Clever Crazes for Kids® (www.CleverCrazes.com) is an Always FREE, Always FUN, TRUSTe-certified child-safe, educational enrichment website designed to inspire and empower young scholars and athletes.

Mission

Clever Crazes for Kids® is an asset for educators, parents, and guardians to boost academics and build strong minds, core ethics, and healthy bodies for kids and their families.

Vision

Clever Crazes for Kids® (CCK) is an Always FREE, Always FUN educational enrichment website designed for students in preK-8th grades in schools, after-school programs, and homes across the country. CleverCrazes.com is a TRUSTe-certified child-safe, STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) based website available on computers and tablets that engages students in learning, building self-esteem, making healthy choices, and staying physically fit.

The CCK curriculum team followed many individual state standards/educational frameworks when developing the grade appropriate, scaffolded educational materials. Throughout the Clever Crazes website, students will be introduced to STEAM careers that will serve as motivational goals and topics for discussion.

Our educational resources were developed with the participation of a Health and Education Advisory Committee, consisting of a team of professional educators from North Carolina State University, College of Education; Northern Kentucky University, Center for Integrative Science and Mathematics; Purdue University, College of Education; University of Cincinnati, College of Education; as well as certified professional teachers from various educational institutions, after-school program leaders, medical professionals, certified personal trainers, business and arts organization leaders, and other professionals who actively help us to achieve our mission.

Through colorful, exciting, animated educational games and activities, students learn material in the sciences, humanities, mathematics, arts, and language arts. With over 50,000 facts and questions and more than 150 educational games, students learn while earning points. This model of encouragement builds students’ confidence, encourages curiosity, and instills a fundamental love of learning.

CCK and STREAM

STREAM is the educational model of problem solving through the use of multiple disciplines, including Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. Because the arts are fundamental to the development of critical thinking and problem solving, CCK created curricula in visual art, dance, and music, turning STEM into STEAM. When CCK added Reading to the curriculum, the term became STREAM. CleverCrazes.com recognizes that not all children learn the same way. By providing multiple approaches to becoming familiar with materials and concepts, students will be engaged in education and therefore, be motivated to stay in school and pursue stimulating careers. Throughout the site, students will learn about exciting careers designed to provide launch pads for inquiry and discussion. Educators may choose to have students play CleverCrazes.com as a classroom or group. This STREAM teamwork approach to educational gaming naturally brings a variety of experiences and knowledge bases to problem solving.

Learning Games and Activities

When kids enter the site, they will be introduced to interactive learning games. The CleverCrazes.com curriculum integrates our academic areas of focus that we call “worlds.” Your young scholars will learn STREAM content while exploring the exciting games and activities. The games are presented by animated characters designed to represent the diversity of the kids playing on the site and to communicate in language that resonates with them. Further, the characters will model behaviors that are essential to healthy physical, mental, and emotional development. These games tie into our academic principles and enable kids to learn, play, and earn points. According to our partner in education, University of Cincinnati College of Education, "Recent research points to the multiple benefits of learning with a game, such as the ‘educational games and challenges’ children experience when playing CleverCrazes.com. The opportunity to win points [...] for themselves and their schools provides an extramotivation and promotes social responsibility."

CCK Academic Areas of Focus – Our "Worlds"

CCK’s more than 50,000 facts and questions and more than 150 educational games, written by a curriculum team that referenced individual state standards/educational frameworks, are incorporated into our “worlds” (a kid-friendly way to say subjects): You and Your Insides; You In Outer Space; You and Our Home Planet; You and How Things Work; You the Time Traveler; You and Your Money; You and Biodiversity; You the Citizen; You the Athlete; You and the World of Art; and You the Reader, which offer kids the opportunity to satisfy their curiosity through inquiry based learning. By adding Reading and Art, we have turned STEM into STREAM.

To learn more about our worlds, click here

Math and Vocabulary Skill & Drill

CCK’s Skill & Drill is offered for both math and vocabulary. The Skill & Drill content is grade specific, and students have the opportunity to improve their ability to answer questions quickly and accurately. The math content in the younger grades begins with understanding shapes, skip-counting, counting money, and solving equations. In the older grades, the math content progresses in difficulty and number ranges, and the timer is adjusted to encourage faster problem solving. The multiple choice vocabulary content is “world” specific as well as grade specific, and it is designed to be both a review of terms and their definitions and a tool for learning new vocabulary words.

CCK and Reading

CCK’s exciting, engaging, interactive game-based learn-to-read initiative is an extraordinary skill-building learn-to-read and literacy program, where students of every age, grade, and reading level build and develop healthy foundations in reading and language arts. You the Reader is the newest of the Clever Crazes for Kids “worlds,” and it is the first to engage preschool age children. PreK-3rd graders are guided to use the learn-to-read portion of the program, while 4th-8th graders are guided to use the language arts portion of the program. However, the literacy program is entirely flexible and offers students the opportunity to read and become proficient in language arts at their own levels. Students are able to develop new literacy skills while having the option to review skills they have already learned but may need to revisit.

CCK and ESL

CCK’s exciting, engaging, interactive game-based ESL initiative is an extraordinary skill-building program, where students of every age, grade, and reading and speaking level build and develop healthy foundations in the English language. In You the Reader, the newest of the Clever Crazes “worlds,” emerging English readers and speakers will be introduced to letters and their sounds, sight words, and short stories. More accomplished English readers and speakers will explore vocabulary, parts of speech, and sentence structure.

CCK and Physical Fitness

According to famed neurosurgeon John Tew, MD, “The newest research shows that as important as exercise is for your body, it’s even more important for your brain. Twenty minutes of aerobic exercise stimulates growth of new synapses, facilitating the grasp of more complex material and adds new nerve cells, which support recent memory acquisition.” CCK encourages kids to exercise with Step it up and Kickstart Your Brain®, the physical fitness component of the website, led by our CCK certified personal trainer, Kimmie.

CCK and Healthy Lifestyles

The games and activities on CleverCrazes.com are designed to teach kids to achieve a healthy, balanced diet by eating the right foods in the right portions. We also highlight physical activity as part of a total healthy lifestyle. On the site, you will see many fun ways that kids can make healthy lifestyle choices.

CCK and Self-esteem & Bullying

Self-esteem and bullying are serious issues, and CCK aims to help kids value themselves and one another through the celebration of differences and teamwork. If kids have self-confidence and value themselves, they are far more likely to eat right and be physically active on the playground, in the neighborhood, and on the sports field. When kids have high self-esteem, they are less likely to bully and more likely to value others.

CCK and Living Green

Just as kids need to take good care of their bodies and personal health, they also need to care for the health of our planet. The earlier kids learn about the importance of protecting the environment by reducing, reusing, and recycling, the more likely they are to develop social responsibility and healthy environmental behaviors. CCK’s fun, interactive games and activities teach kids how to reduce, reuse, and recycle in their everyday lives.

CCK and Prizes

CCK knows that schools and after-school programs have suffered budget cutbacks. By awarding cash prizes to schools and after-school programs, kids are encouraged to play the games and win prizes not only for themselves, but also for something larger than themselves. This enables the winning children to:

1. Demonstrate pride in themselves and their school or after-school program
2. Learn the benefit of giving back
3. Understand the experience of contributing to something larger than themselves

For detailed prize information, click here

Privacy Policy

Clever Crazes for Kids® wants you to know that CleverCrazes.com is a secure,child-safe website certified by TRUSTe. CCK understands the need for privacy and protection for your students and invites you to review the Privacy Policy. CleverCrazes.com is secure and educational, and it was created with input from our highly esteemed Health and Education Advisory Committee, which includes health, education, and other professional experts.

Consulting Universities

Education professionals from the following universities – North Carolina State University, College of Education; Northern Kentucky University, Center for Integrative Science and Mathematics; Purdue University, College of Education; University of Cincinnati, College of Education – participated in the academic development of the Clever Crazes educational resources, ensuring that the CCK academics support and enhance state standards curricula.

To see more about our Consulting Universities, click here. 

Health and Education Advisory Committee

CCK’s educational resources were developed with the participation of an Advisory Committee consisting of a team of professional educators from North Carolina State University, College of Education; Northern Kentucky University, Center for Integrative Science and Mathematics; Purdue University, College of Education; University of Cincinnati, College of Education; as well as certified professional teachers from various educational institutions, after - school program leaders, medical professionals, certified personal trainers, business and arts organization leaders, and other professionals who actively help us to achieve our mission.

To see more about our Health and Education Advisory Committee, click here.