Saturday, June 28, 2008

Education.com Giveaway

Zimbbos Elephantastic Stacking ToyI get a lot of requests from people wanting to promote their websites and blogs and I don't mind checking them out, it's always kind of interesting to see what's out there but the majority don't get me that worked up.

But Education.com, a new site for families about teaching and learning, is different. It's actually a place that made me a little excited--I've got it bookmarked and I signed up for their online community in fact.

But I can hear you now, "So what makes this site so darn special??"

Well there a couple nice things there:
  • The site is well designed and easy to navigate which is a HUGE bonus. Many homeschooling websites have decent content but they look unprofessional and are poorly planned. Education.com's layout and design shows you they're serious about what they're doing and I like that.

  • There are the standard things like a community page where you can share ideas with other parents and educators and a magazine with helpful articles and columnists but even better there's also a reference desk on the left sidebar where you can browse articles in specific areas such as "Is My Child on Track?" "Kindergarten Readiness," "Learning to Read" and "Learning Disabilities." I went through a few of the topics and was impressed--there's some good information there.

  • If you're moving and are interested in schools in a new location they have a school finder via Google Maps that gives information on all the schools within a specific geographic perimeter--though oddly enough they didn't list Northern Lights ABC school when I did a search on all schools in the Anchorage area. Wonder why Google Maps doesn't have us listed?

  • They have tabs called "E-Learning" and "Homework" help that sounded like places for online homework help or something but they're really just links to other software and sites that might help. I was a little disappointed about that because I expected more but then I noticed on their home page sidebar a place where you can sign up for newsletter designed by teachers for grade-specific homework help and teaching tools. I haven't signed up yet but it sounds like a wonderful tool that would especially help here in the doldrums of summer.

  • But the best part of the site? The absolutely most wondrous part of the whole website that will have me coming back for more? (Am I overdoing it here? Because I really love this part) The activities page. Most are craft activities that have educational application and they're good--oh yes, they're good. We'll be trying some of these for sure.
So go nose around and see what you can find to help you out--if you have kids of any age in your life then I guarantee you'll find something of interest--they even have help for the college-bound. Sign up for the community and the newsletter for homework help. Plenty of things to make your teaching job easier and more effective.

This week's giveaway is a little different because while Education.com doesn't sell toys they've kindly donated three super-great educational toys to this week's giveaway winner. The person whose name I draw will receive Zimbbos Elephantastic Stacking Toy, Story Maker Magnetic Poetry Set and the Happily Ever After crafter kit with supplies for 9 separate craft projects (ages 7 +). Total retail value? Oh gosh, I don't know--it's a lot, I need to brush up on my math skills apparently. Good thing I found Education.com or I'd be doomed.

So you want to know what you have to do to win this sweet package? Follow the directions below . . .

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers so good luck!

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Sponsored by: The Fine Art of Family--Beautiful jewelry and accessories by artist Monica Rich Kosann

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37 comments:

jo1brat said...

Wow this is such an awesome giveaway Thank You So Much

Stephen Saunders said...

cool contest.

AlaneM said...

I love this one!! I'm going to check out their site for sure. My oldest has numerous learning challenges & I think I'm gonna glean me some info there.

Anonymous said...

What a great prize. I wish they had thease toys when I was a kid.

Anonymous said...

Looks awesome I am going to check out that site! thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

My two year old would love this
neat site with lots of great toys.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Michelle,
Yes, you are right. It's such a swell blog, very neat and professional. Thanks for appreciating the award I gave you. Thanks for the post. God bless.

clc408 said...

Being a retired kindergarten teacher, I appreciate toys that encourage learning. My nephew would really enjoy this. Thanks for the chance to win.

b-me said...

Thanks for a great contest! My oldest will really like the poetry kit.

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic site and prize!
ashlyn@chuparkoff.com

Anonymous said...

this is a great giveaway and my grandkids would love it

Milehimama @ Mama Says said...

I signed up for the giveaway, but please remove my name from the pool.

I want nothing to do with a site that thinks it is normal for a 9 yo boy to discuss c*ndoms with his mother, and she "should respond openly".

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great site - i'll check it out. Good contest too.

Scribbit said...

Milehimama--I'd like to know where you found that article, I did a search over there looking for the article you describe and couldn't find it. Encouraging 9 year olds to be sxually active would be horrifying but I couldn't find it--let me know would you?

Betty N said...

Great activities to keep the grandkids entertained this summer! Thanks for the giveaway!

Anonymous said...

This is great. Thanks for offering.

Anonymous said...

Educational toys for kids are the best! Glad that you are promoting toys that help kids learn. Thank you.

majqa1966@yahoo.com

Wendy said...

WoNdErFuL!!! Thanks for sharing this great site with us! Thanks to both you and education.com for the wonderful giveaway! Can't wait to see who wins. :)

Belinda said...

This site is chock full of info!

Readings, Recipes and Rambles said...

Great giveaway...the craft projects would be great to do this summer!
Thanks so much!

my email: moomookane@gmail.com

Annie1 said...

Awesome prizes! My grandbabies would love these and learning while playing is always a good thing.

nancyrobster@gmail.com

susies said...

These are really great prizes and very creative ideas! Please enter me! I'd love to give these to a couple little ones I know!!

Melissa said...

Okay... I need to win at least one of your giveaways :)

Unknown said...

This looks like something my little girl would really enjoy. Thanks so much for this great giveaway!

toasters lie said...

Thanks.

Nishantha said...

Little better.There are some parts that more valuable for me.Thanks.........
...........
Nishantha
Addiction Recovery Alaska

Brn2lisn said...

These are fantastic activities, very nice giveaway. Thank you

Elizabeth said...

Is it too late to enter the giveaway? I hope not! Either way, the site looks great and I am enjoying your blog, both of which I just found.

Anonymous said...

Please enter me in your giveaway. Thanks. Charlotte charlottewinters@cox.net

kamewh said...

I love the "Kindergarten Readiness" section! What a great site!

Anonymous said...

Nice gimme...

yousedwhat@aol.com

littlelatina said...

Enter me. I'd love to see my son's face if i won this contest

VickieC said...

my grandsons would love this,they like to play with toys like this an its so much more fun than tv,thanks



vlbelk@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

Amber

Crystalclearbc@aol.com

Janet said...

We have the Zimbos elephant game and both kids love it. (Although sometimes wooden blocks are not the best thing for us to have as they can be turned into weapons without notice.)

Anonymous said...

Such a nice one to read, it must be a cool contest as ghost said, and i will try to check their site soon. .
Thanks. .

Anonymous said...

Detailed information you have provided about the site. thanks. site is cool too.