If I had a K, 1st, or 2nd grader, I’d be running out (or online, thanks to the beauty of technology) to purchase or download Knowledge Adventure’s new educational game Jump Start World. That’s just how much the kids and their blogging parents are loving it. Said one mom, “Out of ALL the things I’ve reviewed this is my absolute favorite. I would absolutely buy this (and I plan on buying the other levels I don’t have).”
Not familiar with Jump Start World? It’s a computer game featuring a series of 12 adventure packs that help your kids work on critical thinking, reading, and math. The parents thus far called it everything from savvy to sophisticated. “My review for this was due on Wednesday - and honestly, it is late because I couldn’t get my kid to stop playing this game long enough for me to review it! He absolutely loves it, and as always, I’m impressed with the savvy approach that JumpStart uses to keep kids engaged.”
One mom really hated calling it a game since so much learning was happening.”The “Game” can even by customized with the child’s birthday, holidays, uploaded photos and artwork. I hate to even call it a game - there is so much learning that goes on.”
But the game format was extremely motivating to kids, particularly the gem collecting, which many bloggers mentioned in their reviews. “My son, like almost every kid his age, is motivated by rewards, and he thoroughly enjoyed the “gems”. I like the fact that he can trade the gems online for rewards, and if I remember, I can check up on what he’s doing in the parental controls section.”Another blogger concurred. “Once MB realized that the gems he earned could be used to purchase rewards, he was an absolute madman! Whereas before the discovery he just wandered around and played a game here or there, he suddenly had to try out ALL of the games and missions giving him a chance for better rewards each time.”
One blogger offered a full play-by-play starting with the initial downloading of the game through to her child’s experience with it.
As the kids play, parents can keep track of their progress. “As I mentioned before, all of their progress is tracked and reported through the Parent Center so I can see what areas my child is doing well at and which ones he could use extra work or assistance with.” Another mom noted, “I was also able to go unit by unit and see exactly what was being covered - a little math, a little reading, and a little bit of brain-stretching critical thinking. That got big thumbs-up from me, because the kid gets seriously bored if it’s “just” one thing that the program focuses on. Mix it up, and he’s hooked.”
One blogger noted that the game not only addresses academic skills (whether they be easy or challenging for your child), but social skills as well. “And so, even if the program isn’t quizzing him on advanced mathematics or having him read stories on his own, it seems that there are some other educational concepts that the Cat will need to work on, such as social skills, and will enjoy doing so given this interactive universe and reward system.”
The only difficulty that a few parents mentioned was the initial downloading portion of the game. However, other parents felt it was simple. “It was very simple - non cluttered and easy to navigate which is nice in comparison to other sites we’ve been using lately. It basically told me what I needed to know and did so in a simple, clean way. I like that.”
Jump Start World is definitely not a one-off game, as one blogger carefully noted.
One of the other really novel ideas about JumpStart World is how it can grow with your child. The game comes with two Adventure Packs, and you can subscribe to the JumpStartWorld site, and you’ll receive a new Adventure Pack with more games and skills each month - for a total of 12 Adventure Packs per grade. Unlike typical educational software that is quickly mastered and outgrown, this allows the product to stay current with your child’s development.
If you’re not sold yet, why not try the free download! You’ll have just enough time to purchase the game for your kiddo before the holidays ($19.95).
Check out our other reviews, as well as our fantastic Parent Bloggers approved Holiday Must-Haves list!
Wed 11/28 - Island Review
Thurs 11/29 - Domestic Diva
Fri 11/30 - Lipstick to Crayons
Mon 12/3 - Chaos Theory& Krississippi
Tues 12/4 - Midwestern Mommy, Slouching Mom
Wed 12/5 - EbonyMom, Mama Maven
Thurs 12/6 - Get in the Car
Fri 12/7 - Mothergoosemouse
12/11 — FINAL ROUND UP
![[Bloglines]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[Kaboodle]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kaboodle.png)
![[kirtsy]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kirtsy.png)
![[Slashdot]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/slashdot.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
This is a great game and you can read my review here.
[...] every single parent and kid, including our first group of reviewers, who tried this game loved it. In fact, it’s almost a Parent Bloggers Network [...]
Fine game, and my daughter loves it.
BUT!! Be warned that your initial purchase of the boxed program only provides two of the 13 modules in the 1st Grade set. You have to pay an additional subscription fee ($65 for all, or $7.99 per month) to obtain the other modules.
It’s a bit of a racket, and an unpleasant surprise when you find this out. Unfortunately, their online ordering system is buggy, and has problems with certain credit cards (choked on both of mine, for no known reason), so obtaining the further downloads may prove problematic.
CS