On-Line Edutainment

Note: This week’s post is from our sister site, CrazyKidsChicago.com, from Larry and features reviews of several Edutainment web sites. 

These sites teach your kids reading and math by trying to make it fun. This seems to be a major trend as competing sites are consistently cropping up with the realization that kids are getting so familiar with computers so early. Our four year old is already pretty navigational with a web browser as he browses for Transformer toys, plays Spider-man games, and practices his numbers, words, and letters. In this Blog, we review Voyager, SmartyCard, and KidzClix. Each of these sites has their own take on how to educate our kids, provide rewards, and help them find fun in learning.

KidzClix.

KidzClix is a startup out of Evanston, Illinois. Began by an educational psychologist out of National Louis University, this site leverages a magazine paradigm. Each month, the site comes out with new “issues.” These issues provide new content to the site. KidzClix is $6.95/month with discounts for multiple month pre-pays. There is a thirty day trial to allow you and your kids to give it a test run.

KidzClix has an enormous amount of content divided into sections including: Science Time (Chemistry), Build It (Physics), Into The Future (green topics, technology trends), Imagine This (crack codes, play detective), Math Mania, Chess Club, Poof (learn about magic), Games and Puzzles, Artz Studio (sculpture, painting), Surprise (something different every time), Kidz Kitchen (learn to cook), and How It Works (explanations of biological and mechanical functions). Within each of these sections are 8-10 choices of content to view and experience.

KidzClix has a really interesting combination of on-line learning, digital activities, and off-line experiments. I played a balancing game, learned about invisible ink, and the ice cream section taught me how to make ice cream with ingredients and utensils in the kitchen. The site also comes with social media aspects where kids can ask questions, share artwork and projects, and create a home page.

The only complaint you’ll have about KidzClix is where to start and how to find the right content because there are so many things to try and it is a little clunky to move around. The “issue” paradigm works for the site so you can constantly try new things. If you use the free trial, be aware that the guest login has a different link (see your confirmation email) than the regular login on the home page.

Review KidzClix.

SmartyCard. SmartyCard’s slogan is Learn Stuff/Earn Stuff and it pretty much says it all. SmartyCard’s approach is to award points to kids who try their activities and take their tests. Parent’s then buy SmartyCards which allow them to trade points for virtual (logins and points on other sites like Zookazoo) and physical gifts (like light sabers, an Incredibles DVD, Wii Games, or board games).

SmartyCard really focuses on 3rd grade and up though they have plans to move downstream later in the year. You specify in your profile the child’s grade and then the site will test them on age appropriate material. Like KidzClix, the site reinforces school learning and isn’t to be used to learn from scratch. To choose an activity, you can pick between Easy, Medium, and Hard in categories like vocabulary (antonyms and synonyms), reading comprehension, multiplication, ecosystem/ecology, science, fractions, and many others. Each activity is very flash card oriented and points are awarded based on difficulty and how many questions you get right (at least 70%).Parents can review their kids’ scores, site usage (categories played), time spent on site, and what they have redeemed. Redeeming rewards is easy for kids to do on their own. The site will only allow them to pick what has been purchased by their parents. As a new site, SmartyCard can be a little pokey at times, but overall SmartyCard provides an excellent opportunity for kids to set goals for themselves, learn, and achieve those goals.

Review SmartyCard.

Voyager. Voyager has been providing on-line learning programs for school districts and schools for several years. This year they have announced an initiative to sell directly to parents. They are offering their Ticket to Read and Vmath set of learning activities for $29.95.

Ticket to Read leverages your child’s grade and proposes age appropriate learning activities. Kindergarten was the lowest setting, so that is what I played with my four year old. Ticket to Read provided great graphical displays of letters and fun ways to test your kids knowledge. The game we played had a teacher explaining a small and large “A” and how an A is pronounced. The site then showed an apple tree with letters on the apples and asked him to pick the Apples with an A. We did a similar exercise with soccer balls that flew into a goal when you picked the balls with an “S”.

Vmath starts at the third grade level and is extraordinarily extensive. It is not available directly for parents yet, but you can try the free trial or petition your school to get it in the classroom. You have a choice to “Prepare” for live games or play live games. Preparation teaches about 10 different categories of math lessons like whole numbers, fractions, borrowing, and carrying. The activities provide kids with instruction and activities to test what they have learned. But the real activity is the Vmath Live games. The games allow you to choose a level of difficulty and then compete against other students across the world in different types of flash card games (addition, multiplication, combination). At about 10:00 at night, there were over 4,000 people on the site and I played adding games against a girl in Australia (I started to feel bad and threw the game at the end).Vmath is extremely elaborate. Because of their school district history, I felt that they did not consider the network bandwidth at a residence because some of the intensive graphics in the reading section were a little bit slow. Voyager is a time-tested learning tool and the Vmath live was an extremely unique experience.

Review Voyager.

Larry

Dad Says: How can computers not be a great way for your kid to learn? Using the computer at home, my kid has been able to feel comfortable with the computers at school. I would recommend trying all of these sites to see which one fits your style and let young and old kids reinforce their studies at school.

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Noodle Noggin’ ‘N Bean

We had heard quite a bit about Noodle Noggin’ ‘N Bean (NNNB) and finally brought our son there this past weekend. The place is fantastic! The creators of NNNB really understand how children like to play and the importance of it, especially the interaction between kids and their parents.

NNNB dubs itself as an “EDU-tainment parent-child experience for children ages one through six,” and is located in Northborough, MA. Featuring 5,000 square feet of open play and learning space split into 12 themed rooms, NNNB will keep your kid(s) entertained for hours. The entry fee is $9.99 per child and $2.99 per adult, and is good for the entire day so you can come and go (after all that play everyone needs some food!).

What really struck us about NNNB was the variety and quality of activities for the kids and parents to participate in, and unlike traditional playplaces, NNNB encourages parents and caregivers to participate right alongside their kids. We won’t attempt to detail each of the twelve themed rooms that make up NNNB, but will tell you about some of the highlights from our visit.

Old Town Square is where we entered and were immediately struck by the large wooden vehicles that you could climb aboard to start your adventure – one is a train and the other is a fire truck. This room is covered in murals, giving it a nice warm feel. Kid-friendly music is playing throughout the entire facility. Some noteworthy tunes we heard were kid versions of
Chumbawamba’s ‘Tubthumping’ and House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around;’ the the songs were sung by kids and the lyrics were changed a bit to remove anything inappropriate (‘Whiskey Drink’ became ‘Soda Drink’).

Off of this room are several other themed rooms including Bean’s Bricks & Blocks, Inc., Mona Lisa’s Art Studio, Pirate’s Cove, Dr. Bone’s Body Shop, and Noggin’s Knock Knock Nook. Each room features unique activities for your kids to try out. Bean’s Bricks & Blocks is full of different building systems—Duplos, Quartros and Lincoln Logs—allowing your kid to perfect his craftsmanship. Mona Lisa’s Art Studio has a huge chalk board as well as a large wall covered in paper waiting for young artists to adorn it with their work. The Knock Knock Nook is filled with musical instruments, costumes, and sheet music, encouraging your kid to express himself musically. We were even able to follow the colored notes and play ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ on the xylophone. Our son really enjoyed this room, especially the kid-sized cymbals and the life-sized floor keyboard al-la Tom Hanks in ‘Big.’ We didn’t have time to go into Pirate’s Cove, but it looked like a lot of fun. It had a full-size pirate ship and a long water trough where kids can play with various water toys or use a fishing pole to catch a live one (don’t worry, there are no real fish).

Walking from one side of the complex to the other, the hallways feature different types of activity toys mounted to the walls. From rollercoaster bead mazes to circle spinners, the folks at NNNB have covered all the bases to keep your kids entertained, even when walking down a hallway. We spent 15 minutes playing with the toys in one of the hallways.

The opposite side of the building is laid out in a similar fashion, with a central room, aptly named Central Park, and a few smaller themed rooms. Central Park is meant for younger kids and has soft mats and padding allowing for the little ones to tumble around. There is a diner where your kids can cook up a feast or be a guest and sit down for a nice meal. Before cooking, you can hit up the kid market, a well-stocked supermarket complete with shopping carts and a cash register. The sea-saw and ball pit were big hits for our kid on this side of the building.

As you can tell, Noodle Noggin’ ‘N Bean packs quite a punch under a single roof. We’d encourage you to check out their site, especially the ‘Rooms’ section, to get a better feel for the variety of offerings. When visiting, we’d also recommend taking a walk around the entire facility to gauge your kids’ interest and plan your visit. NNNB has two rooms for birthday parties and is definitely in our list of venues for future birthdays.

Mom Says: Clean and cute!!! No food allowed in the building except for the party room, so there aren’t any wayward crumbs. The toys were very gently used – I wasn’t disgusted with anything that my kid touched. I even got in the ball pit with him and found it to be clean. Next time I’m planning on staying for at least 2 hours.

Dad Says: This place knocked our socks off! It is clear that NNNB understands how to create an engaging and fun environment for kids and adults. The idea of playing and learning with your kids is great and I know we’ll be doing more of it at Noodle Noggin’ ‘N Bean.

Noodle Noggin’ ‘N Bean
38 Southwest Cutoff (Rte 20)
Northborough, MA 01532-2159
Phone: 508-351-7060
Website: http://www.noodlenogginnbean.com/

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Fenway Park Tour

With baseball season in full swing and the weather being so nice here in New England, we recently decided to check out the Fenway Park Tour to get a behind-the-scenes look at a Boston landmark. The tour costs $12 for adults, $11 for seniors and $10 for children 4-15. It leaves every hour from 9 AM until 4 PM (or three hours before game time, whichever is earlier), so there are plenty of times to check this one out during a visit to the city.

The tour starts in the souvenir shop on Yawkey Way, and after a quick security screening, you walk in a large group throughout the park, learning about its history and many interesting facts about the team. Our tour guide was energetic and knowledgeable about Fenway and the history of the Red Sox. She even antagonized the one Yankees fan in our group of 100 with Yankees commentary throughout the entire tour, which added some comic relief.

Our tour had four main stops, each of which gave you the opportunity to sit down or stand and listen to the various facts and stories the tour guide offered up through a megaphone. Before the first stop, you get your photo taken by the Fenway Fan Photo team, and it is conveniently available to you at the end of your tour for purchase. Our picture didn’t come out that great so we ended up having fellow tour-goers take a few snapshots of us with our own camera.

The first stop was the upper deck of right field, which offers great views of the entire park. After 10 minutes or so of Fenway stories and some Q&A, we then headed over the Pavilion Club area in upper left field, where our entire group took seats and listened in to more Fenway facts. We learned about the history of the Green Monster and the red chair, amongst other cool stories. Since it was game day, we even got to see some batting practice. From this area, we headed over to the Green Monster seats, which are the most coveted in the park. Everyone got a chance to sit and enjoy the sights from this vantage point. Our last stop was the left-field grandstands, which are the smallest seats in the park and not very comfortable.

Overall, this was a great experience for us and our son. There was plenty of time allowed to take pictures and check out some of the nooks and crannies of America’s most beloved ball park. We recommend calling the tour phone number (617-226-6666) before planning your trip to see if there are any changes to the schedule. They are now offering batting practice tours as well, but no information is available on the details of this yet.

When our son gets older, we’ll plan a Fenway day where we do both a tour and game in the same day.

Dad Says: Seeing Fenway with very few people walking around was great fun, and the history and facts were very interesting to hear. I really would have liked to see the clubhouse or the press box. Hopefully they will continue to expand this tour in the future.

Mom Says: The tour was about an hour and it flew by. Don’t worry about rushing to be the front people in the group as you won’t hear or see anything any better than the last people. Trust me – we were the last people!

Web Site: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/

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South Shore Natural Science Center

Given the craziness around the Swine Flu, we decided to stay away from the crowded playplaces and headed to the South Shore Natural Science Center (SSNSC) in Norwell, MA. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to educating the public about the natural and cultural environments of the South Shore. The entry fee for adults is $5 ($4 with AAA card) and $3 for children 2 and over.

Situated on 30 acres, with 200 surrounding acres of conservation and recreation land, the SSNCS offers hours of nature education and fun for kids. There are three main areas to check out at the SSNCS: the EcoZone, Coes Greenhouse, and nature trails and conservation land.

The EcoZone is the main thing to check out inside the SSNCS, featuring displays and interactive exhibits about the habitat of southeastern Massachusetts, including wetlands, woodlands and meadows. While this area appeared small at first, there were quite a few areas of interest to us and the little guy and you could easily take up 30 to 45 minutes exploring the various animals and environments.

Walking into the exhibit, there are several different displays on the walls featuring ecosystems of southeastern Massachusetts. This area leads into the EcoZone, where we were immediately drawn to the Creature Corner, with cages of various reptiles set into the wall allowing for close up views through Plexiglas. Snakes, turtles, salamanders, and frogs make the Creature Corner their home and were quite fun to view. My son enjoyed trying to get the attention of the snakes and turtles in this exhibit.

In the middle of this room is a large pool with turtles swimming around and basking in the heat of a sun lamp. This area provides for some great close-up views of the turtles. If your kids aren’t tall enough, you’ll have to pick them up to see into this pool. On the other side of this pool is a smaller frog pond inhabited by a large bullfrog. In between the turtle and frog ponds is a hollow log big enough for kids and adults to crawl through. There are peepholes in this log letting your kids see an underwater view of the ponds. Depending on your kids’ interest level, you could spend an hour or more viewing and discussing the exhibits. Make sure you pay a visit to the large iguana near the exit.

After checking out the indoor stuff, we headed outside for a short hike and to view the owl exhibit. There are six different trails you can explore, which take you through the wooded land and feature signs along the way explaining some of the sites on the path. We read about maple syrup spigots and different reasons why trees were damaged. We were running short on time, so we took a short trail, but you could combine trails for a longer hike if you so desired. The owl exhibit is outside and features Hedwig, a barred owl who is native to the area. This exhibit lets you view Hedwig from about 10-15 feet away.

We visited on a Saturday, but due to some time constraints missed the two programs they offer on Saturdays. At 10AM there is a “Feed the Animals” program, and at 2pm there is a “Meet an Animal” program. If you are visiting on a Saturday it would be good to time your visit to coincide with one if these.

Dad Says: Big doesn’t always mean better! This place offers some cool close up views of reptiles and amphibians and the trails were easy to walk and the signs were good conversation starters about various natural happenings.

Uncle Says: The SSNSC is one of those “hidden gems.” It was cool to see some of the local animals and learn about the local trees and plants. I can’t wait to go back again with my nephew to see a “Meet an Animal” show.

Web Site: http://www.ssnsc.org/

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