Archive for the ‘Parent Tips’ Category

I renewed my love of Yahtzee a few months ago, in a little cottage in Hawaii when my husband and I discovered it was the only board game in the place. We were trapped inside at 7pm every night with our three month old baby and spent many hours playing this fun and competitive game. Yahtzee [...]

We’ve just wrapped up our series on the “Top Educational Toys”—we had a good time catching up on some cool learning toys. Hey, we were going to go shopping for our kids, nieces, and nephews anyway! But in the course of writing it we never really took the opportunity to talk about why learning [...]

When we conceived the idea for DreamBox Learning online math games, we knew that homeschoolers would be people we understand and relate to. After all, we have a lot in common. Homeschoolers believe in taking no chances with their kids’ education. DreamBox agrees. Homeschoolers believe that hands-on, individualized learning is crucial. DreamBox agrees. While these [...]

Sampa: A thoughtful, heart-warming gift for the family Since the best gifts come from the heart, we’re wrapping up our holiday gift guide with Sampa. Using Sampa, families can create their own private webpage for free. Ok, so Sampa isn’t exactly educational (unless you’re tech phobic). But DreamBox Learning believes the heart is every bit as [...]

In the spirit of sharing fun at-home math activities with parents, here’s a suggestion for a great game that gives kids an opportunity to practice mental math without the boring worksheets! At the suggestion of Alexandria Jones in her Lets Play Math blog, my family recently played Contig. Alexandria is a homeschooling mom who loves [...]

I’ve had variations of the following conversation with relatives a couple of times in recent months. Has something similar happened to you? “She loves playing DreamBox and was doing fine. But now the questions are too hard and she’s getting frustrated.” “Hmm… Have you perhaps been helping her with her answers?” “Well… not… really. She hates getting questions [...]

ItzaBitza: A Learning Game Filled with Artistic Adventure for Ages 4 and Up “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” Albert Einstein once said. We agree. Einstein’s creative vision changed mathematics forever. DreamBox Learning couldn’t complete the holiday toy countdown without this imaginative toy, where kids learn to read as they watch their drawings come alive. Here’s [...]

My First Discovery Box: Full of Engaging Activities for Ages 2 and up Discovery boxes make excellent first learning toys for toddlers. They teach children motor skills and stimulate tactile senses with colored beads and dials. Read on and find out why we picked the My First Discovery Box for number 6 in our educational toys [...]

DreamBox Learning’s holiday gift-giving guide continues with what is believed to be one of the oldest games in the world: Mancala! Read on and find out which version we chose and why we picked it for the number 5 slot. Mancala: A marvelous math game for kids ages 6 and up. Deluxe Wood Folding Mancala The word Mancala [...]

I took my two young boys, ages 5 and 3, to the Seattle Children's Museum on Sunday and was quite impressed with their new exhibit "Go Figure!". Here, in one of our very own museums, is a great exhibit that has a dozen or more engaging ways for kids to think about math! We give parents tips all the time about everyday activities they can do and books they can read with their kids that incorporate math. This exhibit actually brings to life several such books and activities.