Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
We focus on literature and hands-on learning for our schooling, but we do incorporate some fun online learning supplements at times. My kids were happy to review Math Shed and Spelling Shed to sharpen their skills.
The two programs are part of the EdShed (Educational Shed) company, which is comprised of several educational products and brands. The company is run by teachers for teachers and instill these values in their products: quality, educational impact, affordability, and hassle-free. Their resources focus on the core of education by helping students have a strong foundation with reading and math skills.
Math Shed is an online game that makes drilling facts fun. The student can choose addition and subtraction, number bonds (filling in the missing number from an addition or subtraction equation, i.e. 7 + __ = 10), multiplication and division, powers of 10, and more. Each category has various subtopics in it, such as adding up to 4 digits, numbers bonds up to 100, many combinations for multiplication and division, and powers of 10 up to 1,000. From there, each exercise has the option of easy, medium, or hard.
The full results are listed at the end of the round.
Spelling Shed covers both spelling and vocabulary in a fun, game format. You can create your own custom lists or choose to allow the program to pull from their hub of over 4,000 words.
The lists are broken into groups: Stage 1 & 2, Stage 3, Stage 4 & 5, and more lists. Within those levels are easy, medium, hard, and extreme which change the game play. For instance, level easy shows the student the word and then lists only the necessary letters to put in order. The extreme level says the word aloud and gives a screen full of letter options for the student to choose.
Spelling Shed includes a few bonus games, Bee Keeper (hangman) and Missing Words (fill-in-the-blank.) There is also an additional game, Buzz Words, which is similar to Boggle and allows the student to make any word from any list as long as the letters are available. Again, the games offer different difficulty levels.
A full PDF spelling curriculum for K-5 is also included in a membership.
Like many online learning sites, the learner has the option to create an avatar. My kids always love this part! It's amazing how something so simple brings so much joy. As they play the games, they earn "honey pots" which they can use to purchase items for their character such as additional shirts, backgrounds, and accessories.
As they complete levels, they also accumulate other awards: stars (total score from the past week), medals (highest score), and trophies (highest score). Each award, including the honey pot earning balance is easily visible at the top of the student's game landing page.
The honey pot earnings accrue for both programs together, but the other awards are specific to each one.
A one-year subscription to each program comes with the following perks:
The full results are listed at the end of the round.
Spelling Shed covers both spelling and vocabulary in a fun, game format. You can create your own custom lists or choose to allow the program to pull from their hub of over 4,000 words.
The lists are broken into groups: Stage 1 & 2, Stage 3, Stage 4 & 5, and more lists. Within those levels are easy, medium, hard, and extreme which change the game play. For instance, level easy shows the student the word and then lists only the necessary letters to put in order. The extreme level says the word aloud and gives a screen full of letter options for the student to choose.
Spelling Shed includes a few bonus games, Bee Keeper (hangman) and Missing Words (fill-in-the-blank.) There is also an additional game, Buzz Words, which is similar to Boggle and allows the student to make any word from any list as long as the letters are available. Again, the games offer different difficulty levels.
A full PDF spelling curriculum for K-5 is also included in a membership.
Like many online learning sites, the learner has the option to create an avatar. My kids always love this part! It's amazing how something so simple brings so much joy. As they play the games, they earn "honey pots" which they can use to purchase items for their character such as additional shirts, backgrounds, and accessories.
As they complete levels, they also accumulate other awards: stars (total score from the past week), medals (highest score), and trophies (highest score). Each award, including the honey pot earning balance is easily visible at the top of the student's game landing page.
The honey pot earnings accrue for both programs together, but the other awards are specific to each one.
A one-year subscription to each program comes with the following perks:
- Math or Spelling skills practice
- Up to 5 child licenses
- Full access to the online web game
- Scheduling and tracking assignments
- Data reporting
If you want access to both programs, you will save 15% off the price.
My kids (ages 8, 10, 12) have been using the games as supplemental learning. These simple exercises are good for light summer education activities.
Here's what my kids think of the programs:
My kids (ages 8, 10, 12) have been using the games as supplemental learning. These simple exercises are good for light summer education activities.
Here's what my kids think of the programs:
"I like them. My favorite thing is the Buzz Words game. I always play on the hard level!"
"They're pretty cool. There were some words that I didn't know how
to spell before, like merriment. Now I do."
"I like earning the honey pots so I can change my character. I also like that
I get to pick what I practice."
Math Shed and Spelling Shed are easy-to-use programs for students to sharpen basic skills in a simple, fun way.
You can connect with Math Shed and Spelling Shed on the following social media sites:
You can connect with Math Shed and Spelling Shed on the following social media sites:
