Make sure you check out the full review and enter to win an mBot2 at the bottom of the post!

Why Buy a Coding Robot for Kids?

I did the ultimate test to make sure this was the best for my child! I gave it to my website developer, my 12-year-old son! He is a coding wizard, and I knew if he enjoyed it, it would be a hit for all my boys!

Coding is a subject children should be learning because it is becoming a big part of our everyday lives. It is just like a language; if they start at a young age, it will be easier to learn more advanced coding concepts when they are older. The robot brings coding to life and makes it more accessible and motivating to learn.

I set my son up with the more advanced Makeblock mBot2 Rover Robotics Kit. He built the original mBot2 in about 30 minutes, and then the add-ons took him a few hours. To program this coding robot for kids, it uses a program similar to Scratch, a free coding program from MIT.

It uses blocks to stack pieces of code to program the robot. You can then look underneath the coding blocks to see the corresponding Python code and start learning Python, the most common coding language. 

Best Coding Robot for Kids

My son loved how easy it was to code the robot and was able to program it to move right away. It’s always great when your kids can figure something out quickly and immediately get a result from their work. We’ve only used it for a few days, but he has programmed the arms to move, made sounds and expressions, and programmed it to move back and forth. I know he’ll be using it all the time with over 22 learning cases, 4 complete projects, 8 courses he can try, and endless ways to customize the robot.

It’s also durable, with solid metal parts and heavy-duty wheels. It can even go outside and works over rocks and grass. My son has many rough-and-tumble little brothers, so this coding robot for kids must be built to last. 

I can’t wait to see all my son can do with his robot as he learns how to program and control it! Maybe he can make it help with his chores! LOL

More Makeblock mBot2 Features

Some more fun features the Makeblock mBot2 has that we haven’t had time to explore is the remote control, Lego compatibility, speech recognition and programmable sensors! 

The Bluetooth remote control will be great for hand-eye coordination and developing programs for item recovery or dueling. The programmable sensors can pick up on color, movement, expressions, and more! I’m really intrigued by the obstacle avoidance function because it is exactly what a lot of cars are using right now.

The mBot2 can also be customized with Legos and with the different components that are included in the add on Rover Kit. You can create anything you put your mind to with this coding robot for kids! “Robot, pick up my room!” Now wouldn’t that be fun!?

Coding Robot for Future Education

There’s a reason so many homeschoolers are adding this kind of robot into their curriculum. They know that coding and robotics is the future of work and innovation. More and more jobs require the understanding of basic coding principals. Proficiency in these areas will provide our children with a huge advantage in careers and in business. 

Not only that, Coding robots for kids help them troubleshoot and think critically. When a program doesn’t work as expected, they’ll learn to debug it, test, and try again—valuable skills for any area of work.

I really think including a coding robot in your homeschool curriculum will give them vital skills in the fast changing technological world.

Best Coding Robot for Kids Giveaway

Enter to win a Makeblock mBot2 coding robot kit worth $150! Simply fill out the rafflecopter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you Makeblock for providing this giveaway and robot for review.

Giveaway void where prohibited. Must be 18yrs. US Mailing addresses only. Ends 12/24/24.

The post Best Coding Robot for Kids? Makeblock mBot2 Hands-On Review and Giveaway! first appeared on True Aim.

TruPlay is a New Christian Video Games app and We Love It!

As Christian parents, we all want our children to grow up with a strong faith foundation. We want them to learn about God’s loveGod’s love and the Bible in a way that is engaging and fun. But in today’s world, it can be challenging to find safe and meaningful video game options for our kids.

Christian Video Games for Kids

Enter TruPlay, a new Christian video games company for kids. Their new app, Lightside games, is filled with Christian allegories that teach valuable life lessons and biblical principles.

Our favorite game is the Battle for Eldavar. It has a positive storyline where child-like animal characters work to defeat an evil queen who vows to destroy God’s word and with it, everything good in the character’s world. There are evil monsters called Smudz that are trying to attack the Castle where secrets would give the queen the power that she needs to make evil rule. Game play is simple and has you placing the animal characters who have different powers. Certain monsters are killed more easily by certain animal characters so it does take some strategy, but it is a fairly easy game once you get the hang of it.

Another game that I always have enjoyed is the jewel game. In the TruPlay app, they call it stained glass. Match the same colored pieces of glass up and advance through the levels. Each level will reveal a piece of a stained glass picture that displays one of the Bible storiesBible stories and verses. It’s a simple and familiar video game, but weaves the Bible throughout. It’s wonderful to have these positive screentime options for my kids!

There are lots of other games that your kids might be familiar with on the app, but they contain Biblical principals sprinkled throughout and have fun relateable characters. If you use screentime as a reward, this is a great option. I much rather my children play this safe and Christ-centered app than any other video games out there!

Toxic Media

TruPlay offers a solution to the problem of toxic media. With TruPlay, you can be assured that your children are spending their screen time in a safe and wholesome environment. Their Lightside app is designed to be age-appropriate and free from any content that could be harmful to young minds like public chats, blood and gore, or negative storylines that fill their heads with thoughts that are inappropriate for our impressionable children.

TruPlay is a game-changer for Christian families. It offers a way for kids to have fun and learn about God at the same time. You can feel good about your children spending some time on TruPlay, knowing that they are growing in their faith.

In today’s world, it’s essential to find safe and meaningful entertainment options for our kids. Download TruPlay todayDownload TruPlay today and watch your child’s faith grow through play!

Enter to Win!

Enter to win this awesome TruPlay Welcome Package valued at over $100! This includes an annual subscription to the TruPlay platform, a TruPlay t-shirt, a water bottle, a bracelet, and a sticker package valued at over $100. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Which game on TruePlay do you think your kids will enjoy?

The post Christian Video Games Company Launches New App! first appeared on True Aim.

Learning to Play Guitar with Fender Play

Lili tried learning to play guitar for about a month. Through Fender Play, she was able to learn the basics of guitar, including proper technique and finger placement.

To get started with Fender Play, you follow a Path. Their paths are Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, and Pop. Each path has the option for Acoustic and Electric. Lili tried the Rock path. The first lesson was how guitars work, how to use an amp correctly, how to tune your guitar.

She enjoyed the visual aspect of lessons, but felt some lessons (especially the beginner, beginner ones) were hard to follow at times. Having had no experience with guitar before, she felt some of the initial lessons (on how to actually play the guitar) were rushed.

After the first few basic lessons, the program went quickly into how to play songs.  For those who have a basic knowledge of how the guitar works, Fender Play has tutorials for many popular songs. Genres include rock, blues, pop, folk, and country. From Coldplay and Meghan Trainor to Johnny Cash, songs are rated on a difficulty level of 1-3. This is where Fender Play really shines, especially for those with a basic knowledge of guitar, since each tutorial walks you through the chords and riffs for each song.

Additionally, each song has Skills. For example, for the song “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay, we learn the four chords used are C, D, G, and Em. The skills learned through the song are chord anticipation, palm muting, and syncopated strumming.

Being a complete beginner at all things musical, Lili felt some of the song portions were rushed, as they would often just say the chord name, without expanding. Of course, I guess this could easily be solved with steady repetition of notes and lessons, and this wouldn’t be a problem for those with a working knowledge of guitar.

Fender Play is definitely a high quality program for learning to play guitar. Each lesson includes clear voices and picture. Its digital format is especially helpful for busy families and homeschoolers, and its self-led pace is convenient and focuses more on skills mastered than trying to fulfill a schedule. Those completely new to guitar will need some supplements, but those who know the basics and who want to begin learning how to play songs will love Fender Play! Sign up for a 30 Day FREE trial today!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The post Learning to Play Guitar with Fender Play first appeared on True Aim.

Popular Free Learning Sites for Kids and Adults

Blue Manor Academy – Get free character-building eBooks!

IXL – Dynamic, adaptive learning for grades K-12. Math, language arts, science, and social studies included.

Typing Club – Free typing lessons for kids.

Bible.org – Free Bible lessons, mainly learning towards adults

Learn with Essential Skills Advantage – Frugal lessons for auditory, visual, and tactile learned in K-6

Hoffman Academy – Learn to play the piano for free online!

Google Cultural Institute – Discover exhibits and collections from museums around the world.

Khan Academy – Free math and science videos for grades K-12. They have also began adding videos in other categories such as economics and history.

Livemocha – Learn any foreign language with these free online lessons.

Coursera – Hundreds of online courses for upper-level learning.

Starfall – ABC alphabet and phonetic lessons for kids for each letter of the alphabet.

Reading Bear – Learn to read with these free phonics resources; including 50 presentations and over 1,200 vocabulary items.

The Poached Egg – Free Christian Apologetics

Cool Math 4 Kids – Cool online math games for kids!

Funbrain – Math, reading, and more fun games for kids. I used to love their Math Arcade games!

LibriVox – A collection of free public domain audiobooks.

BBC Bitesize – “Bitesize” BBC news for K-8 school students, including free learning lessons for everything from foreign languages to science.

Code – For ages 8+, learn how to code for free, in these hour lessons.

BBC Skillswise – English, grammar, and math lessons for adults.

NIV Adventure Bible – Free Bible trivia and games online.

Spelling City – Practice spelling and vocabulary for free!

Adventures in Odyssey – Character-building Christian-based radio podcasts, plus videos and games.

Teach Your Monster to Read – Learn letters, sounds, and sentences with these free lessons.

TED – Free inspiring videos and stories.

Oxford Owl – Free math and language videos, plus 250 free eBooks, for ages 3-11.

Project Gutenberg – Free eBooks in the public domain; there are over 50,000 free books!

Xtra Math – Master basic math problems for elementary and middle school.

Storybird – Create artful stories and meet other self-starting artists in a similar genre.

More Free Learning Sites

Nick Jr Games – Free Nick Jr-inspired games for preschoolers. Activities range from educational to general fun, fine-motor skill building games.

Jump Start – Free educational games for K-5.

Sheppard Software – Games and lessons for grades K-12, although focusing mostly on elementary-aged children. Lessons include math, phonics, history, health, and geography.

Cookie – Learning (math, science, and language) lessons for elementary school.

PBS LearningMedia – Social studies, math, science, and language lessons for all ages.

Turtle Diary – Kids educational games in math, language, and science for K-5.

Fact Monster – A free, kid-friendly resource and reference site.

Mind Games – Free online mind games and brain puzzles – Sudoku, puzzles, memory challenges, and word games.

Worksheet Works – Hundreds of free worksheets, from math problems to Sudoku puzzles.

Lesson Pathways – Free curriculum for grades K-5.

Ambleside Online – Free homeschool curriculum designed with Charlotte Mason in mind.

Archive – Free public domain books, movies, software, and music.

Fisher Price – Free online games for toddlers and kindergarteners.

iGame Mom – Free educational apps for kids.

BBC History – History for kids, from Ancient history to WWII history.

MobyMax – Personalized learning curriculum for grades K-8.

Old Fashioned Education – An old fashioned, Christian-based curriculum.

Mensa for Kids – Educational videos for K-12, plus some games.

Discovery K-12 – Online homeschool curriculum that isn’t aligned with Common Core.

CK-12 – Free online textbooks in math and science courses.

Math Games

Fun 4 The Brain – Free math games for kids.

Math Worksheet Wizard – Thousands of free math worksheets for kids, grades K-4.

Kids Math Games – Kids math puzzles and games including Sudoku, counting, and problem solving.

Top Marks – Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division for ages 5-11.

Hooda Math – Games for grades K-12; multiplication, fractions, and more!

Science Games

Execulink – Worksheets, games, and quizzes for high school students.

Anatomy Arcade – Study the different parts of the body with these arcade games.

Birds – Bird lessons and videos for middle and high school students.

Reading and Writing

The post 70+ Free Learning Sites for Kids and Adults first appeared on True Aim.

Apps offer kids the hands-on handwriting practice and instruction only an iPad or tablet can bring. They aren’t just practicing, but are learning the correct formation of their letters and numbers. That’s why I’m so excited to introduce you to iTrace in this sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Best Handwriting App for Kids

iTrace is an Apple featured app with over 200,000 users and for good reason. My 3-year-old is in love with it. He asks to play it everyday! This is great for his fine motor skills and has really improved his pencil grip and control. It is teaching him handwriting without me!

I love that I can make all my children a separate account on the same app without having to pay an extra fee. They especially love practicing writing their name!

With each letter, the app shows my children how to write the letter and says the name of the letter. Then there are guidelines that help them as they trace the letter and the line will show in red if they make a mistake, like going too far out of the lines or picking up their finger too soon.

There are also common words that you can trace and you can even add your own words. I use that feature for spelling practice for my older children. For the common pre-loaded words, the app says each letter of the word and then the whole word with a picture example. My children aren’t just getting visual and hands-on practice, but they are hearing the letters as well!

Another awesome feature that I haven’t seen before is the ability to print off worksheets so children can practice on paper and pencil. This is so convenient to test your children and see what letters they need more practice with.

More Features of iTrace

I can’t express how amazing this handwriting app is! In my opinion, it is the best handwriting app for kids that I’ve seen. You need to try it for yourself. Download the free version today!

Here are more great features of iTrace, plus a video to see how easy it is to teach your children to write.

• Support for left-handed children
• Choose from 3 common methodologies of handwriting; Handwriting Without Tears (HWT), Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian, including cursive letters
• View history of each child’s progress
• View Statistical data of each child to address difficulties
• iPhone and iPad support
• More than 600 prizes for completing exercises

iTrace — Handwriting for Kids from Michael Bogorad on Vimeo.

Handwriting App Giveaway!

iTrace is giving away their app to 5 lucky True Aim readers! To win, simply enter the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post iTrace – The Best Handwriting App for Kids first appeared on True Aim.

Now that I’ve used the app with my 7-year-old daughter, I’m amazed! That’s why I’m excited to tell you all about it through a sponsored post from Dragonbox. All opinions are my own.

Don’t miss the giveaway at the bottom of this post!

Dragonbox was created to make difficult math subjects easy and fun to learn. It turns these subjects into a puzzle game that kids love to solve.

Math App: Dragonbox Algebra 5+

When I first started playing the game with my daughter, I didn’t see how it connected to math equations because there were no numbers involved. As the game progresses you can clearly see the connection.

In this game, numbers are replaced with character cards and the 2 sides of the screen represent 2 sides of an equation. There is a dragon box that you are trying to isolate in one section of the screen. This represents the unknown variable you are trying to find and solve the equation.

Slowly the cards are replaced with real numbers and variables as you progress through the levels.

This game is genius! We’ve briefly covered basic fractions, but this game had my daughter solving complex algebraic equations without even realizing it. She loved unlocking new worlds and dragons after finishing a level. It’s one of those games that your kids will just want to keep playing.

Dragonbox Algebra 5+ is for children ages 5 and up. You’ll find teaching tips and a parent guide on their website. Download the Dragonbox for iOS or for Android and you will NOT be disappointed.

Dragonbox also has apps for Geometry and I’m really excited to check that one out too!

Check out the video below and see why all I could say is “wow” after playing this game with my daughter!

DragonBox Giveaway!

DragonBox App is giving away a total of 100 people access to the web-based versions of the algebra and geometry apps. (No mobile device is necessary.) This is valid for anyone in the world. Remember to follow DragonBox on Facebook – Twitter – Youtube for more information on how to teach these math subjects with the app!

The post Math App: Dragonbox Homeschool Algebra Giveaway! first appeared on True Aim.

Soft, colorful, and endless opportunities for imaginary play; Pom poms are an essential item if you have a busy toddler in the house.  My son can play with them for a whole hour and even his older sisters like to join in on the fun.  As they happily play with their ‘feast’, ‘bugs’, or ‘jewels’, I can get a lot done around the house.  Who knew such a simple activity would captivate my children for so long.  But, I didn’t come up with the activity on my own.

I had a little help from a new app called Knoala.  This is the perfect app for parents of young children.  Wether you’re waiting in the doctors office, taking a road trip, or just want to connect with your kids, Knoala offers access to hundreds of activity prompts for parents that require little to no set up.

When I first gave the pom poms to my toddler I didn’t expect that the activity would turn into an educational one.  My children started sorting, counting, and acting out different rolls with the pompoms.  It was a joy to watch them get along and explore while creating their own little world.

Get the FULL play prompt instructions here:

Knoala isn’t just an app it is a community.  I love how the app allows you to participate in the creation of activity ideas.  You can submit your idea to be added to the app and all activities can be shared with your friends instantly.  I’m definitely using it to plan play dates and get birthday game ideas too!

What kinds of activities does your toddler like to do?  For more simple activity ideas for kids, like us on Facebook or follow on Pinterest.

P.S. If you liked this activity prompt, be sure to check out the app for yourself!

A little bit more about Knoala….

Knoala offers thousands of fun & development-boosting activities for parents to enjoy with infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Based on your child’s age and local weather conditions, Knoala finds activities that are most suitable for you and your family. Bond with your child over games and crafts that foster artistic, cognitive, emotional, motor, sensory and language skills. Connect with thousand of parents to exchange ideas on how to keep your child happy and busy. Follow the hottest mom and dad bloggers for their expert advice on keeping your little ones entertained. With Knoala in hand, you never have to worry about your child feeling bored again. All content on Knoala are free, and always will be.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Simple Toddler Activity: Pom Pom Play first appeared on True Aim.

In our house, math is a favorite subject.  The other day I caught my 6-year-old daughter writing equations and solving them on her own!  I never thought a young girl could be that interested in math.  But for a lot of children, math isn’t fun.  It’s frustrating!  So how do you inspire love for a subject that maybe you dread yourself?

This post contains an awesome giveaway below!

Motivation and modalities are the two key techniques I use to help my children with math. For motivation, I introduce the subject through things my kids are really interested in.  Does your child like puppies, candy, or money?  Those are a few of my daughter’s favorite things.  So, I use them to talk about the problems in a way that inspires her to find the answer.

For example, if Audrey has 4 puppies and I give her 1 more puppy, how many puppies will she get to play with now?  Maybe we’ll use candy to help us solve an equation and then eat it as a reward or find out how many chores she has to do to earn enough to buy a Lego set.  Connecting the problems to real life is key to making math meaningful, and also fun, for your children.

Changing the way your children solve the problems is another technique that really helps (modalities).  If my daughter sees the same math problem represented in different ways and learns to solve them, she’ll start to recognize patterns in the equations.  For example, I can show Audrey the same addition problem represented by pictures, or numbers, or by a story problem to help her understand that they are all the same.

That is why I love Splash Math!  It does all of these things for you.  It motivates your children through interactive games, a reward system, and exciting HD animations, while introducing your children to several different modalities of the same problem.

We’ve been using it for a few months now and it has really improved Audrey’s math comprehension.  Plus, she requests to play all the time!  Watch the video below to get a glimpse of what it’s like to play. Splash Math is a comprehensive math program for children in Grades 1-5.  Covering over 300+ concepts, your children can practice math anywhere with access from your home computer, tablet, or IPad.  You can also track your children’s progress in a detailed report to see which skills they have mastered, and which ones they need more practice on.  The best part is, your children get 20 questions per day for free!

Try Splash Math for Free

Splash Math Giveaway!

Splash Math is generously giving 1 of my readers a Multi-Grade Pack worth $29.99!  5 other winners will receive the Single-Grade Pack worth $9.99!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Make Math Fun with Splash Math: Review & Giveaway first appeared on True Aim.

Cool Apps for Kids that Inspire Savings and Entrepreneurship

If you liked this post, please visit Ballooning Nest Eggs for more ideas on how to develop healthy financial habits in your children.  What apps inspire your children?  Please list your favorite in a comment below!

Dorothy Frank is the Mother of twin boys and the Social Media Director and Contributing Writer for Ballooning Nest Eggs. She earned her BA in Theater from Cornell University. She is most proud of getting a law passed in NJ allowing parents of multiples the choice in classroom placement.

Linking up Here

Want to give your kids a head start?  

Check out our Preschool Curriculum!

The post Guest Post: Cool Apps for Kids that Inspire Savings and Entrepreneurship first appeared on True Aim.