Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Scholar
Original Poster
#1 Old 30th Apr 2015 at 12:04 PM Last edited by ChickieTeeta : 9th May 2015 at 9:11 PM. Reason: added link to random.org
Default School Challenge
I wrote this a while ago for (and with) my little girl who wanted more involvement with her kids.
I was never confident about uploading it, since I've never written a challenge before, and much as my little girl wanted to see it posted I kept finding reasons to postpone posting it. I saw earlier that Zerbu has made a mod for get to work style active school days, so it's now or never I guess before this just looks like a blatant poor man's rip-off of that lol.

It's been partially tested, (by which I mean I got sidetracked by real life and never got the kids far enough through the challenge to see them age up, it is workable as far as I've tested it though) not all the events have been tried as there's quite a lot of them. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see added to this, events, goals or otherwise.
Also, let me know if there's something that could work better in any area than what I have here...


To start:
Create 8 sims. 1 YA & 7 kids or teens. (whether it's an all girls, all boys or mixed school is up to you)
Aspirations and traits should be randomly chosen, since it would be overly easy if you made them all the same aspiration and easy again if you made their traits fit their aspiration.
Move them in to an empty lot (one big enough to encompass a boarding school and its grounds. Either build your school or place a downloaded one, whichever you prefer.) I used the 50x50 park lot since the surrounding area with fishing etc can be got to without a load screen, I treat that whole area like it's part of the school grounds. I'm happy to put my school building up for download if anyone wants it. Although with Zerbus' new mod on the horizon, I imagine there'll soon be a variety of schools around.
We started with 70000 = This assumes starting funds and tuition fees and boarding for the kids.
There is no fail, the challenge is for fun so if you really need to you can cheat for money (don't cheat for it if you don't absolutely have to though) or not it's up to you how hard you want to make it. Keep in mind that the challenge was never fully tested so I don't know if the starting funds are adequate or not, another reason that I'm considering cheating acceptable for this.

Classes:
Classes should be focused around skill points and aspirations, so you can make use of anything that helps you get those even if it doesn't fit in with the ideas of a standard education. If you want to do a chess class for the relevant skill points, go ahead.
All children should be directed to the required activity at the same time, if they cancel out autonomously at any point, you are not allowed to return them to the activity, this helps ensure a better grade structure and should help rule out favoritism or accidentally spending too long directing one child and so directly affecting the grades of another child negatively.
Some ideas for classes
Painting/drawing
Writing (teens)
Music
Cooking (teens)
Mixology (teens)
Photography (gtw) (teens)
Computing
Chemistry Table (kids)
Gym/PE (monkey bars etc)
Fishing
Gardening
Herbing (OR)
Geology
woodworking/craft+design (teens)

I've probably missed some things, let me know if there's anything that can be added to the list.

Events:
There's an app here to let you roll a random number, http://www.random.org/

1 Disco

2 Local Camping: tents etc travel in the morning, arrive, spend night, stay till 5pm next day then travel back. (Ideally in a walk to area in or around the school grounds so the travel feels more like a hike rather than just going through a loading screen, but it's ultimately up to you how you want to play it)

3 Residential Trip (granite falls if you have it, if not camp in a park or stay in a suitable community lot for a few days)

4 Exam (take note of skill levels , 1-2 = D/3-4 = C/5-6 = B/7-8 = A/9-10 is A* or A+) gain funding per child based on grades. You can either do a standard kaching or set your own funding level, based on your bills.

5 Nature Walk (ideally built in to school grounds) gather plants frogs etc fish, have a picnic anything you feel counts.

6 Cherry Blossom Fair: the big dance. crown a cherry blossom king and/or queen. you can base the crowned child/children based on your own criteria, best grades, most popular, teachers favorite, your favorite, randomly chosen etc

7 Dress Down day: if you're using a school uniform kids get to dress down for a day, if not make it a themed dress up day instead. Since this idea is normally to raise money for charity or for the school you can decide which you're doing and lose (charity) or gain (school funding) 1000 simoleans (kaching)

8 Open Day: invite people on the friends list over, have a buffet laid out etc.

9 Adopt a Friend Day: get a penpal/write to a penpal.

10 Sports Day: since there's not much that counts yet, you can build obstacle courses or race tracks, or set up a list of tasks first one finished wins. Wins what? you decide. It can't be cash though, unless your school is struggling, and then you can make your school sports day a sponsored event with cash prizes from the sponsors *cough*

11 Swimming Gala: line them all up by the pool click swim here, first one finished wins, or put them all in the pool, set a time like 1 sim hour leave them to swim around autonomously whichever child is closest to the opposite end of the pool is classed the winner (if a child leaves the pool you can't direct them back in, they become disqualified unless they autonomously return to the pool before the time is up.)

12 Fashion Show: Items must be randomly selected from all categories that allow random selection, you can choose something to match from the categories that don't have random selection if you want. One re-roll per section, and you can use undo if the original item was preferred). Might be good for levelling photography for teens and the teachers as well for those that have gtw.

13 Museum Trip

14 Gallery Trip

15 Ground Pass: free to leave the school grounds on saturday and go in to town either altogether, or with a friend/group of friends/ meet someone on their friends list. Go where you want, do what you want. You don't have to send all the kids, you can pick one or 2 and play just them for this event. They can stay out overnight to fit any stories you might want to play for their day out but they must return to school by dinner time on the Sunday
16 Raffle: select an item from buy mode or cas, assign each kid a number, winner gets the item.

17 World Book Day: Dress each child up as a character in a book (books based on movies and tv programs count, so things like disney characters are ok) buy each child a new book. direct them to read it, if cancelled out you can't direct them back. Give a reward to the kids that complete their book, nothing fancy though. Have the teacher read the class a book as well.

18 Treasure Hunt: set a time and have the children dig, whoever finds the most treasure wins. Or have one child dig each day (to account for respawns), while the rest do what they want, same goal most treasure found wins (you'll most likely have to leave the school grounds for this to find enough dig sites, the child is allowed to get sidetracked if they need to fulfill a need, or you see something or someone beneficial to your story.

19 Gaming Convention: play game tournaments on the computer, chess tournaments or anything other type you can think of. Award prizes or perks if you want to.

20 Treat Day (cupcakes, pizza, watch tv etc)

21 Recital: set up a stage with violins and pianos have the kids play them all at the same time.

22 Build a stage wall it in, place a single door and fullwall windows, dress the kids up, decorate the background according to a chosen theme or room, put the kids on the stage and remove the door. The kids have 3hours (?) to perform their play (screenshot/photography op and use your imagination) social skill building. Photography op as well for gtw.

23 Photo day: leave the children to autonomy, at 10 am find the first child and take a photo then the second and so on till the 7th. When the individual photos are done, arrange 4 barstools in a line. 4 chairs in front of the barstools, direct the children to sit, stand the teacher to the side, try to get a nice orderly picture of 7 well behaved kids with their teacher.

24 Clean up duty: The children will learn self discipline by tidying up the school.

25 Farm Trip: build or download a farm lot and have the kids go visit it. You can harvest etc while there. If you don't want to go to the effort (because I know, it depends on your mood sometimes) choose another lot you already have and take them all there instead, or just re-roll the event if you can't think of anything.

26 Fishing Trip: either use a buyable pond on the school ground somewhere or find a spot to go fishing on.

27 Frog Gathering: like it says send the kids off to gather frogs, which you can display in the science lab or nature class (or both)

28 Pyjama walk: take the kids on a walk through the neighborhood in their pyjamas, since this type of thing is normally done as a charity event or for school funds you can kaching at the end of it.

29 Chess tournament. lasts a week, have 2 children play chess, the next day the winner of the first match plays the 3rd child, the winner of the 2nd match plays the 4th child etc

These haven't all been game tested, let me know if something doesn't work, or if you had to make modifications to an event to make it playable or more fun.
Also if there's any event idea you'd like to see added let me know. You will of course get your name as a credit alongside your addition.

Teacher Rules
Dinner time: 1 party sized meal or 2 group meals. Must be prepared at a reasonable time every night by the teacher (except where an event doesn't allow for it or require it)
Must be in classroom during lessons (can work on own corresponding skills, like they're demonstrating to the class)
The teacher is responsible for tidying up unless one of the events states otherwise. You don't have to stop kids if they do it autonomously though.
Repairs are up to you if the teacher/teens do it or if you just buy a replacement item.
Must go along on all school trips except the weekend pass in the events.
Kaching once a week (?). Rest of money comes from kids and own products which you're allowed to sell.
If you have GTW, max photography skill, which should be fairly simple given there's a lot of photo opportunities in a school, display school photos throughout the school.


School = Mon - Thurs. 4 lessons per day (either roll for the timetable or do it according to whims and aspirations assuming you can be fair to each child and the teacher) to keep balance for social aspiration, you can take the children on a field trip as a class for anything that requires meeting new sims, or for anything that can't be done within the boundaries of the school. (Keep in mind that if you place the school on the park area, you have the surrounding community bit you can use as the school grounds that won't encounter a load screen to get to and from).
Friday = 2 lessons rest of the day is to be spent working on aspirations.
Weekends are for events and anything else you want to do, catch up on, feel needs done.

Children must be awake by 8am at the latest regardless of needs.
Children must be in bed by Midnight at the latest. (Mine don't seem to sleep for long, not sure if it's dependent on the type of bed you have, if your kids are constantly tired when they wake or are waking too early you can set your own times accordingly)
All children must be directed to the same class and set to work, if they leave autonomously you are not allowed to guide them back. Leave them to their own devices till the next class starts.

Break any enforced autonomy for fires......if you want to.

Goals:
Goal 1 is the original one the rest are optional and can be used as a different way to play it or continue it if you wish:

Goal 1 = complete each child's or teens (depending on who your school is for) aspirations and see them all move to the next age group. Complete the teacher's aspiration.

Goal 2 = start with kids and have all kids grow to teens then all teens grow in to young adults

Goal 3 = as goal 2 but move them out in to the neighborhood to begin there adult lives, you can pick how you play with them after that.

Goal 4 = each of the graduates must have a child to send to the school, when you have 7 kids put them in the school and start again with them (you'll most likely have to switch aging off to keep them all kid age till you're ready to start)

Goal 5 = as goal 1 or 2 and when they age to young adults start a college with them and focus on skill points and aspirations, you can move someone out to marry someone to an outsider and bring them in instead, or you can move the newly wed out and bring in a townie to fill the gap. Or you can have each one graduate and move in to the neighborhood when they max 3 skills (or if using photography that maxes at 5 then 2 skills at lvl 10 + photography + 1 skill to lvl 5) and move other sims in to replace the ones that are leaving.

Goal 6 = as goal 1 or 2, move out all except one of the new young adults and use them as the next teacher, enrol 7 kids from the neighborhood (whether they're game generated or ones you've placed yourself is up to you).

Goal 7 = Build it up: Start off on any lot (empty or housed is up to you) You have to take your school from a local community venture to a boarding school everyone would be proud to send their kids to. You have to start this goal with the game's default starting funds.

Roll for the events on the Monday morning, or the Sunday night so you can plan for it if you need to.

Let me know if the cash flow is too easy or too hard to work with. Your score is whatever amount of cash you have left at the end.

No School Mod by Azoresman http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=548957
I understand not everyone likes to use mods, the no school mod is ideal with this, and I have no idea how the challenge would work if you used the default school system since I never played it that way. You could always make like the game's school is the classes, and follow the events and rules aside from that and modify it where you need to.

If you use a mod to stop kids being sent out to school, you'll need to use a cheat to get through some of the aspirations that require you to do things like complete homework twice while focused, or go to school while energized etc.
For the homework it can be done once with the homework that gets initially dropped in to the inventory, but it needs handed in to the school to be reset.
I've tried things like buying it from the bookcase but it can't be done.
So for the milestones these un-doable parts appear in, do all the do-able criteria then do a self set goal for the undoable part before you "cheat" your way through to the next milestone.
The cheat to move on to the next part is: aspirations.complete_current_milestone

I'd love to see other people's screenshots of schools, kids, classes and events etc and my daughter would be absolutely thrilled to see them.
Advertisement
Scholar
Original Poster
#2 Old 2nd May 2015 at 10:54 AM
Does anyone know if it's ok to upload the school building in this thread? If not I can make it public on the gallery if anyone wants it.

Lower level has a pool, 2 gyms, lockers, home ec, toilets

Middle level has computing, art, mixology, music, woodwork, dining hall a couple of chess tables and a microscope, there's still a little bit of space to add other things.

Upper level has the dormitory, teachers bedroom, a study room (which I may have built in after I'd saved the lot) bathrooms, and a large space in the center for adding things that you'd need, or want, to add for events, to avoid having to alter a classroom only to have to put the stuff back later.

Some pics, (more in the attachments section.)




Lab Assistant
#3 Old 2nd May 2015 at 2:43 PM
this sounds like fun, Gonna try it as soon as I finish the private hospital challenge.
Test Subject
#4 Old 2nd May 2015 at 5:26 PM
can you post the school on the gallery please? thanks
Scholar
Original Poster
#5 Old 3rd May 2015 at 1:33 AM
Thank you mama_tex. I hope you enjoy it, and let me know if there's anything you'd like to add to it, or change

@tigerwolfgirl I made the school public, my origin id is ChickieTeeta, it's called the Aurora School for Girls.

I forgot to add bookcases, kind of. I use plasticbox's books mod, so the books on the desks function as bookcases. If you don't use this mod you might want to add some bookcases. It didn't occur to me till later.

Lockers outside the gym are Kiwisim's Wall of Lockers mod, (they function as a wardrobe) Since it's an override, the game will still place the deco version of these if you aren't using the mod.
Lab Assistant
#6 Old 3rd May 2015 at 3:04 PM
I went ahead and started even though I not done with my other challenge yet.
Screenshots
Test Subject
#7 Old 3rd May 2015 at 3:12 PM
I just started! Will post pictures soon!
Scholar
Original Poster
#8 Old 4th May 2015 at 8:45 AM
@mama-tex Your school building looks lovely, and the uniform is great. I like that you used the school colors in all the accents. It looks really calming.

@rosypoy14 Can't wait to see your pics
Lab Assistant
#9 Old 4th May 2015 at 2:07 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ChickieTeeta
@mama-tex Your school building looks lovely, and the uniform is great. I like that you used the school colors in all the accents. It looks really calming.

@rosypoy14 Can't wait to see your pics


thanks, This challenge is very Challenging. My teacher has gone to class twice in her pJs because she was so tired and everybody is hungry all the time. I started making party sized breakfasts and putting them in the fridge so the kids could munch between classes. It seems to help.
Scholar
Original Poster
#10 Old 4th May 2015 at 7:46 PM
Quote: Originally posted by mama_tex
thanks, This challenge is very Challenging. My teacher has gone to class twice in her pJs because she was so tired and everybody is hungry all the time. I started making party sized breakfasts and putting them in the fridge so the kids could munch between classes. It seems to help.


I start the day with the kids having cereal, and they munch on chips during the day unless there's anything pre-cooked in the fridge.
The only times I've struggled to keep them happy was on one of the field trips, a couple of the kids peed themselves (no toilets) and they were all in the red for energy by the time they went home. It was a disaster lol.
My teacher is always wandering around in her swimsuit since I added the pool.
Do you want me to add breakfasts and/or lunch to the teacher's list? I'm not entirely thrilled with the amount of chips my kids have been eating.
Test Subject
#11 Old 9th May 2015 at 12:10 AM
What are the events what about school are they a weekend thing or something(sorry if u answer didn't finish reading yet)
Test Subject
#12 Old 9th May 2015 at 1:20 AM
This may be cheating but I'm gonna build with max money
Scholar
Original Poster
#13 Old 9th May 2015 at 8:47 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Simcrafter
What are the events what about school are they a weekend thing or something(sorry if u answer didn't finish reading yet)


it's really up to you for the ones that don't specify a time. World Book Day, pyjama walks, school plays, school photos etc are done during school hours in real life.
There are specific ones like the weekend pass.
Just however they make sense to you or fit in to your school schedule is fine.
it's meant to be a boarding school so leaving them till the weekend is also fine if you're looking for something to do at the weekends with the kids as well.

(sorry for the random non-capped letters, my keyboard is beginning to die)
Scholar
Original Poster
#14 Old 9th May 2015 at 9:03 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Simcrafter
This may be cheating but I'm gonna build with max money


i built my school first before allocating the starting funds as well. it's up to the player to decide how challenging they want it to be.
i actually started with 50,000 when i was ready to begin, i changed it to 70,000 when i wrote it up here as it made more sense with 7 kids paying tuition fees.
i'll add an alternative goal for building up a rundown school using available funding, which could be fun as well.
Scholar
Original Poster
#15 Old 9th May 2015 at 9:14 PM
Added a 7th goal, and also a note at the bottom of the main post about how to move on to the next part of an aspiration if it includes things like doing homework twice (which isn't possible if you have the no schools mod in).
Test Subject
#16 Old 10th May 2015 at 11:57 AM
I helped make this, its really fun i will upload pictures of mine soon!
Lab Assistant
#17 Old 10th May 2015 at 2:45 PM
Quote: Originally posted by pixsay
I helped make this, its really fun i will upload pictures of mine soon!


I would love to see your pictures. I took some more
Here is my gym in the basement . I have a pool down there also, and my Botany class in the greenhouse on the roof. I have added stuff for the kids to do when they become teens, because I plan on playing them till adulthood
Screenshots
Test Subject
#18 Old 10th May 2015 at 7:53 PM
I'm totally going to do this challenge! Right now I'm making the school and then I'll post some pictures.
Test Subject
#19 Old 15th May 2015 at 12:59 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ChickieTeeta
it's really up to you for the ones that don't specify a time. World Book Day, pyjama walks, school plays, school photos etc are done during school hours in real life.
There are specific ones like the weekend pass.
Just however they make sense to you or fit in to your school schedule is fine.
it's meant to be a boarding school so leaving them till the weekend is also fine if you're looking for something to do at the weekends with the kids as well.

(sorry for the random non-capped letters, my keyboard is beginning to die)


Thank you this is a really fun challenge and I hate when my keyboard dies
Test Subject
#20 Old 26th May 2015 at 4:40 PM
Im going to start this challenge when I get home... I'm currently on holiday and, of course, I didn't pack my whole PC into my luggage bag: just took my iPad. Lawl. And YAAAAY for No School mod!

P.S: Is the no school mod going to affect all the households?
Scholar
Original Poster
#21 Old 27th May 2015 at 8:15 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Charlottka123
Im going to start this challenge when I get home... I'm currently on holiday and, of course, I didn't pack my whole PC into my luggage bag: just took my iPad. Lawl. And YAAAAY for No School mod!

P.S: Is the no school mod going to affect all the households?


It does, and also Zerbu's Go To School mod. I install it for this challenge and uninstall it for almost everything else.
My brother takes his whole computer with him, I'm always surprised it still works. He just throws the case into a sports bag or a rucksack and off he goes. It's been accidentally kicked on buses and trains on numerous occasions and still runs perfectly. One of his computers got run over by a bus, that one doesn't work so well of course =P
I hope you have a great time on your holiday
Test Subject
#22 Old 28th May 2015 at 12:07 AM
Haha! That would be called 'computer impossible' :D
And with the No School mod I can just make them have 1-2 hours of reading time or smthing when I'm not playing the challenge household. Makes sense?
Thanks
Test Subject
#23 Old 28th May 2015 at 6:06 PM
Just started on making the sims! I'll post pics when I'm finished, but I take a long time to make my sims so... yeah
Ps I love how detailed all your descriptions are
Test Subject
#24 Old 28th May 2015 at 7:11 PM
Here is a link to it: http://imgur.com/ooX0tDL
I took less time on this one because I used the default names and clothes except for teacher and uniform (everyday wear)
Test Subject
#25 Old 6th Jun 2015 at 3:35 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ChickieTeeta
I'd love to see other people's screenshots of schools, kids, classes and events etc and my daughter would be absolutely thrilled to see them.


I actually started this challenge, and am loving it! I only have one screenshot at the moment; but I actually have a youtube channel and posted a video on it. Here's the link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnladTG7lsM

I do hope you'll check it out
Page 1 of 2
Back to top