TSM Holiday Gift Guide: ELEMENTARY EDITION

Crammer ($59.99)– Designed for kids 8-14 years, Crammer is a portable study system that helps kids learn on the go and also functions as a digital music player. Crammer users go online to create digital flash cards that are downloaded to the device. It can access over 16,000 quiz questions and going online provides access to thousands more math, science, social studies, and language arts quizzes. There’s also Spanish translator that will help with vocabulary development and pronunciation. Another bonus is that parents can connect Crammer to Leapfrog’s Learning Path to determine how Crammer is being used as a study tool.

GIVEAWAY: The 39 Clues ($12.99)– All the kids at the school where I work are into this brand new series that debuted earlier this fall. Upon their recommendation, I picked up the first book in the series and couldn’t put it down! 39 Clues begins with Maze of Bones, a fast paced mystery that follows Cahill family heirs, Amy and Dan Cahill, in their quest to find 39 clues that will ultimately lead them towards answers about their powerful family if they are successful. I love that you can play along through an amazing interactive website and trading cards, which are included with every book and provide the reader with additional clues. This innovate series will motivate any reluctant reader! I anxiously await the release of the 2nd book, One False Note, on December 2nd so I can chat about Amy and Dan’s adventures with my students during morning hall duty! And if your child is already a 39 Clues fan, have them submit questions that could be answered during a live webcast where Whoopi Goldberg will be interviewing Book 2 author Gordon Korman on Dec. 1 at 1 pm EST.
Enter to win one of three 39 Clues prize packs containing autographed copies of Books 1 & 2 and a super-cool 39 Clues t-Shirt. Just leave a comment with your e-mail address below!

Leapster2 ($69.99)– With busy schedules, it’s great to be able to learn on the go. Leapster2 is a handheld device designed to help ages 4-8 practice age appropriate skills like reading, memory skills, problem solving, and math concepts while the stylus and touch screen to hone their fine motor skills. Leapster2 comes preloaded with some games to satisfy your young learner which is nice so you don’t have to run out and drop a bunch of extra dough on additional titles right away. But you won’t be able to get away with the installed games for long since this device will quickly become a favorite companion for your child. An added bonus is the ability to connect to the Learning Path to see what your child is learning while they play with their Leapster2.

AudibleKids Audio Books (99 cents and up, with some free downloads)– Audible Kids is a site that provides digital audio editions of books for kids of all ages. Elementary ages will enjoy Caldecott and Newbury award winners and titles like the Chronicles of Narnia, Charlotte’s Web, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or a series like Magic Tree House. Create an account, browse the easy to navigate site, listen to audio previews, save titles to the Wish List to download in the future, and download your purchases into iTunes or the free PC software. With so many titles to choose from, you can always make sure your kids have their favorite books to listen to when on the go! For a more lengthy review about how the site works, click here. Click on the age ranges to view booklists for ages 5-7 and 8-10.

GIVEAWAY: Study Jams ($5.95/month)– Remember how School House Rock put learning to music so we were able to remember how a bill became a law? StudyJams is the new School House Rock for elementary ages since it makes math and science fun through real world examples, educational videos, and karaoke to help study, memorize, and sing. Students can access tutorials and an encyclopedia to further their learning and then test their knowledge through fun quizzes. Since the content is aligned with national learning standards, you can be assured that StudyJams helps reinforce classroom learning at home. Visit the site to get a 2 week free trial.
Enter to win a year’s subscription to Study Jams by leaving a comment with your e-mail address below!

LeapFrog TAG ($49.99)– TAG is a touch reading system that brings books to life but it is far more sophisticated and portable. Designed for children ages 4-8, TAG is a wireless hand held pen-like device that uses an infrared camera to recognize letters, words, and symbols to make words talk and pictures sing. When Little Miss Techie taps on a word, it reads it back to her. When she puts the pen tip on a picture, she can hear one of the characters talk. According to Little Miss Techie, “It’s magic!” And the magic is because it makes the books come alive. An added bonus is the ability to connect to the Learning Path to see what your child is learning while they play with their TAG. For my complete review, click here.

BrainPop Subscription ($7.95/month and up)– Let’s face it, not everyone learns best through the traditional methods of books, paper, and pencil. Subscription service BrainPop provides animated, curriculum based content that engages the teen set through short clips where characters Tim and Moby illustrate the laws of physics, discuss complexities of algebra, and features biographies of famous authors like Maya Angelou, Dickens, and Kurt Vonnegut. I love that the site plays easily on both Macs and PCs and does not require additional plug-ins. While you can access many of the BrainPop clips for free, the subscription site features tons more content, including content in Spanish. Visit the site for a free trial.

MobiStories ($2.99 and up, with some free downloads)– With books that come alive, MobiStories is a great way to motivate reluctant readers or provide another way of reading books in your home by letting them read virtual books. MobiStories provides downloadable stories for ages 1-10. The books you purchase play on your full screen and have delightful illustrations. MobiStories creators don’t think that their site “should replace a parent hugging a child and reading a book together” and designed their site to give kids another way to read. Click here for my full review.
Tech Savvy Mama readers can get $10 worth of MobiStories downloads for free by entering the code 231A. This offer may only be redeemed in one sitting and also expires on December 31st, 2008. Click here for directions on how to use the coupon code.