I got addicted. Well and truly did. All because I clicked on a link which a friend was touting.
It’s a vocab game which really got me hooked. There’s nothing like a good set of words to get my day started.
The smart bit is: combine a vocab game with a direct way of feeding people and you get FreeRice!
It’s a simple yet elegant concept.
For every word you get correct, you earn 20 grains of rice which will be donated through United Nations in the worldwide effort to end hunger.
While you play, two things happen: you get served a plethora of ads at the bottom of the page (which isn’t disturbing at all because I got so engrossed in guessing the right meaning of the word but these advertisers sponsor the rice) and you earn rice grains (you can see the total on the right).
So the more you play, the more words you know and get correct, the more rice grains you get to donate! Errr, you’ll also end up pretty smart. And know more words today than you did yesterday.
The vocab level rises as you get more and more words right. Some words I have not seen before. Some are easy, others are difficult. But always a good challenge especially if you consider yourself a bit of wordsmith!
It’s of course easy to cheat – get a dictionary and find the meaning of the word – but where’s the fun in that?
The real fun is challenging oneself and seeing whether one’s vocabulary is really as strong as one thinks and doing something humanitarian at the same time. Like all charities, I was keen to find out where my donated rice went. Here’s to check out where the rice goes.
Poverty and hunger are alive and real, folks but if you play this vocab game, you get to help even if you’re sitting in front of the PC.
The disclaimer on the site says that the game might make you smarter, cleverer, etc. True. I learnt so many new words today. Plus I donated 2,100 grains of rice.
Now isn’t that something wonderful?
So go play (learn) and help at www.FreeRice.com
Sounds like something you should tell all English teachers to do! Or if they are really desperate (and most of us are) – to do in class!
Hmmmmm.. since I have nothing much to handle nowadays.. thought I could be a wordsmith and at the same time doing the society some good. Would definitely try this out. I love a challenge especially when it is to challenge one of my 7 Multiple Intelligences i.e. verbal/linguistic. Ever game to word game challenges like the online version of “Wheel of Fortune”. Thanks dear for bringing forth this brilliant and creative idea of also doing charity at the same time. I’ll keep you informed as to how I score.
Hi d: Yes, brilliant idea. But the words aren’t a walk in the park you know. Quite tough words. Try it and see for yourself.
Hi Kate: You know when you land on something cool …. and I think it’s super that someone thought of this game which lets you donate and do some kind deed too. Yes, let me know how you score. You won’t get to key in your name or leave an imprint, but you can keep track of how much you score personally – jot it down somewhere or use a spreadsheet. 😉
Haha. I change the settings under ‘Options’ which gives me the total score on my pc from day to day count. As of today, I have donated 21,600 grains and still counting. The words may be difficult but due to the repetitious nature, one gets to put it down to rote memory. Not cheating la.. just the way the game was set to function. Enjoy!