Kids Bored at Home Over the Holidays? Send Them to Medical School

CHICAGO, Nov. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the calendar fills up over the next few weeks spending quality time at family gatherings, children might be inclined to spend the rest of their time off from school watching cartoons or playing video games. This holiday season parents can encourage more productive screen time with the American Osteopathic Association's (AOA) new online Mini Medical School.

The AOA's Mini Medical School, which is compatible with tablet devices, can be found at www.osteopathic.org in the About Your Health section.

Once children "enroll" in Mini Medical School, they can play a series of six interactive educational games that teach them about basic health concepts, including:

    --  Bone Health -- Match bones to the correct part of a skeleton.
    --  Medical Instruments -- Select which medical instruments are used to
        check different body parts.
    --  Hygiene and Germs -- Choose which good habits help prevent the spread of
        germs.
    --  Organs -- Drag the name of an organ into the correct sentence describing
        its function.
    --  Nutrition -- Move foods into the proper section of a plate organized by
        the five food groups.
    --  Exercise -- Highlight hidden exercises in a word search.

After completing all six parts, children can download a certificate of completion to show everyone that they are a Mini Medical School graduate.