Using technology to promote learning has been a passion of mine since I became a teacher. Children just love to be engaged and many benefit from the visual stimulation as well as the immediate feedback that some websites and programs provide. And of course, just like television, all things in moderation. The girls started using a computer around three years old and it is amazing to see how their skills have progressed over the years.Being I'm a proponent of using computers in the classroom and at home, I was happy to be given the opportunity to explore the JumpStart website. Both of the girls were very excited when they saw the variety of games and learning areas that the site had to offer.
As with other programs they've experienced, they enjoy making decisions about the character that they will be using to play. For JumpStart, they choose their own character known as a Jumpee, what he or she will be wearing, and it's name.
In StoryLand, Peanut enjoyed creating her own home as well. Storyland is appropropriate for ages 3 to 5, so some of the content wasn't as challenging for her, but we did find content that I felt was motivating and beneficial for her age. In the Learning House, her favorite activities were Present Search and the Story Reader. She enjoyed Present Search, because she could earn surprises hidden in the presents. Mom liked Present Search because it reinforces Preschool/Kindergarten direction skills: right, left, above, below. Peanut's quote after exploring the site: "Can I wake up early tomorrow before school so I have time to go on JumpStart?"
Other areas on the website are more appropriate for older children. AdventureLand is for grades K -2, as well as MarineLand. Recently, Futureland has been launched for older children ages 8 - 10. As Sunshine was playing in Futureland, she said "This is right up my alley." She enjoys learning adventures that take you on missions or where you need to solve problems. My daughter is also very musical, so I wasn't surprised that she enjoyed playing the music game, Sound Bop, in the Arcade. The object of the game is to listen to the different instruments and repeat the pattern after the instruments are played. Great for memory and listening skills
There are valuable resources on JumpStart.com for parents, such as the JumpStart Blog. It has updates for the website and creative ideas and activities.
Are you ready to try out JumpStart.com with your kiddos? Enter my giveaway to win a free 3 month membership! To enter, visit Jumpstart.com and click on About JumpStart. Explore one of the links and then come back and leave a comment. I will randomly select one winner. After contacting the winner, I will pass your email address on to JumpStart so that they can set up your 3 month account.
For extra entries:
1. Blog about the contest and link back to my blog. (2 entries)
2. Twitter or Facebook and link back. (1 entry)
3. Follow me! (1 entry)
Contest Deadline: December 14th
Good luck!!
Jen
“Disclosure: I was provided with a JumpStart membership at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.”
