I recently learned about a new online game site for kids called My Animal Family. They are still a pretty new company but I am hopeful that they will be offering more and more books and games over the coming year.
The creators of My Animal Family understand that children have different learning styles. Some children learn better through reading, others learn better through doing (also knows as “tactile” learning). Some children even learn better by watching things on a video or TV. My Animal Family was created to teach children about the many fascinating animals in the world by offering them a variety of options to help them learn.
It all starts with a book. My Animal Family is available in a hardcover book. The books features stories related to the featured animal. For example, we have Ella: A Baby Elephant’s Story. The book is about African Elephants. Not only does the story revolve around Ella but it also have factual information about elephants throughout the story. The drawings inside this book is almost life like. They are so realistic looking. You feel like you are actually on the African plain watching the elephants. I found the story to be very enjoyable to read too.
Inside the book is a DVD. The DVD gives your child another fun way to learn about elephants. The DVD features actual elephants in their natural environment (documentary). The narrator speaks in a way that even very young children can understand.
I have to admit that I learned A LOT watching the DVD that I never knew about elephants. Even adults can enjoy this wonderful DVD and learn some interesting facts too.
The DVD even features a silly song all about elephants.
Along with the book and the DVD you will also receive a membership card and member code to the My Animal Family web site. Once there you just have to register and enter in your code number and you will gain access to their fun interactive game section. The games are all about elephants too. However if you had a different animal book the habitat you enter will be the same as the animal in your book. Since we have Ella the African elephant our habitat is Africa.
Your child will be able to create their own person. Then they enter the play area where your child can play games, earn points and then go to the shop and buy equipment which will unlock more fun things for your children to do.
Some of the games you’ll find are puzzles, dot-to-dot, an “I Spy” sort of game, a “Whack-a-Letter” game and even a matchiing game, just to name a few. Many of the games are very juvenile and more suited to younger children but they do offer three different levels. I found some games at level 3 took me a bit longer then I thought to play. Some of the games were too easy where as others (like the matching and the puzzle game) were a bit harder and required me to spend more time on them.
The games are not “hi-tech” like what you would see on an Nintendo or Playstation. But they are still cute and fun to play. I would say that the games are more suited for children maybe 8 and under. Since you can change the skill level of play within each game your child is able to move up a level when they feel like they’ve “mastered” a level.
The web site offers a fun drawing page too where your child can draw and color online.
If you purchase other My Animal Family books you will gain access to a different “habitat” with different games. That sounds like a fun idea.
You can purchase the books from their web site and at Amazon and other book retailers.
I have an extra copy of Ella the Baby Elephant to give away to one lucky She Scribes reader.
To enter please visit the My Animal Family web site (http://www.mafkidsclub.com/) or click here. Look around and then come back here and comment on which OTHER animal family book you be interested in owning.
For extra entries you can do any of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each that you do. Current subscribers and followers please leave a comment and let me know that you already subscribe/follow.
– Blog about this review/giveaway and link to She Scribes (www.SheScribes.com) and My Animal Family (www.MyAnimalFamily.com).
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This giveaway is open to residents in the US and Canada. Giveaway will end January 25, 2009 at 11:59 PM. One winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator. Winner will have three days to supply their name and address or a new winner will be selected.
Don’t forget to check out my other great giveaways (top right side bar).