The nature of the Internet provides a great wealth of knowledge in various forms. Whether you are teaching yourself a new skill or using online methods to reinforce your homeschooling, it is all at your fingertips. Many school districts will offer online homeschooling methods to help your student achieve his or her goals. However, there is a great deal that needs to be considered when using these online educational tools.

1. Diversions - Sitting at a computer all day long in the comfort of the home could produce a situation where too many distractions could divert from the purpose of online education. Games, social sites, streaming media, and more are prevalent on the Internet and if you don’t monitor your student’s activities, he or she could indulge in these diversions more often than they should. One way to help reduce these distractions is by setting time limits within your router, if you have one, and removing popular sites from being accessed throughout certain times of the day.

2. Researching - The collection of human knowledge is spread across the Internet and is easily accessible by anyone looking to learn more about a subject. Regardless of the needs of your student, virtually any material can be found. However, you want to keep a vigilant eye on your homeschooler as he or she could be tempted to practice plagiarism by copy and pasting material found on the Internet. It happens more often than you may realize. Encourage your student to verify information by collaborating facts with other viable sources as well. Although there is a great deal of information on the Internet, a large portion of it are falsehoods based on speculations and conspiracies. Sometimes it’s hard to weed out the facts.

3. Isolation - For students that are participating in actual online classes, you need to make sure you are available to assist them when they need it. Some students rely on the one-on-one interactions and can perform better if you are able to reinforce that aspect. Technologies are advancing to the point of actually putting the student in the classroom from home using streaming video, but that may not be an option in your location. At which point, the student will be missing some of that personal touch that teaching provides. [Interestingly, even when my girls took real online classes and had professors and tutors, I still served as their #1 teacher!]

4. Last Minute - Online education is not a new development. College students have been taking classes online for several years. One thing that many of them share is a terrible lack of time management. Some homeschooling children could be faced with this same dilemma. As classes can be completed at your own leisure, it is very easy to get sucked into the frame of mind that you can “do it tomorrow.” Eventually, tomorrow arrives and your student could be scrambling in order to complete tasks and assignments that are due. You’ll need to be the voice of his or her conscious and help them practice time management skills for online studies. If a task is completed as soon as it is assigned, there is far more time for play and less stress at the end of the week. That goes the same for adults as well. [Again, I served as their #1 teacher, mom-on-top-their-schedule, etc. So, don't be disillusions that online classes deflects responsibility. My girls' success still relied heavily on my supervision.]

Homeschooling provides your student with a one-on-one environment that he or she could greatly benefit from. Online educational methods could take away some of that interpersonal time. You’ll need to manage this experience wisely in order to help your student succeed. As long as you and your student can act responsibly, online methods of education can be successful.

Author Bio: Rachel is an ex-babysitting pro as well as a professional writer and blogger. She is a graduate from Iowa State University and currently writes for www.babysitting.net. She welcomes questions/comments which can be sent to rachelthomas.author@gmail.com.

 As you may know, we do a ton of home education online. This article nicely lists in detail this often affordable and more convenient method to homeschooling. We’re curious what your thoughts are. Please share below!

Can Online Education Help Your Homeschooler? is a post from: American Muslim Mom Homeschool

Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business by Karen Leland is a new release that is a must read for business owners, marketers and promoters, authors, crafters, and sellers of all types. But, would you believe that teachers and homeschoolers can benefit from Pinterest? Below we share the thoughts from two women who are involved in educating and they both found great information in the Entreperneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business.

Let’s start with some Pinterest Facts

Pinterest is a social bookmarking site that allows users to create a visual, online pinboard with images they love organized around topics of their choice by category. It’s the fastest growing social media site in history, the third-largest network after Facebook and Twitter and has over 25 million members and 10 million unique visitors a month.

The most recent studies indicate that nearly 20 percent of women using the Internet are on Pinterest, 72 percent of Pinterest users are female, and 66 percent of those are age 35 or older, and the average amount of time visitors spend surfing the Pinterest site is an hour. Karen Leland, author of the new book “Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business,” has created a comprehensive and easy-to-use guide to hitting the road running and quickly making Pinterest into a valuable source of prospects, promotion, and profits.

Thoughts from Carolyn Wilhelm – A Teacher Using Pinterest

Why is a teacher like me writing about this book? Teachers are learning so much from Pinterest, as I have previously written.  On Pinterest we are benefiting from really seeing how others teach, while gathering the best ideas possible for our own classrooms.  Now teachers are collaborating and sharing their best ideas, not just within schools or districts, but globally.  School districts, teachers, parents, and students are all benefiting.

After all, Pinterest is a social bulletin board site. It’s the fastest growing social media site in history, the third-largest network after Facebook and Twitter.  Teachers love bulletin boards, and Pinterest is the world’s hugest one!  I wonder if anyone has added it to the Guinness Book of World Records as such?

The most recent studies indicate 72 percent of Pinterest users are female, and 66 percent of those are age 35 or older, and the average amount of time visitors spend on the Pinterest site is an hour.  I would think this is similar to stats for elementary teachers who check online for new lessons and materials while writing their weekly lesson plans.  Part of the book is about using Pinterest for bookmarking, and applies to classroom teachers who want the latest and nicest teaching ideas.  The part of the book about making Pinterest part of your social media mix is for teacher bloggers.  An example mentioned is of a Pinterest page with boards for teachers and students, by Sharon of the Animal Crackers and Apple Juice blog. Another example is the learning with literature collaborative board by Julie of Creekside Learning.

Why should teacher bloggers read this book?  We have become entrepreneurs, especially if we sell online at marketplace stores like Teachers Pay Teachers and Teachers Notebook.  We certainly didn’t go to business school, but the number of blogger teachers who are selling lessons is growing by leaps and bounds.  Many teachers began selling lessons online after hearing about the success of Deanna Jump who has earned over a million dollars on TpT !  Also, 29 other teachers have earned more than $100,000 on that site.

Teachers who write curriculum should start learning about business strategies.

Blogging and using social media sites are part of the selling success equation.  We need to educate ourselves in business, and quickly.  This book is the most detailed one I have read about using Pinterest. It was a new experience for me to see Pinterest from a business, non-teaching viewpoint.  I tend to view everything with teacher eyes.

I learned so much about Pinterest from this book.  I can’t give too much of a spoiler, but I had never considered the gifts tab at the top of the page.  Did you know, if sellers of online lessons add a price to their pin, the product appears on the correctly priced gifts page?  That gives twice the exposure for one pin.  I had no idea!

Pinterest boards have been used as a means of interviewing and landing jobs, as some people upload videos of themselves answering typical questions asked of job candidates.  I hadn’t noticed that, either.  I might not do that myself, but now I know and can share that information if someone is looking for a job.

I didn’t realize that when I added YouTube videos, the reason the pins may have not always worked is that the single link line is considered spam, and the longer link will be accepted as valid.  I had no idea about that.  I just thought sometimes the site worked and sometimes not.  I thought it was Pinterest, not me.  Did you know you can fix a photo after it appears on Pinterest?  The author gives some information about this issue.  I run into photos from my blog on the site I want to fix, so I’m going to have to try this idea.

Karen Leland has created a comprehensive and easy-to-use guide about turning Pinterest into a valuable source of prospects, promotion and profits.  Reading this book made me aware of the need to establish goals for my business and to understand how Pinterest can help.  I learned many new helpful strategies.  I couldn’t just read this book straight through, as I  had to look at the many online Pinterest links for examples of what the author was discussing.  It was so helpful to immediately see visual examples.

“Great business brands are about telling compelling, congruent stories, and Pinterest is at its core about storytelling in pictures,” says Leland. “Pinterest has tapped into this visceral love of visuals . . . and no business can afford to miss the boat on bringing what they offer beyond words and into images.”

Thought from Debra Slover, founder of the Leadership Legacy Garden

Storytelling in pictures is what intrigued me about the Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business. I am a solo social entrepreneur with family and children’s leadership development products that are both visceral and beautifully illustrated. Therefore, it piqued my interest when I came across the opportunity to review the pre-publication of the book.

I find the internet is a noisy place that is difficult and expensive for the small business owner to keep up on all the latest social media trends . . . let alone navigate successfully.

Through the years, I became skeptical about the plethora of get rich quick type of guides to internet marketing and social media. I have often said,

“Those who get rich on the internet are generally those who are teaching others how to get rich on the internet.”

So I began reading with skepticism and quickly turned into a fan of Ms. Leland. She presents a sound approach to Pinterest, and social media in general, that helps the reader think through or rethink their use of these tools in terms of branding. More importantly, this Guide portrays a consistent message throughout of social etiquette. This was my favorite part.

For me, social etiquette equates to integrity and ethics when doing business. Therefore, I didn’t find this a jump on the Pinterest bandwagon edict or be left behind, rather a sound guide to think it through, create your strategy, and then access your time and business interest in a thoughtful way to see how you may expand your audience reach.

At this time, I haven’t implemented the information because I took to heart the idea of thinking it through and developing a strategy. However, I will surely use this guide for my efforts and recommend it for anyone wanting to use Pinterest for business.

I personally want to thank Karen Leland for creating this most useful guide and the opportunity to review it.

What’s in the “The Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business”

This book is designed to help businesses use Pinterest to its maximum potential. The book provides both beginning users and seasoned veterans with the ability to find their specific area of interest “at a glance.” It uses step-by-step how-to, sidebars, examples, case studies, expert interviews and tip sheets to show how, from setup to strategy, to use Pinterest for promotional, branding and marketing objectives.

The book explores the ins and outs of signing up and getting started on Pinterest and how to create boards that get noticed, drive traffic and convert fans into customers. Special chapters are devoted to creating a strong community and enthusiastic following through high-engagement activities, contests, social media outreach, and smart pinning strategies.

In addition, the book outlines specific marketing applications to small businesses, from architecture firms to theater companies.

About the bestselling author, Karen Leland

Karen Leland is the bestselling author of 8 business books including the recently released Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business, which can be purchased at Amazon as a hard copy or kindle version. She is the president of Sterling Marketing Group, where she works with small businesses and Fortune 500 on building stronger personal and team brands. She writes the Modern Marketing Blog at: www.karenleland.com.

The opinions expressed in this review are my own. In accordance with FCC Rules, I was not required to write a positive review and received no remuneration for my efforts except a pre-publication file of the book.

Review Content Originally Posted by Debra Slover and Carolyn Wilhelm.

This is the first of five Pinterest blogpost series on our various blogs. Please watch for:

Tuesday May 21 – Does Your Profile Make a Good Impression on Kid Bloggers Club

Wednesday May 22 – 7 Questions to Consider Before You Pin on American Muslim Mom

Thursday May 23 – 10 Pinterest boards every business on Publicity Spark

Tuesday May 28 – 5 Ways Authors Can Expand Their Pinterest Audienceon Ebook Bestseller Journey

Using Pinterest For Educational Purposes – Reviews From Educators is a post from: American Muslim Mom Homeschool

I am completely fascinated with the idea of sleep deprivation for kids and adults…speaking from someone who sleeps a lot less than the prescribed amount. However, as homeschoolers I’ve been a stickler to allowing the girls the optimal 10-12 hours of sleep each night, even throughout these tween years. However, they’re averaging 9-10 hours/night since we’re trying some new routines now…but, we should be able to increase that in the upcoming weeks.

Anyways, one of my dearest friends has highschoolers with major sleep deprivation problems due to the overload of AP classes and school commitment. I’ve acted as their Khalto (Auntie) to share my tips, concerns and even shared books on this topic: our over-committed kids with no guarantee into the Ivies–their goal. I always stress that their physical, mental and emotional health MUST be prioritized before their academic health.

Here in CA, we have more non-homeschooler friends than homeschoolers and we’re finding that sleep deprivation starts in late elementary school and definitely in middle school, as this infographic demonstrates! The concerns of the parents are frightening!

I pray with all my heart, that parents read through this infographic with their kids and see that IF their education is the reason for losing sleep–Data proves that there’s a negative correlation to the two; and inshaAllah, God willing, will convince everyone that SLEEP should be their priority–NOT school work, grades, GPAs, test scores!

This infographic was designed by Brown Mackie published on American Muslim Mom Homeschool channel.

I am SO interested in your feedback regarding the survey results presented in this infographic. Please comment below and be generous in your social media shares, likes, tweets, comments and pins! NOTE: If you’d like to post this infographic on your site, please save the graphic on your harddrive by right-clicking “Save As” and PLEASE leave the credits as-is, with links to the designer and this blogpost for reference. Thanks!

INFOGRAPHIC: How to Increase Your GPA With Just One Extra Hour of Sleep is a post from: American Muslim Mom Homeschool

Click Here To Get Your Copy Today - Paperback or Kindle

A Must-Have College Prep & SAT Prep That Starts At Preschool Without Being a Tiger Mom

This is an incredibly succinct must-read book for ALL parents interested in raising successful kids–which does NOT equate to getting into every Ivy League their children submits applications to. However, IF applying and being accepted to the most elite schools IS a part of one’s definition of a “successful student”, then reading this book is just icing to their cake.

The tips and lessons from preschool to high school ends on page 46, therefore it’s a succinct writeup of Grace’s experience and advice. The Math Review makes up the bulk of the book is from page 46-123. Pages 124-145 is Essay Help, and the closing page directs you to the 400 SSAT Vocabulary Words which can be found in a public Quizlet.com free group directed by harvardmomadvice.

Do You Know Your Kid’s “Star Power”? That’s The True Ticket To The Ivies…AND The Child’s & Parent’s Sanity!

What I particularly appreciate about this book is that it stresses a SANE student’s schedule that combines a healthy mix of academic and extra curricular activities. More importantly, it stresses the child and his/her carefully-well-informed-parents’ journey towards finding the child’s specific “Star Power”. A “successful student” should have a well-balanced lifestyle, NOT overloaded with AP courses with multiple extra curricular activities with mediocre attendance. Balance and leadership roles are stressed throughout the pages.

An excerpt from “A Final Word on Star Power”

“In today’s hypercompetitive world, a student needs this something else, this shine factor, star power, golden gift, or silver separator. Imagine yo ur child’s college application in a large pile with many others containing the same GPA and board scores. You want to make sure there is something about your son or daughter’s application that makes it stand out.”

A child’s insatiable desire to research topics in depth and mastering them is much more important than simply “getting A’s”. With multiple definitions of GPAs these days, emphasizing strategies that helps kids master the SAT or ACT is increasingly important to elite universities. Amazingly, Grace Sullivan stresses that NO parent should “pay for SAT prep before reading this book!”, which I wholeheartedly agree. Based on Grace’s advice and tips found widely available online for free, I am NOT planning to pay a cent for SAT prep for any of my girls. We actually started ‘SAT prep’ when they were babies as we taught them to love learning, reading and constantly building their vocabulary in the most naturally means possible: reading!

Since my girls are homeschooled and are upper-elementary and middle school aged; we are following her advice which parallels Shaan Patel’s SAT 2400 in Just 7 Steps: Perfect-Score Student Reveals How to Ace the Test for SAT vocabulary techniques as well as learning the logical testing techniques in UN-timed settings on a regular basis. We’ve been doing this for months, and my girls enjoy and look forward to “SAT Prep” rather than dreading it like most highschoolers. They find the “puzzles” challenging, and after all these months are still enjoying the learning process.

I took one exception to this book is Grace’s reasoning WHY Preschool is necessary. I do not agree with many of her points in these opening 3 pages; but it kept my attention simply because she opens and concludes that as parents we should “Keep socializing as a major priority during the preschool years” which I agree. Yet, I disagree that this type of socializing can be obtained only in preschool. Preschool daily activities are available in the parks, libraries, museums, book stores, art stores, home improvement stores, learning centers, religious establishments, organizing neighborhood play dates and family events. We were out much more as preschoolers because there’s so many FREE ‘mom and tot’ opportunities for the resourceful well-informed dedicated mom and dad. Which stresses again on the parent as being the guide, leader, organizer, teacher, motivator, etc. It does not demean us to chauffeur, Tiger Moms, or nonchalant fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants parents. Grace does an exceptional job of explaining her reservations for publishing this book in the first place, which plays on my last line.

I will be referring to this book often and think every parent concerned about their children’s overall academic or knowledge-gaining success should get their hard copy today! I’ve already shared this book to 2 close friends, and missed having my copy during those days/weeks. My copy is so well-loved with many markings from beginning to end.

This is my 5-star review posted on Amazon. If you found it helpful, please check “yes” you found my review helpful.  I have been posting all our book reviews publicly and we’re working on decreasing our rank as an Amazon reviewer which is primarily based on my ability to add helpful reviews to potential customers as well as the authors.

Raising Success: How to Give Your Child an Academic Edge – It’s Easier Than You Think! By “Harvard Mom” Grace Sullivan is a post from: American Muslim Mom Homeschool

JumpStart PenguinHQ. This is a multi-part blog review. While, JumpStart is primarily Knowledge Adventure’s Language Arts product, but as you’ll see in this detailed review there’s a ScienceLand and math is taught throughout the other lands. We will follow-up with their MathBlaster product, which is strictly their Math learning site. When you purchase a membership, you get access to both. This was originally on STEMologist,  but the contest and MathBlaster review is there. Anyways, JumpStart is totally worth your time to read through all the different tips, lessons learned, descriptions, and all the benefits this site has to offer your kids.

We are a family of 3 girls, ages 9, 11 & 12yo, but we share our membership with our nephew who is a 5 yo kindergartener and his 3 yo sister. You can see how incredibly cool this site has bonded our distant family. We’ve been using Knowledge Adventure products since 2004, and grown through the years with them. You can search our many sites for our equally detailed reviews; so while this site is geared to K-5, and we’re older, we’re using this site now as a means of teaching our younger family members 100s of miles away and enjoying our time in a more constructive way, then just skyping face-to-face!

First Step: Learn The JumpStart Lingo & Tricks Along The Way

• Jumpeez: The avatar and character that usually represents your kid. With a little imagination, it can look like anything from a cat and a bat, to a robot or jelly sandwich!
• Communicator: This is like the jumpeez’s phone. You can get messages, and see what’s new! You can do some simple settings for the game on the Communicator as well. You could also see all your mythies. To go to the Communicator, you just click on the phone looking thing on the bottom right corner.
• Mythie: A mythie is basically one of these three mythical creatures: A dragon, a pegasus or a hornhowlie. The first two are classical mytical creatures, but the third, what is that!? Well, a few years back, JumpStart had a Mythical Creature Contest and the Hornhowlie won…check it out here.
• Ridez: A ride is just something you can ride instead of walking, since your jumpee is sure to get tired! To get a ride you just go to DownTown and walk to the “Ridez” store door, you can chose from the many amazing rides! If you see a box in your house have many friends or family members click on it to help you get a special ride!
• Pets: A pet is a little pet! It will follow you anywhere! You can get a pet the same way you get a ride, but another way to buy things is to just click on your money then you can chose what to buy. Once you have a pet or pets you can get them from the pets pen, you can chose from all your pets or don’t use a pet at all.
• The Map: The map is a map of ALL JumpStart. You can go anywhere you’d like instead of walking there. You could also use it just to figure out which way you want to go! To go to the map you just click on the logo that looks like the North, South, West and East sign in the lower-left corner, when you click on that you will get the map.
• Games Button: When you click on the “Games” button you can play a game. With the click of a button you don’t have to remember “Where is that game again?”. If there’s a light bulb next to the game then that means it’s a learning game, and you get more money from the learning game.To get to the Games you click on the Game consul button next to the map button.
• Your Profile: In your profile you could write things about yourself, like your favorite color, food, music, etc. You can also write what’s new for you friends to see. People who aren’t your friends can see it too. You could do lots more, but to get to your profile you have to click on the button that looks like a picture of a person.
• Clothes Button: When you’re in the clothes button you can change your Jumpee, if you’re a member you can change your Jumpee to anything imaginable. There is another button where you can buy more clothes. This button looks like a clothes hanger.

If you have any other questions, for yourself, your kids, your grandkids, etc., please comment with your question(s). 3, 5, 9, 11, and 12 year old kids are ready to help you out!

Reviewers:

• For this review, we sat down (over Skype) with My 5 Year Old Nephew.
• I also asked His Mom, “Sister-In-Law”, to tell me all her thoughts.
• GiGi, 11 year old, shared views.
• JoJo, 9 year old, wrote most of this review.
• I’m obviously “Mom”.

Interactive Safe Social Educational Network Across States

Sister-in-law:

• Cousins bonding while learning skill building while in different states.
• The older children are demonstrating patience when explaining and teaching new activities to the younger cousins.

What is their favorite game or quest?
If you look at the kids answers here and throughout the review, you’ll notice that they favor the educational games over the plain games. Pretty cool, huh? I think so, it proves that learning can be “just as fun”.

• 5-yo: He likes going to Lost Island to break dance, do art, and make flowers grow next to the clock.
• 5-yo: Pearl Push and Bubble Trouble are my two favorite games and they are in MarineLand that give you Sand Dollars.
• GiGi: Just like my 5 year old cousin loves squashing the Sea Monster Punk Punks, I enjoy to squash and shoot at the robot punk punks!
• GiGi: Since I’m older I’ve notice the educational part, but I still love helping out the Penguins, by playing/completing fun missions. There’s a Alex The Lion Suit and you can win the pieces (mane, tail, paws and feet) and I’ve finally gotten my first piece, the big paws…with claws!

What is your take on kids using technology to learn?
While many fear that Technology is the reason families and friends are ripped apart, but look at what our 5 Year-Old cousin said…all by himself!

• 5-yo: He loves how he gets to play with us on this game even though we are 5 hours away. The 5 year old teaches the 3 year old how to draw in the lines and cut things by using JumpStart! He and her enjoy JumpStart him by teaching and her by learning.
• 5-yo: I teach my younger 3 year old sister. She sits on my lap, but she’s not ready to play yet. Two more days and she will be ready to play on mommy’s laptop or the office computer all by herself!
• GiGi: I love using tech to learn, it helps the kids interact with the learning! this also helps the kids feel like there’re play which can also help them keep on learning, right?
• Sister-in-law: My son is enjoying active learning through technology.

Do you like the parent content, such as the JumpStart Blog and worksheets?

• GiGi: I love how they have the JumpStart Blog. I mean, if I can’t play, I can still see what’s new! Besides being helpful, it’s also like the Jumpeez Communicator by telling me about the new ridez, clothes, pets, and/or games! Check out the JumpStart game guide available here.
• GiGi: I would say I most of all love how JumpStart is working with DreamWorks (I love their movies!). It’s really exciting to see all of New York, I mean Time Square does look the same as in real life! I love seeing the zoo animals everywhere too!
• Mom: I love the worksheets. I printed out a bunch for our 9 year old.
• Mom: I love the emails, because they tell me about new worksheets. JumpStart Weekly Email

Do you find the mobile apps beneficial?
Definitely! Here’s an article on my daughter’s site about using tablet’s as teaching tools (http://stemologist.com/using-your-tablet-pc-teaching-tool/). We’ll have to write a follow-up including a review of these apps!

• Mom: Having apps is especially awesome for kids who learn better on mobile devices, like our 3 year old cousin.

JumpStart’s Amazing Partnership With DreamWorks

JumpStart’s recent partnership with DreamWorks has been the reason for the addition of: Central Park Zoo and underground Penguin Headquarters, Times Square and Coney Island, as well as making Madagascar its own land! There’s plenty of new missions where the Penguins need your kids’ help. Hopefully, the kids will have so much fun helping out that they won’t even realize they’re learning! Some of the most popular missions have been the European tour and geographic facts, and the worksheets which are included with your membership.

JumpStart Bumper Cars – Members Only

Times Square: Members only.

• There’s roller skating with Alex, Gloria, Melman, Marty. Air penguin is a helicopter made by the penguins of Madagascar.

Central Park Zoo: Everyone!

• You can visit and see Alex, Gloria, Melman, The Penguins, Marty and most of the animals from Madagascar at the zoo. In the zoo, if you click on the board with a line under it, you can learn more about that animal, and you can also play a puzzle.
• You can ride a train to Italy, where you can go to the DreamsWork threatre. You can watch trailers of the new DreamWorks movies. If you explore Italy, you can click on the paintings and learn more about them, or you can go to the Leaning Tower Pisa and learn more about Italy.
• The penguins steer the boats, and you can learn about Instrumentation and the Renaissance on the ride.
• If you go to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower. There is a store where you can buy different kinds of clothes from that culture, or dress up like different animals.

StoryLand: 3-5 years old/PreSchool-Kindergarten

• In StoryLand there will be all the JS (JumpStart) animal conductor. They will tell you what to do in order to get a pieces of a book, such as Customize your house, play learning games, and follow letters.
• There are 5 lands. When you have to listen to all the animals. Once you’re finished each mission in each land than you get a book.
• These are learning games.
• 5 year old: It’s cool to earn presents to get decorations for the neighborhood.
• 5 year old: One book told me about helmets. I know I need to put on a helmet before bikes, skateboards and scooters.
• If I do everything the people say in StoryLand, I’ll get hints and pieces of the books. I almost got my last piece of second book.
• JoJo has all her books in StoryLand because she’s big girl and knows how to read. The better you read, the animals is in charge will tell/teach us how to read and give us more books. Encouraged to be like his older cousin, he set a goal to finish getting all his books before our next Skype session. He was so determined he did it all by himself in about one-hour. His daddy was there to help, but our nephew wouldn’t let him help, because he wanted to do it all by himself.

AdventureLand: 5-8 years old/Kindergarten-2nd

• 5 year old: You create art there, which is my favorite. When I went to AdventureLand to get my first piece of my badge, you have to finish a mission. Frankie the Dog and the Panda Bear tell me what I have to learn.
• When you complete a full badge then you can go to Lost Island.
• One of the missions is to decorate my house.
• From the beach, you take a submarine to Adventure Land.
• To get to Lost Island, you have to take a boat. To access this Island, you have to be a member first.
• 5 year old: I like to go on the boat to Lost Island and stomp on the Punk Punks which sends them back to where they belong, so they don’t ruin anything else!.
• 5 year old: Going to new lands, like Lost Island has fun art and dancing. I think the AdventureLand looks like Australia when you look at the Map.

MarineLand: 5-8 years old/Kindergarten-2nd

JumpStart MarineLand

• You Have to get 15 sand dollar pieces to get a swim tail (fin).
• 5 year old: Pearl Push and Bubble Trouble are my two favorite games and they are in MarineLand that give you Sand Dollars.
• It takes a long time for me to get a swim tail, by playing many games, meeting new characters, talking to Kathy the mercat (not mermaid), and many other sea creatures who tell you what to do. I love getting help from my cousins to complete these longer missions.

FutureLand: 8-11 years old/3rd-5th

• In Future Land you are under water in the future.
• Dr. Brain will write some things in his journal that you could read sometimes.
• 5 year old: In FutureLand you can buy fish and crawlers then release them. I like the way you could see your fish behind a glass wall and see other creatures swimming.
• The most important thing of FutureLand the “Time Machine”, because you have to go in the time machine so you can get rid of the punk punks, and get the goop pods.
• When you go in the Time machine, you can go to Industrial and Medieval to get rid of the punk punks.
• In FutureLand, it’s a nice place to stay because you have your own fireplace, laptop, and fish around you.
• There are also the learning game quizzes you can always do.
• You can customize your Jumpee and buy animals.
• You can’t see other Jumpee there.

Uncle Milton’s ScienceLand: 8-11 years old/3rd-5th

• You take care of animals, since it’s a “Science” land.
• For example, you help the ants, and if you do it well, you get an ant ride.
• You can get eggs for animals, you take care of them, give them medicine and food. Medicine you have to pay for with your Jumpee money.
• Once the animals are adults, you can sell them for money.

Enchanted Sanctuary: Everyone!

• You have to talk to Ivy and she’ll tell you what to do to get your egg.
• Once you get your egg, you can play with it, if you want another day to play with the egg, you have to put it in the egg crate.
• When you’re done playing with your egg, you put it in an icubator, and you can color it.
• Wait a day until it hatches.
• Before you leave, they’ll ask you if you want a dragon, pegasus or a hornhowlie.
• You take care of the animal in the training session, then make it fly.
• They each do their own special thing, like breath fire; or blow ice out of their horns.
• When Ivy says it’s ready for Flight School, then you release it.
• You can always go to Flight School and rid it.
• Then you let it sleep in the egg crate till in grows and hatches and goes to the nursery. After the nursery you train to

Why Parents Love JumpStart

Sister-in-law:

• At five years old my son has learn to listen to directions along with given directions. An example would be when one of his older cousin’s log on he can tell them what land he is in and where to turn in order to connect.
• My husband and I are making our children save their coins earn to learn the value of a dollar. They now know to save for a larger more practical item that they will enjoy later then spend the coins earned right away for an item they may not want after a few minutes.
• We’ve had to use this website as a bargaining tool for behavior. My son wants to spend every moment on the computer playing jump start, but now knows he can play once his chores and homework is completed to our standards.
• We’ve notices an eagerness to play and learn jump start when he can share a moment of his day with his cousins. This website has created a special club shared with his loved ones.

Additional Notes from various Skype Sessions:

• He’s learning communication skills and directions on Coney Island.
• He’s learning navigation, logic, reason, troubleshooting, game playing. He Doesn’t give up, and when he gets one my husband or I, it’s actually hard for us to figure out. He ultimately figures it out himself most of the time; but likes us right there beside him.
• Improved hand-eye coordination, Key spacing, and Typing speed at 5 years old.
• He knows how to read money and large numbers from the money, budget money, learn and buy better things, savings. Subtract the coins before he spends.
• House rules: not allowed to spend until he gets enough money in one-week, so he can buy bigger, meaningful items. He’s saving money to ha
• Learn to appreciate money, not spend as he gets it.
• He’s saving for a big party. Clothes and characters, small toys, fun zones, etc. He’s planning it all! For example, the Party Packages are 1 coin per minute, so since he’s planning a hour-long part for his cousins and friends, he knows that that’s 60 coins right there.
• It’s a virtual world and is a private thing between cousin ages 5,9,11,12 & 3 help/teach one another. commitment.
• Some of the games are fast-paced and give lots of coins. While other games may be slow and you get less coins. So, I definitely see it teaching patience.
• Value of coins. Fun zones are more expensive than rides. Rides are more expensive than pets leaving clothes to be the cheapest.
• Time and efforts in other games, get a lot of coins, and time spent. Quality over quantity. Learning games, gives lots of money.
• Reading for Ticket game.
• Creative ways of learning we wouldn’t think of. Timed event, this is a supplement. Good bargaining chip. Not good, he loves it so much. All day every day.

Member’s Bonuses

• Member can get more JumpStars which brings your level up (you can go up to 20!), but there’s a limit if your not a member. You get JumpStars from the learning games and stuff. When you get more JumpStars, and levels, you’ll be able to use more stuff.
• When you’re a member, you can get more ribbons and trophies. When you get three ribbons, red, white and blue, you get a trophy to show off in your trophy case in your room.

Random

Flight Suits:

• 5 year old: Flight Suits let you fly in the air or from Free Fall mountain. I wanted to get a flight suit before I was a member, they gave me and red & white and blue,it was locked and I couldn’t use it.Now I’m a member and can use it and buy more flight suits. JoJo has a pink butterfly flight suit and GiGi has a purple bat flight suit. I have a green flight suit that used 75 coins and I had 103, 103-75=28. I’ll have 28 more coins!
• One time I had 95 coins, it was awesome, but I had to make a party for 30 coins on my/party boards; now my cousins and other people can join. We’re all in different neighborhood, Anthony IceDragon.

JumpStart Goes Beyond Being Just An Online Virtual World: Get Your FREE Worksheets, Downloadables and Apps!

JumpStart and KnowledgeAdventure has been part of our family for a long time. But my daughters are olders, so we used DVD’s. Even though KnowledgeAdventure still makes DVD’s, downloadables are so much easier to setup and use! So, once you’ve signed up for JumpStart go under “Manage Account” > “Download Games”. Here you will find games that contain a bunch of additional lessons.

JumpStart learning apps

They also have a bunch of apps which you can check out by going to the JumpStart website and clicking “Mobile”. Having apps is especially awesome for kids who learn better on mobile devices, like our 3 year old cousin.

For Worksheets, go to “Resources” > “Worksheets”. These Worksheets are from PreSchool through 5th Grade!

There’s a lot more available from JumpStart and KnowledgeAdventure, for FREE, too. All you have to do is just explore a bit.

Giveaway: 3 Month JumpStart/MathBlaster Membership ($30.94 Value)! CLICK HERE NOW!

Disclosure: We received a free membership for our review. No compensation was given. All opinions are our own.

JumpStart Now Featuring Madagascar – Review & 3-Month Membership Giveaway (Value: $26.97) is a post from: American Muslim Mom Homeschool

K5 Learning has an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students.  We have been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program for up to 4 kids.  If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their open invitation to write an online learning review of their program. The general public is offered only a 14-day free trial.

We’ll give a detailed review in the coming weeks, insha Allah.

K5 Reading & Math – Free 6-Week Trial for Bloggers is a post from: American Muslim Mom Homeschool

There are dozens of popular websites out there specializing in intellectually stimulating toys for youngsters. The field of developmentally appropriate yet stimulating toys actually melds well with current research in neuroscience. That is, neuroscience suggests the process of neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons, is surprisingly most active during prenatal and neonatal development until the last stages of toddlerhood. Basically, the human brain is only born with half of the one hundred and twenty billion adult brain cells that will eventually populate it. Guess what? The other half of brain cells is created in the neonatal and preschool years! This means that by optimizing your child’s environment in preschool or earlier, you can actually help her become smarter in her adult years! That sounds like a regular no-brainer to me.

Educational Toys Planet!

Are you implementing these ideas into your preschoolers’ routines? If so, which ones? Do you have more tips to share? Please comment below and let us know!

Where Fun and Engagement Mingle: Intellectually Stimulating Toys for Preschoolers! is a post from: American Muslim Mom Homeschool

Teachers often spend their own pocket money to purchase items for their classroom such as supplies, furniture, and books. Here are some ways to save money when looking for classroom goodies to prevent a dent in your wallet.

1. Friends and family. Ask your friends and family if they have any children’s books they don’t use. Many will be willing to donate some that have been sitting around their houses for a while. These will make an excellent addition to the classroom library at no cost.
2. Thrift Stores. Check our your local Good Will or other thrift stores for gently-used items such as rugs, chairs, or even a computer or two!
3. Browse Facebook groups and blogs such as Teacher’s Market, Teaching Blog Traffic School, Classroom Freebies, and The Organized Classroom Blog to keep an eye out for giveaways, freebies, and tips for your classroom.
4. Teacher discounts. Many stores offer special discounts for teachers. Check out this list of 90+ stores where teachers can save money by showing their teacher’s ID. Examples of these deals include: 20% off at Barnes & Noble, no sales tax at Home Depot, 15% off at Michael’s, 19% off your monthly bill at AT&T, and much more!
5. Online discounts and coupons. Always check Retail Me Not and Ebates (for cash back also) for coupons and specials. Also check out blogs to keep an eye out for sales and specials, such as Coupon Divas, The Krazy Coupon Lady, and Hip2Save.

What are some other ways for teachers to save money on their classroom supplies? Share with us your favorite methods in the comments section below!

How To Save Money on Items for Your Classroom is a post from: American Muslim Mom Homeschool

Learning a second or foreign language can be exciting, yet challenging, for students. For teachers who are teaching Arabic as a second language in America, whether at a private school or a weekend school, there are some points to keep in mind to make learning fun and effective for all age-levels.

1. Make learning interesting and fun. When students find a subject interesting, they will be more eager to learn and participate in class. Try to make lesson plans as engaging and interesting as possible. Lecturing the class for 45 minutes on Arabic pronouns might not be too interesting for the students. Be creative when you come up with your lessons plans. (I will be posting some in the upcoming months, Insha’Allah.)
2. Use visuals and technology. All age groups appreciate visuals and the use of technology, especially when they are learning a second language. Using visuals when teaching new vocabulary words are a must. One good idea is to label several items in the classroom (such as the white board, lamp, desk, chair, etc.). That way, students can see the visual along with the written word in Arabic. Teachers can find numerous videos on the internet as supplemental tools. Click herefor a list of websites that offer free educational videos that can be used in the classroom.
3. Group work. Unfortunately, many teachers who teach Arabic lecture for the whole class period, since that is what is usually done in many Arab countries. Having your students work in groups or pairs is a great way for students to work together and share their ideas and questions. Depending on the age level and proficiency, teachers can also have students do peer review and grade each other’s work. Group work is also great for students who may be introverts and prefer not to speak up in front of the whole class.
4. Repeat and review. Repetition is extremely important for language learners. Repeat the vocabulary word you introduce several times. Repeat the directions if needed and also repeat the homework assignments. Teachers must also take 2-3 minutes at the end of the class to review and summarize  what was just taught.
5. Bilingual dictionaries and glossaries. Have bilingual dictionaries and glossaries accessible in class. Teachers can also give students the option of using a bilingual dictionary during a quiz or test, depending on their level.
6. Homework routines. There should be homework routines such as writing the homework assignments ahead of time in the same place. This is a  good idea so students won’t have an excuse about not knowing about the assignments. Teachers can dedicate an area on the white board where he always writes the homework assignment for the day.
7. Clear directions. Directions should always be stated clearly. Directions should be said out loud, written, and also have examples. Teachers should make sure the students understand the directions and check for comprehension.
8. Encourage questions. Teachers should encourage questions in the classroom. Instead of asking, “Who has a question?” ask, “What are your questions?” This will encourage more students to ask questions and doesn’t sound as intimidating.
9. Extra time. Extra time should be given to language learners to practice new concepts.  Even on standardized tests in the U.S., English Language Learners have the option of taking extra time to complete the test. So teachers should make sure there is enough time for a test or can split the test for students to take over two days.
10. Encouragement. Even if a student answers a question wrong, teachers should respond positively. Say phrases such as “good try” and “almost.” Be sure to smile and make eye contact. This way, students will not be discouraged to answer questions in the future. Of course when students answer a question correctly or do well on their exam, show them what a great job they did with your reaction. Positive reinforcement is important in language classes.

Those are all the basic tips I have to share with you! Do you have more to add? Please share with us in the comments so all of the teachers out there can learn how to best spread their  knowledge of language, Insha’Allah!

Basic Tips to Keep in Mind When Teaching a Second Language is a post from: American Muslim Mom Homeschool

I’ve been studying President Abe Lincoln and the Civil War the past month, and found this quick 10-question quiz. I was SO excited to score 100%! Yay Me!

So, how much do you know about Abe Lincoln? Take this quick free quiz and find out. Then, please share your results, good or bad; because I’m working on a cool project that will help you learn and remember Abe Lincoln facts.

Take a Free Abe Lincoln Online Quiz is a post from: American Muslim Mom Homeschool