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  1. #1
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Default Quality Screen Time Options?

    I'm trying to prep for my summer schedule. I've decided on four days a week of learning time in the morning. I'm kind of excited about my program. One thing I'm relying on right now to help moderate the four different levels of learning (more relevant to the two youngest) is a program called "Epic". It is a subscription through Scholastic that we get for free from the school. It has videos and books. The books are actually pretty quality. They are picture books and short novels and some are "read to me" which allow DD to read higher than her actual level. Of course, mostly what she picks are videos without a whole lot of learning attached. I use it to help motivate DD to finish her learning. And when she's finished with her work and spends some time on it, I can help the older kids with their work. She is the youngest and still needs a lot of attention. Almost all her work requires that I direct her so when she's on Epic I can help the other kids.

    Is Epic my best option? I see that I can pay for a subscription throughout the summer and I'm not opposed to that. I like that I can tell her to stay on this app and she doesn't accidentally run into material that is inappropriate (unlike just letting her loose on youtube). She does like StarFall but she's spent a lot of time on that one and it doesn't feel like a reward to her. I'm actually a little worried that Epic will stop being completely appealing but after a couple of months she still really loves going on there.

    Do you guys know of other quality screen time options? Again, to recap this is a bit of a "reward" and also a way to keep her engaged while I work with the older kids. DD is 6. Ds3 really likes it too and he's 8.

    Thanks!!

  2. #2
    Tenasparkl is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    My son really likes Prodigy for fun math games. You can use it for free, but more content is available with a subscription. We like GoNoodle too for physical activity.

  3. #3
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    My kids like epic and prodigy.


    Mystery science is an amazing website and has lots of science lessons. But it’s on a web browser
    DD (3/06)
    DS1 (7/09)
    DS2 (8/13)

  4. #4
    doberbrat is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Prodigy is loved by most kids in my class. I dislike it b/c it feels like more 'fun' than learning, but that sounds like its exactly what you're looking for.

    Tumble books is similar to epic but doesnt have the videos. Many libraries are offering free access right now. Cool math an abcYA are more math sites that are fun.

    Online field trips may be of interest to you.
    dd1 10/05
    dd2 11/09
    and ... a mini poodle!

  5. #5
    bw52 is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    My 6 y.o uses raz kids, also. It’s similar to get epic. She uses those and prodigy.

  6. #6
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    My 6 year old has been using Raz Kids and Xtra Math.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    DS 2/14
    DD 8/17

  7. #7
    twowhat? is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    I just started making my kids read 15 min of Time For Kids every day (it's the Time magazine kids curated news site). Content is broken up by grade level. You probably couldn't give them totally free rein since it's a website after all, but I've gone in and clicked around and there aren't any external advertisements and links on a page stay within the timeforkids.com domain. Videos are embedded and don't link out to youtube. So I think it's safe so long as they don't leave timeforkids.com and that's probably what you'd need to monitor for. There's enough free content there to spend a little time each day and I think they have subscription-based content too.

  8. #8
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Thank you all. My 2nd grader loves Prodigy (as did his older brother several years ago). I hadn't thought of letting DD try. I like free. I don't love the hard sell for prodigy and I agree that it is more "fun" than learning. I'm not opposed to that... it is what it is!

    Reading up about Epic I read many reviews that said that once you pay for the subscription it is very difficult to stop. That's kind of a red flag to me. I saw some reviews on Common Sense Media too.

    A bigger problem that just occurred to me too... We're losing 3 iPads when we need to return them to the school next week. It has been awfully nice to have a device for each kid. Sounds like overkill but it isn't! I don't know that I can guarantee that a screen will be available for her when she's "done" with her schooling. Maybe I gotta figure out something that is not a screen? The only screen besides my desktop computer is my TV and it is in the same room! (Or maybe my iPhone?)

    Any thoughts on that conundrum?

  9. #9
    doberbrat is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Any chance your school will let you keep the devices over the summer? What if you 'forget' to return them till Sept? (We dont have to return ours till then)

    kindle fires are pretty cheap - might be worth the expense for some sanity? A portable dvd player?
    dd1 10/05
    dd2 11/09
    and ... a mini poodle!

  10. #10
    ang79 is online now Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    I tried Epic a few years ago when they offered a free 3 month trial over the summer. I don't think I had any problems canceling it when the trial was over. My kids didn't use it a ton because at that point we only had one tablet. It was handy to use when traveling so that they didn't have to take along tons of books and I do remember a good range of levels and types of books.

    Here is a huge list of a bunch of online learning programs that were being offered for free when the school closures first started. Some of them are always free I think, if you want to look at it: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/13560...XJAqNP9Ldzp9cQ

    Also, if your kids are still in school, ask their teachers to send them an invite to access free ABC Mouse (and two other reading programs for older kids) which the teacher can get through this link: https://www.ageoflearning.com/schools. I signed up my daughter for the Reading IQ to use the two weeks they were first off school but did not have online lessons from their teachers set up yet. She had to read some short passages and answer questions and that helped determine her reading level then there was a whole library of books she could choose from to read online. She didn't use it much, instead she raided her older sister's bookshelf, lol. But from what I saw it seemed like a good program to find on level books. Adventure Academy is an online game with reading, and ABC Mouse is used in many of our elem. schools as tech time during reading centers. I actually sent this link to my daughter's ELA teacher in case she wanted to share it with families. She said it was really easy as the teacher to sign up and get a code that was then sent in an invite to students' parents if they wanted to use the program. The programs will continue to be free through Labor Day.

    Other online programs that my kids have used are Khan Academy, Cool Math Games, and Xtra Math (they did not like this one). As for the non-tech learning, would she work independently with workbooks? When my kids were younger I often got math fact practice books from the Dollar Tree (Disney Princess and Tinkerbell, which they loved at the time). My kids love to read, so as long as we have plenty of books around, they are pretty happy! How about having her practice writing by writing a story of making a book and illustrating it on her own? Have her practice cursive writing with a writing book? I know most schools no longer teach cursive, but my kids have learned a little, which at least helps for when they have to sign their signatures! Or read a card from an older relative that is written in cursive

    Good for you for planning ahead to have them doing daily learning! We officially start summer vacation tomorrow. Other than instrument practice and reading, I don't have any other plans yet. My 13 yr. old is using Duo Lingo to try to learn French. My 11 yr. old is pretty open to learning activities, so we may try some science stuff, and also try some math game websites, just to keep a bit of the routine that we've had the past 2 months, and to ensure some quiet time for DH while he is working from home in the living room!

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