In a previous post I debated the pros and cons of buying into the Pokemon Learning League membership offered by Homeschool Buyers Coop. This was a very tough decision for me as 1) I have threatened to ban Pokemon from the house and 2) the price was out of our one income "league". I don't have anything personally against Pokemon but if I hear the kids talk in Pokemon voices one more time I just might puke and that is no joke. In the end I indulged the Picklets and thanks to the Coop saved over 50%!
I can tell you right now buying that has been one of the most successful investments of our homeschooling career. Having the picklets beg to do school work has been a blessing. I have heard such phrases as: "Can I play Pokemon Learning League?" "Mommy! It is MY turn to learn and he is STILL on the computer!" and "Guess what Ash told me today?" Aren't those the words all teachers/homeschooling moms want to hear, minus the whining? I am in pickle heaven.
The Learning League offers lessons in Science, Math, Life Skills and Language Arts. The lessons range between grade levels 2-8, roughly. In each of these lessons Ash and his buddies teach a subject in fun and Pokemonical (I made up that word) ways. After watching a short video the kids then apply the knowledge they have acquired to answer the questions and (hopefully) to everyday life.
I could write about a lesson and let you read it BUT why don't you click on over to PokemonLearningLeague and try one out yourself? That would be much more productive than reading step by step instructions by a rambling homeschool mom who has had too much caffeine today.
While checking out the site you will find immediate positive reinforcement for correct answers. Gentle reminders are given for incorrect answers including the chance to try again. This really helps with the kids self esteem and let's face it, being told by Ash that your answer is wrong is MUCH better than being told by mom.
One of the neatest features, I think, is that I can go into administrator mode and get a report on each of the picklets that shows what lessons they have done, their score and percentages. I can then print said report out for their portfolio. A parent/teacher can assign certain topics and due dates for up to three students with each membership. A teachers guide and student worksheet is also available for download on each lesson if the teacher would like the added reinforcement. State Standards are available (for every state but Iowa...:-P) and are available through state, grade and category searches. The only problem I seem to be having is logging out of one account to sign into another. About 4 out of 10 times we can't sign out without rebooting the computer. That is a big hassle when we are in a time crunch.
I whole heartedly recommend this for any Pokemon fan out there. For my "Pokemon Pirate Spy", as I like to refer to Dill, it was THE answer to allow Pokemon everyday of the week for him and peace of mind for me! I am gonna stop patting myself on the back now by ending with, "Yeah me!" LOL
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