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 and Giveaway: Senario’s My Secret Circle
Raising children- especially girls- in this technologically advanced world can be extremely nerve-wrecking. We’ve all seen the Lifetime movies where young girls on the Internet are lured into dangerous situations by predators looking to take advantage of their innocence. After all, sites like MySpace and Facebook are not supposed to be used by anyone under the age of 13, and if a child under that age has a profile there, it is done illegally by lying about his/her ages, and with great risk.
So, how do we give our young girls the freedom to use the Internet and interact in a digital world but provide them with the safety need to ensure that they do not become victims of an virtually uncontrolled environment?
The answer is My Secret Circle (MSC), a very secure social-networking site that is invisible to the online world for girls ages 8- 12. The actual community is stored on a USB-drive called a key and it is password protected so that no one other than the owner can have access to the information stored within. The password cannot be retrieved for any reason at all (although I really wish has a MSC Key, she can connect with her friends (who also need a MSC Key) through blogging, chatting, games, and with photos in a 100% secure environment. In fact, each friend will need a special key that is automatically generated and can only be used once to connect on the system. This eliminates would-be predators from gaining access to your child and any information that is stored in the system. And the best thing is that all you have to do is plug it in to get started.
While the safety is the obvious appeal for parents, children will love the… Continue reading
Product Review: Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets
I am one of the 200 people selected to become a Purex Insider. Insiders are given the opportunity to try out new products and provide feedback. I was recently given the chance to try Purex’s latest laundry product, Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets, prior to its release in stores.
I have talked about my issues with laundry before and my never-ending struggle to get it under control, but in case you missed it let me reiterate: I hate doing laundry. It never seems to end and I never have enough time to complete it all. But some of the things that I hate most about doing laundry is having to measure the laundry detergent and fabric softener. In addition, having to wait until the rinse cycle to add fabric softener makes life too difficult and I never add any at all. I do use dryer sheets, but I don’t always remember to do that and when I don’t, the static build-up is unbearable.
Enter Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets the product that has made laundry a more enjoyable experience for my husband and me. Imagine no more measuring (except for the bleach but maybe they will make one that contains that too) detergents or fabric softeners. not more racing to add things to the rinse cycle. And no more forgetting to add the dryer sheet. Everything that you need is right there in the sheet its self: laundry detergent, fabric softener, and anti-static.
So how does it work? VERY EASILY! You simply add the sheet to the wash, run the cycle, and them move the entire load- sheet included- to the dryer. No hassle! I have a washing machine in my home now, but for years I had to use the Laundromat. This… Continue reading
Product Review: Ready 2 Rumble
I am a Gamer Mom.
That being so, when I get the opportunity to review a video game of pretty much any kind, I jump at the chance. Most recently I was asked to try Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution
I have always loved boxing video games. I was a huge fan of Mike Tyson’s Punchout and eventually graduated to the Ready 2 Rumble games on Playstation 2 and Fight Night for XBox.
But this game is different. This game is unlike any boxing game that I have every played.
Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution is boxing Wii style. The fast paced, hard-hitting, martial arts induced matches are enough to keep you occupied for hours while allowing you to get out any of the frustrations you may have with the real world. The high intensity of the game is made even more fun with the celebrity-based cartoon characters. I was hoping that I would get the chance to knock out Beyoncé, but no such luck.
I loved the Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution
See it in action: