I remember struggling over my math homework at the kitchen table. My brothers had completed their assignments and were watching TV in the family room, and I just couldn’t wrap my head around the problems. (Darn you, math!) I’d read and reread the textbook, turning to the answers in the back for some kind of clue about the operations required to reach the problem’s conclusion… wait, I’m not sure this memory is one I’d like to revisit. (Did I mention I also had to walk 3 miles barefoot through the snow to get to school?)
Scholastic Study Jams! is the newest online learning experience from the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s educational media. For kids in grades 3 through 6, Scholastic Study Jams! takes the most challenging math and science topics and explains them through animated videos, Karaoke songs, interactive tutorials, and quizzes where users can earn points, which are redeemed in the Jam Studio. In the Jam Studio, points are used to purchase loops from different musical genres and create your very own 4-track songs. You can then save, name and download your musical creations.
I toured the site, testing my knowledge on integers and fractions, and igneous and metamorphic rock. (–I know as much as a Sixth Grader, hurrah!) I toyed with the idea of doing the light refraction quiz simply to win more points then head over to the Jam Studio to reap the rewards of my achievements.
If you have a young music lover in your home who wants to improve skills in math, science, or State history, check it out!
Sesame Street mouse pads up for grabs!
For younger children, SesameStreet.org is the safest and most fun place for toddlers and preschoolers to begin learning how to use computers. Just like Scholastic, Sesame Street is not the new kid on the block. For nearly 40 years, Sesame Street has served children’s best interests, combining education and entertainment through a research-based curriculum.
The SesameStreet.org site features hundreds of short videos grouped by skillset; For instance, little ones can click to watch videos about counting, art and creativity, the alphabet/early reading, cultural appreciation, or health and safety.
There are also interactive games for children who are very new to the computer which help teach letters, numbers, colors, and rhyming, fostering imagination, problem-solving, and fine motor skills.
Get a FREE Sesame Street mouse pad!
I was not paid to review either of these sites, however the nice people at Sesame Street were kind enough to send a package of licensed mouse pads featuring Elmo and Cookie Monster to share with you, my readers! Simply click below with a comment, and I’ll be happy to send you one.
