Choosing quality online educational games and activities is very important to me. I want to make sure that my children are playing games that are entertaining as well as educational and that is why I jumped at the opportunity to review Knowledge Adventure's JumpStart.com.
The Jump Start website is a virtual world full of what seems to be an infinite amount of games, activities, and adventures geared at children ages 3 through 5th grade. From the main page you enter the main
There are three "lands," each containing a different theme, different activities and learning modules. StoryLand is aimed at 3-5 year olds, AdventureLand and MarineLand, is designed for kids in kindergarten to second grade and FutureLand fits children in 3rd to 5th grade . There is also an Enchanted Sanctuary, where kids can hatch and raise their own dragons!
Eph was really excited to play JumpStart and absolutely would not allow me to help him or give him any directions the first few times he played. Since this is not a virtual world and I do not have it set up for him to interact with real people, I allowed him his freedom to explore.
Each game/activity has a spoken clear set of directions. I really like that you have to listen to the directions completely before you can start an activity. With Eph's ADHD, listening to and following directions is very difficult. The directions are clear and easy to follow. Occasionally he would have to ask me something to clarify but most of the times those were computer related questions as to if he needs to use the mouse or the keyboard.
One thing that is still very perplexing to Eph is that he needs to "earn" stars in order to gain access to or do some of the activities. Because he is impulsive and has ADHD, he often will spend his stars unwisely (or unknowingly) and then be frustrated that he can't do something. I have tried (unsuccessfully) to explain to him that he needs to save his stars and he needs to play games that are on his level so that he earns more stars. Fortunately, there are so many opportunities to earn stars that it doesn't take him long to rack a few more up.
I love this video because it shows him intently focused on completing the activity. This level of focus is hard to come by sometimes.
On one of the days that we were exploring JumpStart together I had Eph go into Storyland. StoryLand was much to easy for him, but it allowed him some time to really learn how control his character in the different worlds. It also let him earn some easy stars. I love that StoryLand uses only the mouse, which is easier for him to navigate as a lefty.
Eph's favorite game is the MathBlaster, even though the activities were a little too difficult for him. This is one that we can do together and I can call out the equation and the answer.
Overall, we are really enjoying all that JumpStart has to offer in their online game. I am very impressed with the creativity, activities and learning experiences that Eph gets each time that he logs into the program. There seems to be a never ending amount of activities and Knowledge Adventure does a great job of keeping the game fresh and new, like for February they have had a whole Valentine's Day theme running throughout the main section. I would completely recommend JumpStart for anyone looking for quality online educational games.
You can learn more about JumpStart.com or become a member today. Membership starts at $7.99 per month and allows you complete access to all JumpStart.com, Mathblaster.com and includes 4 Downloadable games. Each membership allows for up to 6 registered users. Parents will also want to make sure that they read the JumpStart blog for up to date information, learning tips and more.
JumpStart is giving one Sunshine Praises reader a FREE 3 month subscription to JumpStart.com for your little ones to enjoy.
Mandatory Entry: Visit the JumpStart.com website and tell me something else you learned about their company!
Extra Entries:
Giveaway ends March 18, 2011 at 11:59 EST. The winners will be chosen by Random.org and notified by email. Winners have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected. No purchase necessary. Open only to the US.
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.
