JumpStart Your Child’s Interest in Learning
As a homeschooling mom, I am often looking for educational aids that my daughter will find interesting and will give her me the opportunity to track her progress. I was recently given the opportunity to review JumpStart Virtual World, an online and CD-based 3-D gaming world children ages 3-10, created by Knowledge Adventurewho is known for the award winning JumpStart and Master Blaster series of educational games.
There are currently two worlds which provide different games and activities in reading, writing, critical skills, math, and art. StoryLand, for preschoolers offers children the opportunity to designs their own homes, read-along with stories and play games like Concentration (which encourages memory), sorting items based on letters, shapes, and colors, arranging items based on size, and completing various puzzles.
While JumpStart has been in beta since December 2008, there are many additions to it’s world. Adventure Land, for children ages 5-8, includes a number of new games in which “kids are invited to explore a mysterious lost island off the coast of JumpStart.” On the island, children will have to survives missions and explore a number of mysterious discoveries using a combinations of speed, logic, and problem-solving to outsmart the villains determined to thwart their attempts at success. And there is so much more to the world. There are arcade games, music and videos, fun slides, space games and more.
So what do I think of the game? It’s amazing. The online worlds and the the cd-based games offer numerous opportunities for parents to engage their children in learning. It is proof the learning does not have to be tedious and stressful. My only complaint is that my daughter, 3, has a difficult time using the mouse to play the games on her… Continue reading
Product Review: Music Lessons from Trebellina
Trebellina is a wonderful CD that introduces and teaches children ages 1-4 music. Unlike many CD’s it is not simply singing and bright colors- it has purpose and focus. From the start, my daughter was mesmerized. She sang along with the notes and she danced as hard as she could. Thanks to the “continuous play” option on the DVD menu, I was able to put it on multiple times to soothe her “more music” cries.
Trebellina and her friends Rock Bassey, Rest, Rhythmo and the Notes teach musical theory and concepts in a way that keeps children engaged and interested. The animation is filled with bright colors and is not too elaborate that it takes away from what is being said.
My daughter has always liked music, a preference that she inherits from me. I play piano by ear and while I also read music, I have always believed that learning the notes is the most difficult part of learning the piano. However, Trebellina tries to teach the notes of the treble cliff as well as attempting to teach pitch. Each note sings its name and my daughter sings in reply. for her, Trebellina is a fun way to sing and make noise 
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In addition, the instrumental interludes includes the use of different instruments which are all introduced to the viewer. From maracas to bongos, Trebellina is packed with a nice range of instruments, sounds, and rhythms.
Here is my daughter dancing along to the music and playing her imaginary instruments that Trebellina introduced to her.
Homeschooling: a continued discussion
I was recently interviewed by NYC Education Examiner Lorri Giovinco-Harte regarding my experiences being Homeschooled and how those experiences shaped my views of teaching. Read the interview here.
I am not going to say much here because I really want you to read the interview, however, there are some additional points that I would like to make.
Firstly, I believe that any parent who can make the time to homeschool can do so successfully if he/she is also willing to seek out information. There is so much information that we as taxpayers do not know, but homeschools do not have to be expensive. In fact, if you pay PS taxes, you may be able to take advantage of a lot of educational resources offered by your district.
Secondly, I do not believe that all people who enter the teaching field are good teachers. However, I do believe that so many good teachers don’t reach their full potential because they are overwhelmed and under-supported. If the teachers feel this way, then how must the students? It’s a dangerous situation that could be controlled if the focus of Public Education were actually to educate.
And finally, while I believe Homeschooling is amazing, I do think that it is important for children to be given exposure to traditional academia if possible. I have known a few people who were homeschooled straight through HS and had problems adjusting to college- sitting in class and finding their places in a traditional classroom setting. This is not to say that a child can be homeschooled and go straight to college with no problem. Just know that every child is different and some do better than others.
With that said, go read the article!
Product Review: the Library in Your Pocket
As parents we know how important reading is to a child’s brain development. Reading to a child everyday for just 20 minutes can help your child develop a love of books and increase his/her vocaulary skills. While I believe that is important that children be surrounded by books so that they can get used to touching them, turning the pages, and even the smell of them, I cannot deny that in this digital age, computers and video appeal to visual learners. While I often fight the lure of the electronics, I do admit that there are ways to use technology to help educate our children.
MobiStories, virtual books for children, allows parents to purchase “narrated digital children’s books with illustrations and music.” The stories on the site are arranged according to age groups and range in difficulty. There are board books that teach about the different seasons, and storybooks about dinosaurs and bears. And, you can download the books in almost any format to be played on iPhones, Computers, or even DVD. In addition, you can also download just the audio version to burn on CD or add to your iPod for long trips in the car or on planes. The prices are reasonable and the stories are fun.
So go to MobiStories and look around. The company, together withMomSelect, is offering my readers $15.00 worth of free books. Be sure to enter the following code BSM107A.