One grain of rice...

Filed in archive Inspiration on October 21, 2009

© bavatuesdays


Continuing in our weekly online charity hat-tip, I'd like to tell you about Free Rice. Free Rice is a fascinating little website where you can help stop hunger while also playing games. Not just regular games, but educational ones.

Free Rice has a very different approach, it solicits an action instead of relying on donations. As soon as you enter the site there is a small word game at the top of the page. It tells you a word and gives you four answers to pick from. If you get the correct answer your bowl fills with ten grains of rice. If you get the wrong answer, it tells you the right one and gives you a new question. The question you got wrong will show up again in a few tries, giving you a chance to learn the correct answer. All the while, your little bowl fills up with rice. Once you've answered ten questions (100 grains), you start a new bowl.

My first question, after spending time on the site, playing the surprisingly addictive word game, was where does the money come from? All the rice is paid for by sponsors and advertisers on the site. The program is in support of the United Nations World Food Program and partners with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

The games of course are meant to help you learn while you give back, so there are varied levels of difficulty, as well as different subjects you can choose from. The game learns as you go, adjusting difficulty levels so you can get the most out of the subject you picked while still giving plenty of rice.

Of course, if you're not into word games, you can also download Free Rice's new search bar. Its a plug-in for Firefox or Internet Explorer that will help you earn rice just by searching for terms in your browser. I find the search isn't particularly effective, but after 5 of them it sends rice to children and is therefore worth it.

What are your experiences with Free Rice or the new toolbar?