just Dance 2019 comes with 40 hot tracks - from chart-topping hits to family favorites, and even K-pop songs such as Blackpink's 'Ddu-du-ddu-du' and Big Bang's 'Bang Bang Bang'. Players get a more personalized gaming/dancing experience with the latest addition to the Just Dance franchise, as the game learns your dancing habits and suggests songs that you might like. You don't even have to buy a PS Move to play this game - all you need is your smartphone and the Just Dance Controller app and you're good to go!

Hasbro Family Fun Pack.
Recommended for all ages.

Hasbro Family Fun Pack

Family time, fun, laughter, and learning are some of the reasons why board games are important. With the Hasbro Family Fun Pack, classic board games such as Scrabble and Monopoly become more exciting with the 3D experience, and more interactive with new game modes and online PVP options. It's a great way to fire up your competitive streak, get your neurons working, and bond with your family.

You might be wondering why I didn't include Fortnite in this list. In case you're not familiar with it, Fortnite is an online third-person shooter game in which 100 players parachute onto an island, and the last player alive wins. You need to kill the other players to survive, though there isn't much blood and gore in the animation, and the violence is 'cartoon-like'. The game is actually recommended for ages 13 and up so technically, it's not age-appropriate for my son. I only let him play it under my supervision, just to be sure that he doesn't come across weird strangers online.

Fortnite: Endgame, available for a limited time only.

Do your kids play Fortnite, too? What video games do you and your kids play?