My oldest child is pretty darned good at a lot of stuff, if I may say so myself.  She’s a top reader, she swims like a fish, and I’m always amazed by what a good big sister she is.

She does struggle with a few things though, like putting her dirty clothes in the hamper and eating the same dinner as the rest of the family.  Oh, and math.  Math is a bit of a challenge for her too.

Kyle is the son of a math teacher, and I’m the daughter of an engineer.  While that might make it sound like math should come naturally to her, it actually means that both of us know what it feels like to have a parent throw up his hands in frustration and say, “What do you MEAN you don’t understand?”  So we really try hard not to do that.

Thing is, sometimes a parent isn’t the best person to help a child grasp mathematical concepts.  DreamBox to the rescue!

DreamBox is a cool new online math learning tool for kids in grades K-2.  It includes more than 350 lessons in the form of adventures that respond dynamically to the child as they “play”.  The lessons conform to the math curriculum standards set by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and they’re intended to develop “conceptual understanding, computational fluency, and problem-solving ability.”

I checked out the DreamBox curriculum page and was gratified to see that in fact the focal points for the first grade curriculum listed there do mirror what I’ve been seeing on Tacy’s math worksheets.  I’m not a teacher myself, obviously (god bless teachers for the job they do - I could never be one), so I don’t have a strong opinion on what sort of techniques are most effective where it comes to introducing math concepts.

However, I do think it’s important that whatever techniques are used, kids need to develop a positive association with math early on.  Math concepts build on each other, and they simply don’t stop.  The difficulties I had in Algebra I, way back in eighth grade, kept compounding all the way through high school and college.  I never did catch up.

Worse, math starts to play a crucial role in other subjects - like chemistry and physics - even as early as high school.  A freshman engineering student like me who never mastered Algebra I is going to be [expletive] when she encounters Fluid Dynamics or Linear Circuits.

But back to first grade, where all this learning begins, and to DreamBox, which helps kids internalize the logic of mathematical concepts.  In some ways, early math seems like a bunch of memorization - 1+1=2 because it just DOES.  Sure, you can count on your fingers, but eventually you’re going to run out of fingers, and besides, it’s just easier to memorize what those answers are.

What DreamBox reinforces, through games that illustrate these concepts, is a means of logically thinking  through the problem to get to the answer.  Think about it: How often in life are we presented with a problem in the form of x+y=z?  Most of the time, we’re figuring out word problems - the exact sort of problems many of us hated because we couldn’t just scribble down our memorized answers.  We actually had to think through those problems, and we hadn’t learned to do that right from the beginning, the way our kids are now.

Furthermore, when I wrote that DreamBox responds dynamically to the child, I didn’t just mean that the program gives her an “Attagirl!” when she answers correctly or a “Try again!” when she makes a mistake.  DreamBox actually adjusts the lesson - the difficulty, the pacing, the information provided to Tacy as she plays - based on her answers and how long she takes to arrive at them, WHILE she is playing.  More personalized even than a personal tutor!

Who knows what Tacy will want to study when she gets to college, or if she’ll even go to college.  Maybe she’ll become a child star and start paying the mortgage. (I can dream, right?) But the important point is that a lack of understanding of math fundamentals won’t keep her from what she wants to pursue.

To learn more about the DreamBox online math learning tool, check out their website and the other Parent Bloggers Network reviews!

Last year for Christmas, Tacy received a pink Nintendo DS Lite. It’s one of her most prized possessions, and I’m truly impressed by how well she cares for it. I haven’t even had to break out the spare stylus (although I’m sure I totally jinxed myself simply by typing that).

She and CJ have both asked for a pet. While I’m sure they’d love a pet dearly - even more than Tacy loves her DS - I’m not confident that they’d care for a pet as faithfully as they should. Of course they’d give it plenty of love (perhaps too much, based on how much CJ carried around my aunt’s cat last summer), but I can’t envision either of them willingly scooping poop.

So I thought a copy of Littlest Pet Shop for the DS would be a nice indoctrination to pet ownership for them. Because not only do the Littlest Pet Shop pets require love and attention, they are pretty darned cute too - even if you can’t pet their soft fur and carry them all over the house.

Me: Tacy, what do you like about playing Littlest Pet Shop?

Tacy: Well, it’s sort of um fun because it has um well it’s just um you know you can make characters um why do you keep putting um? Mama… (giggle giggle)

Me: Okay, what else?

Tacy: And the characters are cute and um you get to play games at the arcade um and it just is really fun.

Me: What do you not like about the game?

Tacy: Um…if you mess up you can’t get the stuff back.

Me: What stuff?

Tacy: Like um, I um, well the stuff is (stares up at ceiling) well it’s just that if you send them to another place if you send too much of them then you don’t get them back.

Me: What don’t you get back?

Tacy: Your littlest pet shops that you sent there.

Me: Meaning, the pets?

Tacy: Yes. Because um the pets um you can send them to different places so when you send them to different places sometimes if you send too many of them you can’t get them back, you have to switch pets, and sometimes you want lots of pets to go back to the places they want.

Me: Did you help your sister play the game?

Tacy: Well, I did. A little bit. But usually she doesn’t play it.

Me: Why not?

Tacy: Cause um she um she’s usually doing something else.

Me: Like asking for another cup of milk?

Tacy: Yeah.

So there you have it. The only drawback to Littlest Pet Shop is that sometimes the pets don’t come back. Which I suppose means that there isn’t a Littlest Pet Shop Pet Sematary yet.

Honestly, I like Littlest Pet Shop because it’s not World of Warcraft. And because it will likely buy me another few months before I have to succumb to actual pet ownership.

Check out other blogger reviews of Littlest Pet Shop over at PBN, and if you’re so moved by Tacy’s assessment of the game that you must purchase one yourself, you can buy Littlest Pet Shop at Amazon.

Much to my chagrin, Tacy has not inherited my compulsion to always read the directions. Instead, she has taken after her father and his “jump right in and figure it out as I go” approach to just about everything in life.

Granted, reading the directions doesn’t always mean that I do everything right on the first try - because, yes, that is my primary motivation for reading them - but at least it gives me a better shot at it. Fumbling around blindly takes all the fun out of it for me.

So when the V.Smile Cyber Pocket game arrived in the mail, I made both girls wait until I’d finished cleaning up the kitchen before opening it, because - of course - I wanted to read the directions.

I only made it to the part where I popped the Smartridge into its slot before Tacy said, “Okay, I know what to do,” and I gave up and handed it to her. My compulsions can only handle so much anxious, high-pitched whining.

Fortunately, the whining ceased as soon as I handed the Cyber Pocket over to her. In fact, all three kids were silently absorbed in the wonders of technology. It was a moment I’ll never forget:

In all seriousness, the Cyber Pocket is a fantastic little gadget. It can go along just about anywhere - trains, planes, and automobiles - and it’s compatible with all the VTech Smartridges. Cross-compatibility is a huge plus for me, even though we actually don’t own any other VTech offerings yet. Knowing that I can use the same Smartridges in different systems is a major incentive for me to buy more of them, so VTech gets two thumbs up from me on that point.

I also like the fact that it uses AA batteries. Yes, it’s a pain to change them and they’re wasteful, but they provide instant gratification. Plus, if you go on a vacation and forget to bring your Nintendo DS charger, then you have to listen to incessant whining from the third row for umpteen thousand miles.

One more point of convenience - the stylus is attached with a string. The DS stylus fits nicely in a little slot, but if a little sister jostles her big sister, and the big sister lets go of the stylus and it falls onto the airplane floor, then everyone has to unfasten their seatbelts to look for it. Which is especially problematic when the plane is on final approach and the FASTEN SEATBELT sign is illuminated.

Tacy did get frustrated a few times with the game (the Cyber Pocket comes with Zayzoo: An Earth Adventure, which I thought was pretty cool). I handed her the booklet of directions, which she flipped open and tossed aside: “Mom, I looked at the PICTURES!” But she got the hang of it. More power to her, I suppose.

I’m not a fan of the licensed characters; they’re just not my bag. So I wish that more of the Smartridges weren’t so character-focused. For Tacy’s part, she doesn’t need to identify with a character in order to be interested in a game either.

But I love how the VLink connects the Cyber Pocket to the computer to let her track her progress. She’s already quite motivated by games that have a serial aspect to them, where successes and earnings accumulate. That’s another big plus for the Cyber Pocket.

And as long as VTech keeps making Smartridges that are cross-compatible, I expect that I’ll buy at least one of their systems for Oliver, and then Tacy can hand the Cyber Pocket down to CJ. Again, it’s a great motivator to me for investing in the systems when I know that all of my kiddos can use them eventually. Good on you, VTech!

Go here to buy your own Cyber Pocket, and for more VTech system reviews, check out PBN!

When I first asked my older daughter what she wanted Santa to bring her for Christmas, she told me, “A Webkin.” Instead, she’s already received something much cooler: Bella Sara collectible trading cards.

The cards feature detailed drawings of horses, along with what could be considered “affirmations” for the elementary-school set. Some are a little new-age for my taste, but many are worth internalizing, such as “Learn to trust in the people who care about you.” and “Have the courage to learn from your weaknesses and grow stronger.” The horses have names like Janus, Nike, and Cybele, which is far preferable to the names of other toy equines out there (I trust you know what I mean).

The cards can be used to play actual card games, or the horses pictured on the cards may be activated online (using the code on each card) and housed in a stable in the world of Bella Sara. There, girls can feed and care for their horses, play games with them, and learn more about horses in general. Although the Bella Sara site is online, there’s no interaction with other users, which makes it ideal for kids who are just beginning to learn about Internet safety.

Bella Sara was created by a Danish social worker, Gitte Odder Braendgaard. Her son enjoyed Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering cards, but her daughters showed no interest. Braendgaard conceived Bella Sara as an alternative card-based activity for girls, with a stronger focus on imagination and self-esteem and less emphasis on competition. It has become a tremendous hit in Scandinavia since its introduction in late 2005, and the cards became available nationally in the US in early 2007. Recent coverage of Bella Sara includes this NYT article, which gives more information concerning the history of the cards.

My older daughter already enjoys using the computer, particularly for playing games that have an element of continuity. Being able to keep track of her progress is a key motivator for her. So she has really enjoyed activating her horses online, where she can return to care for them and play games. We also don’t have any pets, so caring for horses online is an acceptable substitute for all of us - especially considering that we live in Colorado where many girls her age actually DO have their own horse.

I asked her about her favorite aspects of Bella Sara, and she affirmed that the online play is lots of fun for her. She loves to feed the horses and play jumping games with them. As in other collectible trading card games, there are rare cards in Bella Sara that have iridescent backgrounds. She reported that when she activated these horses online, they were placed in a different kind of stable - “more like a castle!” Interestingly, while she thinks these rare cards are pretty cool, she told me that she was disappointed that these horses’ feet never got dirty; she can’t clean the manure out of their shoes like she can with the horses in the regular stable.

If only she thought it was such fun to clean up her room, right?

The cards are geared toward the 6-12 age range, so she’s only just getting started. She’s had a great time introducing her friends to the cards and showing them her online stables. While I like to encourage her interest in solid subjects like history and science, I don’t object to her enjoyment of Bella Sara. It’s fanciful and girly, but it incorporates good messages. Not all play has to involve learning, and Bella Sara is certainly more wholesome than a lot of the activities and characters aimed at girls her age.

And even though Santa won’t be bringing her any Webkinz, she’ll find a Bella Sara plush horse on Christmas morning instead. Something tells me she won’t be disappointed.

Learn more about Bella Sara on their website, and purchase the cards on Amazon!