As new homeschool parents, we’re always looking for ways to enhance our family’s homeschool experience. We tend to find new and creative ways for our kids to learn, with a hidden foundation of traditional subjects, like science, math and writing. When we were asked to be Leapfrog ambassadors, I jumped at the chance. I knew this would be a great way for our 5 year old girl to expand her excitement when it comes to learning, and that’s exactly what it did. Here’s how we’re using the LeapPad Platinum to enhance our homeschooling.
We Encourage New Play
I know that you may have heard about free play, but we encourage new play in our home. These are new ways for our kids to learn a subject. With our kindergartener, we want her to understand that school isn’t just about sitting at a desk, dinner table, or on a field trip. We want her, and her brothers, to understand that lessons can be found when they “play.” The LeapPad Platinum offers that option. While learning to cook with the Food On The Road game, she’s also learning math and measuring. With the Swinging Through Time game, she’s learned about ancient history. Within 30 minutes of new play, she’s had exciting things to talk about at the dinner table later.
We Treat Electronics as an Amenity
It was fun explaining to the kids what the word “amenity” meant. While we are a plugged-in family, we don’t rely heavily on electronics. The LeapPad Platinum is a great way to get our 5 year old in the groove of knowing that she has special electronic learning toys just for her, and spending time with them is a treat. This helps me as a mom, because she is constantly excited about using her LeapPad, and doesn’t view it as extra homeschool work. So, the 3 times a week that she is allowed to use it, are the “best times” she’s having because, according to her, “I’m taking a break from my school stuff.” Keep thinking that, kid.
We See the Complete Learning Experience
LeapPad Platinum takes interactive to the next level. The LeapFrog Imagicard system has been a favorite for our girl. We love that it encourages her to just stare at the screen, but to use other items to enhance her learning experience. But the Imagicard system isn’t the only cool part of the LeapPad Platinum. It also has:
- A 7 inch hi-res touchscreen with sharp graphics.
- A safe, protected web browser with kid-appropriate content that’s reviewed and approved by learning experts.
- Over 1,000 games designed or approved by LeapFrog educators.
We look forward to using the LeapPad Platinum even more in our homeschool curriculum, and seeing how our girl will grow with her learning!
We are excited to be LeapFrog Ambassadors. All opinions are our own.
