Fun4theBrain - This School Year

Quick summary of what is in this Start of the School Year message:
- new games
- old games
- a whole new world (don't you dare close your eyes haha)
 Keep reading for more details....

Ten years ago, I started creating educational games and sharing them on my website. Back then it was called Exuberant Games! Then, on March 12, 2009, I opened Fun4theBrain! After over 24 million visitors and 250 million game plays, Fun4theBrain is still here! The past 8 years have had many ups and downs and brought many drastic changes in technology. With these changes comes the need for Fun4theBrain to alter how it does things. While I would love to keep things the same, technology will not allow me to grow stagnant, and that is a good thing. So, I am off to learn new programming languages so that you will be able to play Fun4theBrain games everywhere.

Old Games - I will be converting my old games into HTML5 compliant formats as quickly as I can. I am still hoping to be able to complete a new game each month, but it may be a month and a half with an updated game in between each.

New Games - I am going to do my best to keep you informed of smaller progress so you all can be as excited about the new games as I am. I have started using a productivity program called Productive Flourishing. It is awesome and basically made for creatives who tend to have a few too many ideas running through their heads at all times. It encourages to stick with a project until there is a sharable. So, I will be attempting this now. Because of this, expect more posts and updates on the games on which I am working. I plan on sharing artwork and game ideas as I work through my normal creative process. I do hope you enjoy hearing about what goes into each of these educational games.

A Whole New World - I know how much we all love Murb; those little monsters are just so cute! With the technology changes, it will be a massive undertaking to re-do that entire town, but it will eventually get done. But, there is something new around the corner! This new world deserves a blog post all its own, so stay tuned for more information next week! (I am really excited and can't wait to share the news with you!!)

So, there you have it. This school year you can expect old math games made new, new educational games with lots of updates along the way, and a whole new world beginning! Tell your friends and enjoy Fun4theBrain!

My New York City Adventure! - By Zizi

I had the best time this past Saturday in New York City!!!   I had never been there before and every experience was just as exciting as the one before.  

To get into NYC I took the Staten Island Ferry.  The ferry was a nice way to get into the city and we went right past the Statue of Liberty.  It was amazing!  

Next, I rode an escalator for the first time.  How cool is that?  Steps that move!  

The escalator took me to the Subway.  Now that is an experience!  It took me a few minutes to figure out which train I needed, but learning new things is always fun for me!  

Now for some entertainment.  I headed over to the theatre district and caught a show.  Wicked!  Words cannot describe how amazing that was!!! I LOVED it!!!  I would love to go see it again!  

After the show I headed over to Ellen’s Stardust Diner.  It has a 50’s theme to it and all the wait staff are aspiring actors or actresses hoping to make their big break onto Broadway.  So while you wait for your food they all take turns singing.  I even got my picture taken with Brandon Ellis, my waiter.  Someday we will see his name in light. Wow, entertainment and food, what next?  

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How about Times Square?  Great idea!  So I headed out and guess who I ran into?  Cookie Monster!!!  Well I had to get a picture with him, he’s great, and I do love cookies!  

Just a little further and there I was, right in the middle of Times Square!  It was incredible!!  There was so much to take in.  Tons of people, signs, lights, smells, music, cars….what an adventure!  

This trip was truly an awesome adventure for me, and I can’t wait to do it again or even try something new. Maybe some of my monster friends have been on fun trips too. If you have, send me some pictures. I always love to hear about new adventures!

 - Zizi