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.
If you’re someone who likes to add online resources to your homeschool, then EdShed may be just the fit for your elementary student.
This online program was created to help students with math (Math Shed) and spelling (Spelling Shed). We had the opportunity to review the Math Shed and Spelling Shed.
I’m not a big fan of using a lot of technology in our homeschool, simply because I have one kid who is extremely addicted to anything technological and who has a hard time disconnecting afterward. This child also has ADHD and is overly stimulated by playing video games in any form. So, for this particular student, EdShed was not a great option. But we gave it a shot. Since this child has been struggling with math, I opted to use the Math Shed for them and the Spelling Shed for my other elementary-aged student.
Math Shed helps students learn their math facts through online games. They can choose from Number Bonds, Times Tables, Powers of 10, Add & Subtract, or More (which includes Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check or Negative Numbers). Once they choose their challenge, the student can then choose Easy, Medium, or Hard and try to beat their own score or to play against friends. We don’t do online gaming with friends, so we opted for beating the previous score.
The games are timed to help the student work on speed and accuracy. Each time they play, the score is added to their overall points, and they can keep working toward new goals.
While my struggling math student was earning points with Math Shed, my other student was working on spelling through Spelling Shed. This program is broken down a little bit differently than Math Shed. First, the student must choose a list from Stage 1&2, Stage 3, Stage 4&5, or More Lists.
From there, the student will choose either to play the regular spelling game or to choose from two bonus games–Bee Keeper or Missing Word.
While I think that the program is helpful for middle elementary kids, I did not find it to be a great fit for my kindergartner. She chose Stage 1&2 because she is a new speller, but the words seemed difficult for her. She did like the Bee Keeper game, which is pretty similar to Hangman in the way that you randomly choose letters and try to figure out the word.
I did not love the regular game that Spelling Shed offers. This game just gives the word, and the student must choose from a jumble of letters. I obviously helped with the one in the screenshot below, but many of the words were hard for my young speller.
Honestly, I think that this program is a little more advanced than my kindergartner was prepared for. Perhaps when she is in first or second grade, she will be ready for something like this.
She did enjoy putting together this avatar for herself, though:
Overall, I don’t think that EdShed is the right program for our family. But if you have a homeschooler who learns best through online games, then this might be just the right fit for you! The program is colorful and interactive, and I think that for the student who learns well online, this would be a great way to enhance their spelling and math skills.
But if you’re interested in trying it out, they have a 30-day free trial period available with no credit card information required. Then you can choose if you want to pay $24.95 for an annual subscription. So, the investment in such a program is not much and may be just what your student needs.
Check out some other reviews from my fellow Homeschool Review Crew teammates and see if this is a good fit for you.
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