I’ve known the brand JumpStart since my 10 year old was about 4.   At about 4 years old I thought Sebastian was ready to play computer games so I went out to buy some and didn’t have much luck finding a game that he could navigate and play without having to use a mouse.. until I found JumpStart at Target.  I loved that Sebastian didn’t have to use the mouse to play JumpStart games.   I’ve been a fan of JumpStart games ever since.

JumpStart 3d virtual world

My 4 year old daughter recently started playing in the JumpStart.com 3d virtual world and has a blast.  She loves the character we created for her and is very proud of herself for using the keyboard to move through JumpStart’s virtual world.  Sebastian’s playing in the JumpStart online virtual world, next to me while I’m writing this and is saying things including “that was awesome”, “this is so cool”, and “mom you’ve got to look at this”.  Yes, those three things over and over.  Oh, and he just found another way to fly in the virtual world.  It doesn’t get more exciting than that!

He’s about to check out the Dragon Sanctuary, a place where kids can hatch, raise, train, then release their dragons.  Update: It’s the 2nd day Sebastian’s been playing JumpStart.com online virtual world games and he’s very excited that his dragon hatched.

Sebastian playing JumpStart online 3d virtual world game

JumpStart.com has online games for preschoolers to upper elementary grade kids.  JumpStart’s StoryLand is aimed at 3-5 year olds and for children in kindergarten to 2^nd grade, there is AdventureLand and MarineLand, an underwater adventure.   FutureLand is for kids from 3rd to 5th grade.  Both of my kids have fun on JumpStart.com and best of all, I can keep up with what they are doing and how they are progressing.  I don’t have to keep up with much for my 4 year old but Sebastian, 10, will play games for hours if I let him and it’s nice to see how and what he’s doing via a progress report area on JumpStart.

JumpStart Math Blaster CD game

JumpStart Mathblaster CD

Sebastian loves JumpStart’s Math Blaster CD game which is geared for kids ages 6 to 12.  Math Blaster: Master the Basics is a fast-action, futuristic adventure that adds up to total math success. From addition and subtraction to multiplication and division, children will build confidence, speed and accuracy in basic math skills that will stay with them long after their mission is complete.  Math Blaster: Master the Basics combines exciting, fast-action game play and state-standard math content, making it a fun game for kids but educational at the same time.  Who knew learning math could be fun? Sebastian learned a lot from Math Blaster last school year.  He was in need of some help with math during 4th grade and Math Blaster’s fun and entertaining games made learning math fun for him.. when I couldn’t.  I was having a hard time trying to figure out how to get him to learn more complicated math facts that he needed to learn and wasn’t picking up on but Math Blaster did the job.

JumpStart online games can be played on PC’s and Mac’s!

Where to find JumpStart

JumpStart.com website

JumpStart on Facebook

Follow JumpStart on Twitter

JumpStart.com Membership Giveaway!

Details coming by July 14th

JumpStart Online 3D Virtual World is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

I’m having a blast trying out new iPhone apps and what’s even better is that I get to watch my kids enjoy them too! Yes, I try apps for organizing, apps for recipes, apps for travel, but apps for the kids are the most fun because my kids are involved and I love to see their reaction and desire to play or watch them over and over again.  My kids are on iPhone time limits.  I don’t recommend handing your iPhone over to your kids and letting them have at it for hours. I think about 10 minutes at a time is plenty.

Animal Fun Time (iTunes link), brought to us by people operating technology, provides interactive musical on-screen flashcards featuring the animals as the stars. Promoting interactive see, touch & recognition skills, with bright colors and great sound effects, it’s the perfect app for a busy toddler AND for a busy parent who needs a busy toddler!

So what is Animal Fun Time? It is an app that teaches toddlers ages 3+ animal recognition as well as hand-eye coordination.  There are 5 animals on the screen at a time and your child must ‘press’ on the correct animal to move to the next screen. Kids are awarded with realistic (if not real) animal sounds and enthusiastic praise when he/she presses on the correct animal.

Madelyn, 3 years old, has a great time with Animal Fun Time. She loves to hear the noise each animal makes when she chooses the correct animal. The game is randomized so the game is never the same and thus your kids won’t get bored with it. Oh, and don’t worry, there’s no need for instructions so you can count on handing your iPhone over to your toddler to play Animal Fun Time and she’ll be on her way to a super fun time!

GIVEAWAY!
Thanks to people operating technology, we are giving 5 lucky readers their own free copy of Animal Fun Time!
1 entry: Just leave a comment below telling me why you want to win Animal Fun Time and/or tell us a funny story about your child and your iPhone.  Did something crazy happen when your kid had your iPhone?  Let us know!
2 extra entries: Click the green ‘retweet’ button to share this post with your Twitter friends then leave a comment below with your Twitter ID.
Entries accepted until August 25th, 2009.

[tweetmeme]

Animal Fun Time iPhone app review + 5 readers will get a free copy! is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

KidZui is an Internet browser for kids that I recently installed on my laptop and my son’s laptop.  He totally LOVES KidZui.  He has access to his favorite games and virtual worlds like Club Penguin and is introduced to safe online games and educational websites that he might not have otherwise learned about and can even interact SAFELY with other KidZui members. No matter where a user is in KidZui, he/she can get back to the KidZui home screen, and lists of games, virtual worlds, educational sites, and more.  In other words, navigating KidZui is simple.

Great for kids ages 3-12, KidZui users (even non-members) can create their own Zui choosing a hairstyle, clothes, and even the shape of his eyes.  All of the options can make for a very interesting Zui!

KidZui is a stand alone Internet browser meaning that you do not have to have IE or Firefox open to access KidZui.

KidZui FEATURES FOR PARENTS:

• Parent Account access
• Find out what websites your child has been visiting
• E-mailed reports of your kid’s online activity
• Accounts include all the kids in your family – Sebastian and Madelyn have their own Zui’s
• Unlimited history of your kid’s activity – MEMBERS ONLY
• View your kid’s top interests by their online activity – MEMBERS ONLY
• Block individual websites – MEMBERS ONLY

KidZui FEATURES FOR KIDS

• Over a million pieces of content
• Express your style & create your own Zui
• Share your favorite content with friends
• Join the community & make parent approved friends
• Unlock over 100 new Zui clothes & accessories – MEMBERS ONLY
• Create your own channel with your favorite content – MEMBERS ONLY
• Unlock extra features by gaining levels – MEMBERS ONLY

GIVEAWAY!
We are giving 5 lucky readers a FREE KidZui Membership!
1 entry: Leave a comment below telling me why you want your own KidZui Membership and you are entered to win!
2 extra entries: Retweet this post using the green retweet button below then leave a comment below with your Twitter user name in the Twitter ID box so we know you ‘retweeted’ this post.  That’s it! [tweetmeme]

KidZui, the Internet for Kids + we are giving away 5 KidZui Memberships! is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

ZulaWorld, a fun and educational online virtual world for kids ages 5 and up, is based on the PBS show The Zula Patrol.  In Zula World’s virtual world, kids can create their own avatar, fly their own spaceship, and discover for themselves that when it comes to science, exploring is never boring. Sebastian has found that there are endless possibilities when in Zula World and enjoys playing the games to earn Zlinkles to by stuff for his spaceship and pet Fweeble for example. Players can see other players and ask them pre-written questions such as “Want to play a game?”.  All ‘talking’ between members is via pre-written phrases so your kids are not at risk of reading anything inappropriate.

In ZulaWorld™, a user’s experience is full of discoveries and play that encourage and reward scientific thinking. They will play games, go on quests, and be assigned missions that reinforce and foster the development of their science, math, and critical thinking skills!

VIP Membership – As a Premium “Galactic” Member of ZulaWorld, you can:

• Create, accept and send Secret Handshakes to your friends
• Visit your friends inside their Spaceships
• Buy Premium items for your Alien and your Spaceship
• Fly your Spaceship to other worlds
• Buy a lot for your Spaceship in one of Zula’s Neighborhoods
• Wake up your Fweeeb from hibernation
• Play advanced games
• Accept and complete “missions

As a free member of ZulaWorld, you can:

• Create an Alien
• Build your own Spaceship
• Get your own communicator and stay in touch with your friends
• Accept Secret Handshakes from your friends
• Have Pet Fweebs to take care of
• Play entry level games and quests to earn Zlinkles(Ż)
• Buy upgrades to your spaceship (Sebastian has a moon patterned spaceship)

Learn more about and join ZulaWorld here.

GIVEAWAY!
We are giving away a VIP Membership to ZulaWorld.com to a lucky reader!  To enter, leave a comment below telling us why you want to win and the age of your child.  Contest ends August 15th, 2009.

ZulaWorld.com, an online virtual destination for kids ages 5+ is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

Why do boys get to have all the trading card fun?  They don’t.. silly me.  Now with Bella Sara collectible trading cards and miniature velvety horses, girls ages 8-12 will spend hours trading and playing with the magical world of Bella Sara.  

Bella Sara trading cards were introduced a while ago and the addition of these adorable miniature horses make for amazing fun for girls.  The Miniatures
collection is the first time Bella Sara collectors get the chance to collect actual figurines of
the Bella Sara horses.

When I received my Bella Sara package from Team Mom I didn’t realize that two of the packages held beautiful miniature horses.  Madelyn was there when I opened the first package and her face lit and she immediately took the horse to her doll house and welcomed her into her dollhouse family.  The horses fit in the palm of your hand and there are 20 velvety horses and bonus codes to collect in all.  Imagine the fun girls will have with these along with the Bella Sara trading cards. Bonus codes are used on the Bella Sara website which is a place where girls can play games and collect and care for horses.  Girls get their own cottage upon signing up for a free Bella Sara account.

More about Bella Sara

• Girls can have even more fun on the interactive Bella Sara game website

• 20 collectible horses

• 20 bonus codes to use on the website

• 8 series of trading cards

• Trading card game

• Bella Sara books

  
  

Bella Sara Treasures & Miniatures collections is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

Are you crazy like a cat.. a Cat in the Hat?  My kids are and maybe I am too, just a little bit.  I am guessing that almost everyone reading this review owns a copy of The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess.  By the way, did you know that his birthday is Monday, March 2nd.  What the perfect reason to bake a yummy cake..  I'm sure even at 107 years old Dr. Suess will appreciate your thoughtfulness and so will your kids.

The Cat in the Hat I Can Do That! game brings The Cat in the Hat book to life via the game, giving kids a new and incredibly fun way to experience this
classic Dr. Suss story we loved as children and our kids love now.  The Cat in the Hat I Can Do That! game will entertain your entire family, maybe not your 15 year old, including your husband! You'll all laugh and connect your family in a way that TV or video games can't.

I Can Do That! comes with imaginative props inspired by the classic
child
ren's book The Cat In the Hat by Dr. Seuss, as well as a deck of
color-coded cards that provide funny, challenging activities thus the name I Can Do That!.

"I Can do That" is a fun game that engages kids in fast paces activities. 

• First, your child flips over one red card, one blue card, and one yellow card. 
• After flipping the cards your child fits them together like puzzle pieces which when read together as a sentence, form an activity for your child to do. 
• For example, one card might read "Take Four Giant Steps," the next card might read "With
  the Cake," and the third card might read "On your head!" How funny is that!?
• Each card also has one, two, or
  three stars on it for score keeping purposes. 
• This is a great confidence boosting game as kids will complete challenges they may not have thought possible.

Cat in the Hat I Can Do That! is available at Amazon.com
and you can learn more about the game at the "I Can Do That!" website, which I highly recommend visiting.  There are lots of other fun games like Horton Hears a Who – You to the Rescue and Curious George games.

Enjoy!

Cat in the Hat – I Can Do That! game is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!