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.
I love when I find fun ways the kids can review their math facts and spelling words! We received a one-year subscription to Math Shed and Spelling Shed by Ed Shed. This subscription included parent tracking, and I was able to add up to five children. I added Silas and Titus, and they were each given a user name and a fun password. They were able to log in using their own user name and password, which they thought was pretty neat.
SPELLING SHED
Spelling Shed has the several different stages, or levels, of spelling practice. You can choose from Stages 1 and 2, Stage 3, and Stages 4 and 5. There are even more spelling lists you can pick for your child. You also choose from easy, medium, or hard words. For each stage there are games to play.
When you press "Bonus Games", you can play "Bee Keeper", which is very similar to Hang Man. You lose a "bee" each time you press an incorrect letter, and you gain a "honey pot" each time you get a word correct.
On "Missing Word", there is a sentence with a missing word in it. You have two options and must choose the correctly spelled word. This was one of Titus's favorite games.
There is also a "Buzz" game where you have lots of letters and must make as many words as you can out of the letters. They both really enjoyed playing this game!
You can use the "honey pots" you earn to customize your avatar with hairstyles, clothes, accessories, and even fun backgrounds!
Spelling Shed is a really fun way to practice spelling! Both of my boys need extra spelling practice, and the games are fun and effective. There is an option for "Hive Play" with other students and groups, but we didn't receive access to that feature. It seems to more targeted toward schools.
MATH SHED
Math Shed has several topics for you to choose from - Number Bonds, Times Tables, Powers of 10, Addition and Subtraction. You can also choose "More" and can work on multiplication and negative numbers.
Most of the games are the same, with the math problem at the top to solve and several answers to choose from. You have 60 seconds to complete as many problems correctly as you can. The Math Shed games have an outer space theme which is fun.
You can choose which addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts you want to work on, as well as working on two, three, and four digit problems. Further you can choose an easy, medium, or hard (and sometimes extreme) option. This is nice as you can customize it for each child. If your child is only working on certain times tables, you can set it to where only those problems are given.
You can also choose which powers of 10 to work on - 10, 100, 1000, or a mix of all three.
I liked Math Shed because even my 12 year old daughter wanted to play and I could change the settings to make it difficult enough for her. I could also make it simple enough for my 7 year old son so he didn't get frustrated. Math Shed is a fun way to practice facts and math concepts. I do wish they had more game options and more skill sets to work on, because after a while my children got bored with the same game.
TEACHER'S HUB
In the Teacher's Hub, I had access to spelling curriculum in the form of pdfs and Power Point presentations. This is a 36-week curriculum for each stage. There are spelling lists, teaching plans, and worksheets for each weekly list. I didn't use this, but it would be useful to have. It is targeted toward classrooms, but you could very easily adapt it for homeschool.
I could also view each child's data. I can see their login and password information, as well as their progress in Math Shed and Spelling Shed. I can give them rewards or fines in the form of honey pots. I can check out their game history and how often they play, how many correct and incorrect answers they give, and how many points and honey pots they have earned. There are so many features in the Teacher's Hub!
WHAT DID WE THINK?
The boys have had fun playing games and earning honey pots. The honey pots are by far their favorite part of the program! They want to buy new clothes and backgrounds for their avatars. They would much rather play Spelling Shed than Math Shed because the games are more fun and there is more of a variety. I have really enjoyed looking through the Teacher's Hub but honestly, all of the features are a bit overwhelming for me. As I said earlier, it is targeted toward a school or larger group. We will definitely continue to play Spelling Shed throughout the year to help with their spelling. I am going to try to convince them to keep playing Math Shed as well to help with math skills.
You can try Spelling Shed or Math Shed for 30 days free - no credit card required! I love when website offer free trials with no payment information required. This way you will not forget about it and be charged once the free trial ends. Try it out for 30 days and see what you think! If you do want a subscription, it's only $24.95 for an entire year for each program. If you buy them both you get a 15% discount!
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