Always Ice Cream

 

 

 

What is Always Icecream?

      A website of  educational games, videos and fun, all designed specifically with girls in mind, combine to make Always Icecream a unique learning experience. Always Icecream uses learning, praise and recognition, and motivation to create this innovative website.

      Girls play educational (but fun) games like typing, math, geography science and more to earn “$coops” of ice cream. Girls use $coops to play fun games, decorate their homes on MiniWorld, and feed their virtual pets on Pet World.

A Picture Walk through Always Icecream

 

What your daughter sees when she logs in. She can choose what activity to do from this page.

 

An example of being able to pick a language arts video to watch.

 

An example of a math facts drill. After so many problems your daughter can go to the next level. If she feels it was too easy, she can jump 5 levels up.

This is an example of PetWorld. This is where your daughter takes care of the pets she has bought with her $coops.

 

This is an example of MiniWorld. You can buy houses, then place your pets in them. You can decorate the inside of the houses how you want.

This is an example of the Parent’s page. This is where the parents gets a report of what your daughter has done, and what her accomplishments are.

 

Pricing

Monthly Membership –$4.99 (1st month $.99)

Two Months Membership – $9.98

Annual Membership – $29.99

Lifetime Membership – $99.99

ClarkClan Thoughts

     The following is an “interview” I did with Rebekah (8) to get her thoughts about Always Icecream.

What do you like best about Always Icecream?

     “You can buy “eggs” that hatch. When they hatch, you get an animal to take care of. The animal is a surprise. I have three turtles, a kitten, a puppy, and a pony”.

     “You can upgrade your house from a small house to a mansion or a palace. You can design your own furniture or you can buy furniture. You can go into your house and add rooms. You can also change your rooms into a different design. You can put your animals into your house.

What was your favorite game?

     “My favorite game was the states game. You had to click on the states they named. I also liked watching the videos.”

    “I also liked the body game. You had to click on the parts of the body they said, like the gigantic intestine.”

What videos were your favorites?

     “I liked the Betty Crocker ones. A lady from Betty Crocker shows you how to make food like a cupcake ice cream cone, or a pony cake, and a castle.”

Did you earn any medals?

     “Yes. I earned bronze and silver medals and gold medals. I earned a gold medal in the states quiz and a bronze medal in the dog breeds quiz”.

Did you like the typing?

     “Yes. It showed you on the keyboard which finger to type. It gave you ice cream scoops when you typed things right.”

Was there anything you didn’t like about Always Icecream?

     “I didn’t like that, on the Mini Me, only the face color could be changed,not the ears, neck or arms. It made it look strange.”

Is there anything else you would like to say about Always Icecream?

     “I LOVED IT”  “Please put that in bold and all caps, Mom.”

Mom’s Thoughts

     I thought Always Icecream was a wonderful website for Rebekah. She enthusiastically played whenever she was allowed. We had to set the timer so she would know when to get off. This is unusual for Rebekah, as she tends to get bored of  computer activity after about 15 minutes.

     One feature that Always Icecream has that we did not use was the social networking feature. While I understood that all interactions were monitored and safe and secure, I did not think this feature was necessary for Rebekah’s enjoyment. I also did not want to have to monitor what she decided to tell other people. I liked that she could play on this website with minimal help. Being able to turn this feature on when I feel she is ready is a plus for me as well.

     Why a learning website for girls? On their website, Always IceCream states:

GENDER-SPECIFIC LEARNING FOR GIRLS - Within the target age group of 7-12 years, children’s preferences and ways in which they can be motivated tend to be influenced by gender. Examples of typical differences at that age are preferences for collaborative play (girls) versus competitive play (boys). Similarly, girls tend to be attracted by virtual goods that are “decorative”, such as clothes, versus “useful”, such as machines or armor. An overview of the development of girls and the core differences in their developmental path relative to boys can be found in the bestselling book “The Female Brain” by Louann Brizendine, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco.
A practical indicator of different tastes of boys and girls are also the respective children's magazines (more of which are in the “girls” than in the “’boys” category) that are gender-specific and are catering to the interests of their readership. Notwithstanding the differences in brain development and socialization, Always Icecream is adamantly opposed to stereotypes such as “girls are not interested in science or math.” The site challenges its young members to engage in learning activities across a broad spectrum of subjects.

     In my opinion, they have hit the differences between boys and girls right on the head. I have both boys and girls and can see the differences between the two. Having Always Icecream tailored to my daughter and her preferences greatly enhanced her enjoyment of this website. In fact, there were times Rebekah's 14 year old sister Sarah would sit and play or watch videos with her. The two of them had a good time picking colors for different rooms and buying things for the animals.

     For more information about this unique website visit them at Always Icecream. You can find all the specifics about the program and even try out some of the games.

     Visit the TOS Crew Blog to read what my other Crew Mates thought of Always Icecream.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a Lifetime Membership to  Always Icecream  for free, in exchange for my honest review of their product.