Quintessential motherhood. Teetering over the laissez-faire heights of life, enjoying the moment, and then tottering into the guilty thoughts of Am I doing enough? Are my kids learning enough?
There are always comparisons. Between our kids and others. Between our kids themselves. But life’s not meant to be compared, to be dissected and analyzed. It’s meant to be lived. And so I send those guilty mama thoughts off the playground for not playing nice.
This summer we decided to begin a little bit of kindergarden prep and dabble in the fields of homeschooling. We try and merge life’s high moments with learning experiences… as we bake, my little girl measures and counts off the cups of flour and teaspoons of cinnamon. As we write our grocery lists, I dictate the letters and she spells out B-R-E-A-D. Our iPad and phones are loaded up with preschool apps and I’ve got an overflowing bin of rainbow crayoned number and letter printouts. Will we always continue to homeschool? I’m not sure yet. Do we follow a strict schedule? Ha! Only in my perfect home-turned-school dreams. But for now, it works.
And then when we get the chance to try out something new, I relish the opportunity. We recently tested out Knowledge Adventure’s new Jumpstart online learning program, and after a bit of a learning curve for my recently-turned four year old (she’s been used to touch screens, so using the keypad introduced a learning curve), she’s been enjoying her very own online world.
I think her favorite part of it all is creating her avatar… picking the character, choosing hair, expressions, and wardrobe which can be done as little or as often as she’d like. Her character then walks through her online world and completes tasks, from fun little adventures to learning exercises, all while earning gems to purchase rewards. And you know baby girl has been lovin’ those gems.
We’ve kept Aliyah mostly in lands geared toward 3-5 year olds, like StoryLand, where preschoolers can find learning games that teach important skills like letter and number recognition, phonics, patterns and more. Though with this program, there are lands that teach up to a 5th grade level… and I can’t help but smile as her elfed Jumpee makes her way through the new holiday themed Winter WonderLand.
I had to know that inevitably, in our technology loving family, my husband would find the Jumpstart app and it keeps both of my littles entranced.
Want to try it? Jumpstart is providing one commenter on this post with a free premium 3-month membership! To enter, simply leave a comment.
And now the teeter is moving it’s way back up to that happy place of cuddles and kisses, my little ones await.
Disclosure: I was provided with a JumpStart membership at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.
allenaim photography and design says
Your first line said it all…:)
I love the way your little girly’s eyes are lit up creating her avatar 🙂
Jaden Paige says
Illy would LOVE this!! Thanks for the opportunity, I may check it out whether I win or not! 🙂
Ashlee says
You know, I always feel like I’m not teaching Jude enough. I have even thought about maybe putting him in Preschool next year. I have been praying hard about it. I am still undecided. But until I do decide, I love online learning websites. We play “Games” (As Jude calls them) every day. He can count to 5, and knows a few letters. It’s a start.
Crystal Rae says
That was a great program. And you guys are doing awesome with Aliyah schooling at home. I’m amazed at all the numbers she can recognize, 🙂
S U J A Y S says
you are beautifull people with the perfect parental mindset. thats good.
Barbara says
What a nice giveaway! If I won, I’d pass this on to my daughter in law ASAP. And am going to tell her to check it out right now.
You always have the nicest parenting tips and fabulous photos!
Gerri says
Yes, you have to do what works for you and yours!
Grace says
If you follow your instincts, seldom does it lead you astray.
Shannon says
Thanks for this opportunity! You sound like me – still not sure if I’ll homeschool or unschool or what kind of school we will do. In the meantime I try to enjoy our moments and learning opportunities together and trust that my boy is getting a rich experience and that I’m doing a good job as his mama!
Christina Lusk says
Not sure how I missed this the first time, but heck yeah! Count me in!