Brainzy by Education.com {Review & Giveaway}

Hi, we’re the Baltzersens and we’re a tech family! Both of our girls have had iPads since they were about a year old and they know how to use them.  Our policy has always been that their apps be educational and challenging so their screen time “counts.”  And that has been working fine until recently when we realized our now 3 1/2 year old has completely mastered all of the toddler/preschool apps I had downloaded to her tablet and is getting bored.  We soon discovered there aren’t a lot of apps for sharp preschoolers out there.  Either the programs are too babyish or they jump up to be text-heavy for literate grade schoolers, with not a lot of quality options in between.

Because we homeschool, we have a membership with abcmouse.com  and find it to be a great comprehensive learning system for 2-6 year olds, covering a broad spectrum of subjects.  But there’s no fooling our daughter:  the program is “school.” Inside the program, she has a classroom, a teacher, a linear progression of lessons with a heavy focus on a ticket-based reward system for completing activities.  So while she willingly logs in to do “schoolwork,” she asked for “new games” to play outside of her schoolwork.   So the hunt was on.

I was getting frustrated until last week when we got the opportunity to review the Brainzy online learning program from Education.com. My search was over.  Brainzy, like abcmouse.com, is a membership-based program that works on desktop, laptops and tablets, but it’s different enough, with a specific focus on math and reading, that it makes sense to have both.  Brainzy is geared for 3-7 year olds and focuses on math and reading skills through a bunch of interactive games and activities.  Education.com worked with industry experts and sifted through something like 20 million worksheets to create the best activities, which are aligned with the Common Core Curriculum State Standards, to design Brainzy in a way that engages kids in a truly creative way.

Brainzy is designed like a game, with a fun cast of characters in an engaging environment called the Land of Knowhere.  Kids are free to hop from activity to activity within this virtual world and don’t realize they are actually doing work.  The activities are also designed in a variety of ways to suite all types of learners.  It doesn’t fee like schoolwork and my daughter LOVES it.

I know exactly what she is learning while using Brainzy because I can log in and view her progress dashboard to see which activities she favors, which she has completed and which she needs additional help with.   If I feel she needs additional help in a particular subject or topic, I can search for and print free worksheets from Education.com designed by the same educators and specialists behind Brainzy.   For a homeschooling mom, this gives me confidence and assurance that we’re staying on track for her age group.  One other reason I’m enjoying Brainzy: it’s designed and written by cool people with a sense of humor.  Unlike some preschool apps that sound and feel corny, Brainzy is hip enough I don’t mind sitting and watching my daughter play in it.  The music is catchy and the narration and character interactions are entertaining.

Each Brainzy account can accommodate up to three players, making it a snap for parents to customize Brainzy for multiple children. Brainzy also offers a classroom version for teachers that can accommodate up to 35 students.

Brainzy is available by monthly subscription ($6.99 per month) or annual subscription ($3.99 per
month), and provides an ad-free environment safe for kids to explore on a tablet, desktop, or laptop
computer. Visit Brainzy.com for more information and to sign up for a free 7-day trial.

THE GIVEAWAY

Win it: Two lucky US/CAN winners will win a one year subscription to Brainzy! ($50 approx. value each) Enter below via Rafflecopter, good luck!

Disclosure: I received a sample of a product to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided and all views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own.