Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Always Ice Cream

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Kids tend to love online games and communities. As a parent, I want to make sure my child is safe on the internet. I also don’t like her computer time to be “just play.” I much prefer that she is learning. If education is incorporated into the play, we are both happy!

I recently learned about Always Ice Cream through the TOS Crew. This play site incorporates everything I like for an online activity and it’s designed just for girls aged 7 to 12! The games, activities, and even the colors are chosen to appeal to girls. Girls complete educational activities and are rewarded with “ice cream scoops” that can be used to purchase items in “Pet World” or “Mini World.”

Content:
  • Typing
  • U.S. States
  • Math
  • European Countries
  • Bible Quiz
  • U.S. presidents
  • Anatomy
  • African geography
  • Language Arts
  • and lots more!
Safety features:
  • No ads
  • Community feature may be turned off by the parent.
  • All communication is monitored before it is published.
  • Parent reports are sent weekly. Parents can see at any time what activities their children play on and with whom they interact.
  • Traceable membership
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Our Experience:
I love the variety of educational games on the site.  It is easy to find an activity to reinforce what Emily is studying in our home school. The games are generally a multiple choice quiz or “click on the location” format. Playing the games rewards the child with ice cream scoops to spend for cyber pets or home furnishings. She has enjoyed the educational games just as much as the reward activities. The site would be even nicer if I could assign a particular activity to her.

I wish the program didn’t award ice cream scoops so generously, though. I’d like to require Emily to play the learning games a little longer before she could play in Pet World or Mini World.  Not a big problem, but I’d tweak the program in that direction.  Always Ice Cream does have a nice feature that enables parents to award their daughters extra scoops for schoolwork, chores, or whatever. I would use that feature, but she hasn’t been “needing” extra scoops, since she earns them pretty quickly!

Emily says: “I like Always Ice Cream because it’s educational and fun at the same time!  I don't like to sit around and chat all the time like I did on another online game. I have learned my lesson: You don't have any fun when you just sit around and talk! I love this program because it is so much fun! I like the presidents game best because I get to learn my presidents in a super fun way. I love learning things and working for stuff too!”

I think the creators of Always Ice Cream did an excellent job of creating an online experience that appeals to girls. My daughter will get a lot of use from this site!

The cost for Always Ice Cream ranges from $4.99 a month (first month is only $0.99) to $99.99 for a lifetime membership. They even guarantee satisfaction that your girl will have fun and learn!
Read more reviews of Always Ice Cream at the TOS Crew Blog!
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I received a free membership to Always Ice Cream  through the TOS Crew in exchange for my honest review.

1 comment:

  1. We are loving Always Ice Cream! It is such a hit here. I like how I get the parent email once a week. We've done other programs where I'd get an email every stinking time she did something; I enjoy this format much better.

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