Math Needs To Be Fun Sometimes (Product Review)

This is a sponsored post via USFamilyGuide.

Freemples received product to review, 

but shares opinions & information honestly.

I'm a little delayed in sharing my review of the web-based computer program, Splash Math, with you. If you'll remember, we first introduced you to Splash Math right before Christmas and were looking forward to giving it a try. In this instance my procrastination is to your benefit as I can now say with for certain that the game has staying power...

I should start by telling you that our kids are math lovers.  This is bizarre for my husband and I-we both struggled in math all the way through college-but, hooray, go kids that don't know math isn't supposed to be super easy!  Loving math is not a prerequisite to loving Splash Math, though.  The only requirement for that is being a kid who loves a talking hippo...what kid wouldn't think was fun?

Math lovers or not, as a parent it's hard to tell a child his screen time is over when he's pleading with you, "No, Mom, just let me do 20 more problems!"  

But Splash Math is not just a game, and this is what I love about it.  During set-up, you select your child's grade level.  It was encouraging to find the scope and sequence follows very closely with what my 2nd grader knows how to do and/or is learning.  As homeschoolers, that's been great because I can let him play knowing it's not too easy or too hard.  But if your child is in the school system, it's also a great way to look at what they're learning at school and then give them extra practice on that math topic at home.  Once logged in, you can work from the beginning and go straight through, or pick and choose which problems you want to work on.  

This short video will give you a better look at how the program actually works...

As you could see in the video, there is a game aspect with each question answered correctly earning points that can then be used to purchase animals to play with in an aquarium or the jungle.  Honestly, that's the only part of the Splash Math program that underwhelms me.  My 7- and 4-yr-old love it and race through their 20 questions to get to play with the crabs and giraffes again.  But it's pretty elementary, and I can't imagine it stays entertaining forever.  I especially can't imagine that someone using the whole program, K-5, would care much at all about that part once they were in the upper grades.  Also, our introductory session on Splash Math had a 20-question limit per day.  While I love my kids being able to do as much math as they'd like each time they play, I have to pay more attention that they aren't hurrying through their questions, playing in the jungle, and then forgetting to go back and do more problems.

Overall, we LOVE Splash Math.  I'm certainly not going to be the ones to tell my kids that they're really do school work every time they play.  You should let your kids give it a try!

Try Splash Math on the Computer

Try Splash Math in an App.  

Product provided for honest review via USFamilyGuide

Read More

Give the Gift of Adventure

Freemples will receive a complimentary product 

in conjunction with this 2-part review.

We're only a few days from Christmas and hopefully your gift-buying is winding down.  After walking through aisles and aisles of plastic toys, and standing in eternally long lines, I decided this year that it was much more memorable to give the gift of experience this year.  Museum entries, sporting tickets, movie theatre packages.  And then, in all my researching, the opportunity to give a scavenger hunt adventure came along.  BINGO!

Urban Adventure Quest combines the excitement of the Amazing Race with a three-hour city tour.  You start when you want and play at your own pace.  What a great way to explore in a city near you! 

We will review the Salt Lake City Urban Adventure Quest after the new year, but if you want to get in on the fun right away, look for a city near you today!  

Save 20%- 

Only $39.20 for a team of 2-5 people after Promotion Code: FGBLOG.

 Sign up online at www.UrbanAdventureQuest.com.

Read More

Magic Jinn...Kind of Fun, Kind of Creepy

I received this game to review for free from BzzAgent.

No other compensation, and you know I'll tell the truth about how I feel.

Post does contain affiliate links.

I'm going to tell you right off the bat that this guy is a little creepy...

...and the creepy will keep drawing you back for more.

Rather than try to explain the game to you, let me share this demonstration video with you and then give you a few pointers for playing it.

Here are a few things we have learned...

1.  Magic Jinn is a bit of a loner.

If the game is going to work, it needs to be able to hear what you are saying.  As you can see from the photo above, the flashing eyes can quickly draw a crowd.  But Magic Jinn's ears must be pretty sensitive.  When he's in a crowd, he often has to ask you to repeat what you're saying.

2.  Magic Jinn has a sense of humor.

When Magic Jinn is successful in guessing your animal, he can actually be kind of rude and snooty about being right and better than you.  And then every once in awhile he decides to play a trick by purposely guessing the wrong animal and just as you begin your victory dance he stops you in your tracks by letting you know he's no fool-he was tricking you and knew your animal all along.  My kids don't appreciate it at all, but every single time it catches us off guard and makes the adults laugh long and hard.

3.  Magic Jinn can be stumped.

How did he know that?!?

Something I love about this game is that it gives you the chance to go back and fix your mistakes.  There are bound to be errors, especially when you're playing with kids and a wrong answer could completely throw off Magic Jinn's guessing. Usually when that happens,he will try another round or two to figure out what animal you're thinking of.

He does pretty well at guessing.  Some examples he had no problem with are kiwi bird, peacock, pig, dolphin, and pony (he LOVES to guess pony)  BUT, I guarantee you he does not know buffalo.  He knows cow and calf, muskox, and bison.  But not buffalo.  He'll ask if it lives on the Savannah, in the forest, on a farm, in water, or the desert.  But a buffalo is native to the North American prairie and Magic Jinn has obviously never been there.  It has become a challenge in our house to get Magic Jinn to guess the buffalo and we are 100% unsuccessful in doing that so far.

4.  You won't be able to put it away.

There are some glitches in this game that sometimes make it annoying to play. The noise issue I mentioned above, of course, but also other little annoyances.  For example, occasionally he decides he's guessed correctly and brags that he's won even though he hasn't.  Also, I have a niece who Magic Jinn can not understand at all.

The testament to this game really comes in the fact that we've had it now for 3 weeks and it's still getting played with.  The kids still love to see his flashing eyes and hear him talk to them. He's small enough for them to hold in their hands and they usually do while they play.  And even though some of us feel like it's become a sick obsession, the adults also can't stay away.  Every time I turn around someone in the house is starting him up again.  And honestly, the challenge of seeing if he will get it right this time is just as addicting as trying to stump him.

Interested in Trying Magic Jinn?

Retailers are beginning to run out, but I've seen a few still available on Amazon.

Read More