Kendra from MyHeadbandForToday.com and I had a blast putting this #AtlantaAnimalJam party together.
I was introduced to Animal Jam, an online playground that teaches kids about the world around them, last month during the Family Forward Social Media Conference at Universal Resort Orlando. My kids loved the presentation (except for when the live alligator escaped) and I was happy to let them continue the fun at home on animaljam.com. So when my pal Kendra from myheadbandfortoday.com asked me to co-host an Animal Jam get together I was all in. (We also co-hosted an epic #DisneySide party together earlier this year!)
Animal Jam gave us some money to rent a community room, buy food, etc but that would never sway my opinions on anything. The reality was I was already sold on letting my kids play Animal Jam and was happy to introduce the learning game to the 30 odd friends who came to our soiree.
Even my 4 year old (dressed as a duck because this was an ‘animal’ party) could play Animal Jam by himself.
There are three reasons I love to let my kids play Animal Jam:
- Education. Animal Jam has teamed up with National Geographic to help teach young kids (even as young as my 4 year old) about the world around them. Animal Jam uses National Geographic facts, videos, pictures, and games to help kids learn through entertaining them. My kids don’t even know they are learning!
- Safety. This whole let-your-kid-play-on-the-computer thing is new to me and I’m a little over-protective. That’s why I appreciate the added security features on animaljam.com. There are chat filters and in-game moderators (24/7 I might add) who watch out for all the things I might miss while I’m doing the 100 other things I need to do in a day. I can also go in and monitor what the kids are doing from the parent dashboard.
- Fun. My kids love playing in a world where they are KING. Animal Jam is a virtual world where the players (the kids) are making all the decisions. They are super into creating their own animal characters and decorating their “dens”. I like that there is also an off-line component with activities, games and worksheets that can be downloaded for when Mommy needs her computer back.
Animal Jam is a totally free service for kids around the world. They do offer memberships for kids who want more access to unique animals, accessories, and dens. My kids played the free version and they can do everything a paid member does but they did start asking for more “gems”. Want to get those “gems” your kids will be asking for? Enter this easy giveaway to win a Premium 12-Month Membership worth $60.
Check out some great photos from our #AtlantaAnimalJam party this week. It was a ‘ROARING’ good time!
We set up 2 computers to let the kids try out the game. And then we couldn’t get them off of it!
The kids loved making “marshmallow towers” with toothpicks and marshmallows. (Eating the marshmallows was a fun activity too.)
