Begun in 1994, an evolving goal of The Learning Arcade program is to create  unique, safe, affordable and fun activity centers in schools where computer and play equipment are often left unused after  the traditional school day has ended and where there is a demand for child care.  The most popular variation of this program is to surround children with information and activities related to selected topics and educational goals. 

At The Learning Arcade, it has been consistently observed that children choose to work cooperatively on educational activities in multi-aged groups on projects that interest them. In this environment, children are free to explore a variety of educational games and creative activities.  Behavior problems are extremely rare.  Children that are sometimes labeled as "difficult" are attracted to the program and tend to enjoy the opportunity to build their self-esteem in this challenging, choice-filled learning environment.  Many children, including non english-speaking students and those with special needs, make new friends by discovering their common interests through collaborative work of their choosing.   Based on their interest in certain programs and activities, children naturally blend themselves into diverse groups of different ages, sexes and ethnicities.  

According to   Dr. David Elkind, Tufts University Professor of Child Study and author of numerous highly regarded publications on stress and children, The Learning Arcade is good for kids.  Children need time, space and choice to learn and practice social skills. Experts in the field of  violence prevention agree that this relaxed, recreational and computer-enhanced learning environment naturally promotes cooperative  learning and empowering play.  

The Learning Arcade activities are useful for redirecting  aggressive play .  To learn more,  read an interesting article by Valerie Ramos-Ford  on the subject.  After getting a Masters Degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ms. Ramos-Ford was involved in research for a book edited by Howard Gardner called Building on Children's Strengths : the Experience of Project Spectrum and two other volumes of  Project Zero Frameworks for Early  Childhood Education .  Ms. Ramos-Ford and other educators have observed The Learning Arcade to be an engaging, collaborative and enriching learning environment that is useful for building on children's individual strengths and for developing  their social skills.

Sue Albert, founder and president of The Learning Arcade also teaches basic juggling and Power Stick twirling where space is appropriate. She has applied what she's  learned about redirecting  aggressive play to the use of computing as well as to the teaching of juggling and twirling.     The sense of control and accomplishment that accompanies learning to juggle and twirl is similar to the sense of empowerment that comes from beating levels on educational games and creating  nice looking computer-enhanced projects.   Some popular computer design projects include greeting cards,  buttons, posters, banners, stickers, metal crafts, iron on t-shirts, and puppets.

Visit the Monarch and Milkweed Butterfly Ecology Project to see how we used technology to track migration and to help feed butterflies.

For more information contact Sue Albert at learningarcade@gmail.com