But then I told what she'd be doing.
Maren likes to play a game called Minecraft. It's an in-process game that people are playing as it's being designed. A freeware version is available online, or you can purchase the full version, which includes any and all updates that come down the pike, plus a full copy of the completed version when (and if) it ever IS completed.
My son purchased the full version several months ago and he and Maren have been playing it frequently since.
Basically, it's a world-building game in which you search for materials, gather materials, and build with those materials, all while trying to avoid the evil zombies that come out at night. It's graphics are pretty basic. It has a look similar to a Lego video game--all kind of chunky and blocky.
So I gave her the assignment to build a house--any kind of house she wanted--with the single exception that it had to be the kind of house you might find in the clouds.
I wish I could post a picture of it. It was pretty darn creative! Her entrance is a vertical shaft that you literally climb into the clouds through, and the building is made entirely of glass. It's really a beautiful thing! This project--and this game--were a good fit for her. She's a very spacial kid, so manipulating the game's blocks is a snap for her. In her brain it becomes 3-D and she can mentally rocket through the spaces with ease.
My son was so jealous that his little sister got to play Minecraft for school that he begged to join in too. I let him. His building was a huge gold and glass dome with a spire. It looked almost like a temple. Lovely.
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