Wii Wish You a Merry Christmas

In the spirit of giving this holiday season, I thought I'd share a cute story about how students at a school made a difference in the lives of some of those in their community. I know, I know, Christmas is over (is it just me or does time go faster every year?!?), but I just couldn't resist. Being a former Social Studies teacher I love hearing the different ways that "responsible citizenship" (a cornerstone of the Alberta Social Studies curriculum) is promoted within schools.



This story begins with the boom of the Nintendo Wii Console that revolutionized home gaming systems in the fall of 2006. Children and adults in touch with their inner-child clamoured to get their hands on this new technology. A video game that promoted, no, required physical activity? What a shift in thinking in a society that had previously witnessed an entire generation grow up preferring to watch Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Wonderboy jump, spin and run rather than jumping, spinning and running outside. Despite critics' reviews that this was "fun for all ages", the Wii was still initially viewed as a video game system for children, teens and young-ish adults.

Enter the thoughtful minds at a charter school in Calgary. Many students had delighted in teaching their parents the user-friendly Wii games and it sparked an idea -- if their "out of touch" parents could easily operate this system, why not their grandparents? Better yet, what if students could bring the fun and enjoyment to senior citizens by playing basic Wii games with them?


And so began the feel good project of Fall 2007 -- fundraise enough money to purchase a Wii console, extra remotes and various games for a local seniors' home. The school succeeded in their efforts, and were actually able to donate 2 complete systems to a partnered seniors' home. In December 2007, students proudly delivered these consoles as Christmas presents to the residents living there. Even better, they spent the afternoon helping teach the seniors how to use the systems, how to make their "Mii" and challenging them to endless games of virtual bowling, tennis and baseball. The students, teachers and seniors had a blast playing, learning and getting a bit of exercise together, and it was so successful that many students now volunteer on a regular basis to come play Wii with their older counterparts.

What a great example of how technology, education and responsible citizenship can come together to bring joy and happiness to those young and old!