Smartick – The Online Learning App for Maths

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Fiona Martin

Smartick is an online Maths learning programme and unlike other apps, it uses artificial intelligence to adapt to each child’s style of learning. With only a 15 minute daily session allowed, it means that children won’t get bored, fed up, and encourages them to perform their daily questions in order to earn stars which they can spend at the end of each lesson on things such avatars and items for their online house.

Each day starts with a welcome and series of faces to see how the child is feeling along with the child’s own avatar that they can customise through their earning of stars.

It then goes into a series of questions which start off easing the child into a topic, breaking it down simply with pictorial questions if needed, then moving onto the same thing but in a different way. If a key pad is required, it will pop up in the corner of the screen, otherwise things can be dragged across the touch screen.

You are expected to let your child get on with this on their own which I did 100% of the time although I did watch over their shoulder a few times in order to write this review. The programme works intuitively and won’t move your child onto harder problems the next time if they struggled to grasp something this time. At the end of each session the child also gets a chance to retry the questions that they get wrong along with receiving extra stars of course!

The end result of each session is that the child receives a number of stars. This acts as an incentive for them as they get to finish the session and try to get things correct otherwise they won’t have stars to spend at the end. They can then use these to buy things to decorate their room, by virtual pets, presents for other players and clothes for their avatar.

What I particularly like about this programme is that I can log on to my online account and see how each of my children are getting on. But even better than that is that I receive an email everyday either reminding me that my child hasn’t yet done their daily session “This message is to inform you that Blake hasn’t completed today’s session yet.” Also immediately after every session completed an email comes in to let me know the kind of questions they have been working on along with their scores. I find this incredibly useful and interesting and it saves me having to log in and check for myself.

Seeing this also encourages me to get them to use the app as I can see the benefits of it and see that they are learning as they play, although it’s not strictly a game, they do actually enjoy answering the questions and have more fun spending their stars earnt at the end.

Smartick has been a fun learning tool that has had a lot of use between my children and I encourage them to complete their daily questions as often as possible. They don’t find it boring and actually enjoy using it, I think due to the short sessions and the fun way the tasks are presented. Smartick allows your child to move ahead faster than in school because it does not follow the national curriculum nor the Key Stage system so I’ll be interested to see how my children improve at school over the year, so far all is good and if they are happy to do Smartick then I’m more than happy to let them!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received access to the product in order to write an honest review.

Teachers Cards using the Postsnap app

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Fiona Martin

At the end of the school year, little ones love to thank their teacher usually with a card and a small gift. Rather than browsing the shops for a card, why not create one from home and have it delivered to you ready for you to sign and give to yoru teacher. The bonus with this is not only do you not need to leave your chair, but you can personalise the card with custom words and photos. Postsnap is the perfect app to offer this service and provide high quality cards within a couple of days to your door.

postsnap There’s an array of ‘Thank you’ cards to choose from including general ones or ones that specify teacher on them. As my 5yr old was choosing one for his teacher, he chose a rather cute one that says ‘To a great teacher’ and then allows you to add in the teacher’s name (I have blanked it our for privacy below). You can then take a photo of your child using your phone or tablet and insert it straight into the card, in this case an apple shaped frame.

teacher card

Inside the card you can print the words you desire, or we chose to leave it blank so my little boy can add his own handwriting inside. The process is so simple, you can create a card in just a few minutes. This really is worth doing if you don’t want to trawl the shops, and also want to make the card a little bit special.

I must just say that the quality of the card is great and it is also a really good size. The cards are A5 and look brilliant, my little boy can’t wait to give his to his teacher next week.

Get your orders into today to arrive in time for the end of term. Head over to Postsnap and download the app now!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.

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ijustloveit.co.uk Online Gift Store – Review

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Fiona Martin

I Just Love It is a wonderful online gift store, with a wide variety of gifts, many of them personalised giving them added meaning to the recipient. They also have things that are a little bit different from the high street, meaning you can find something unique and special for birthday’s, anniversaries and Christmas etc.

I chose a selection of gifts, all for me to try out and I have to say I haven’t been disappointed!

I should save the best till last but I just have to show you this amazing personalised cake tin. I absolutely adore it, both in style and quality and it will take pride of place in my kitchen. It is a little pricey at £42.99, but when you see it with its personalisation and feel it’s strong sturdy quality, you’ll know it’s worth having!

The metal is really thick and strong, this tin really is made to last. It has a handle on top of the lid to aid in opening. What makes this tin different to others I’ve seen is the airtight seal, meaning that your cakes will stay really fresh and biscuits will stay crisp. I love the grey colour, neutral but stylish. The personalisation really makes this tin special though, and makes it the perfect tin to keep on show as well as the perfect storage for all my lovely baked treats. I can’t wait to serve visitors with a treat from my tin when they come round for tea!

This Personalised My Family Keyring is so cute with a silver charm for each child that is engraved with their name and a heart for wording of your choice, of which I chose my name. The charms are made from a zinc alloy making them sturdy and strong. At £12.99 I think this would make a lovely gift, I certainly would be more than happy receiving this from my children at birthdays or Christmas (obviously with another adult helping them to buy and order it). This will be home to my house keys from now and live in my handbag, I’m very pleased with this item.

A girl can never be without too many make up bags, you know what it’s like, some get a bit old and need replacing, you need one for make up, one for hair bits, one for other toiletries etc.. I really like the simple but elegant style of this Beauty Parlour Wash Bag and with its neutral colours and pvc coated cotton outer, it’s practical and also a good size. This one does seem really well made and at £14.99 is a good price for the quality and has room to hold quite a few items. It’s sitting proudly in my bathroom at the moment, full of little bits and bobs to make it look at bit tidier but I’m also looking forward to using it when I go away.

A small but cute gift is this Grow Me Say It With Flowers Seed Kit and priced at £3.99 is a bargain. I love roses and hope this successfully grows and is something I can plant in the garden. An ideal stocking filler or smaller gift if you are doing a bag of presents, then this is the perfect extra.

I’ve been really pleased with the selection of gifts from I Just Love It and would happily shop there again. The items are certainly different from what you’d find elsewhere and the personalisation on the some of the items is unique and makes them stand out a bit. If you are stuck for gift ideas, then I’d definitely give here a look, the range is vast and you’re sure to find something for person you are gifting.

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the items in order to write the review.

Personalised Greeting Cards – Review

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Fiona Martin

The Dog’s Doodahs is an online greeting card retailer, providing personalised cards delivered to your door. They have a large range of humourous cards, but also some cute, animal and child friendly cards. I was offered the chance to order a selection to see what I thought.

When looking round the website I saw a lot of alcohol related cards, some amusing wine jokes which appeal to me and my friends.

I ordered this one for my friend for Christmas which I knew would give us a laugh as neither of us know what Leftover Wine is!! This is a large style card with a glossy finish. You are able to personalise both at the top and the name at the bottom. I was very pleased with this and we both had a giggle when she opened it!

I also chose a cute personalised card for my daughter whose birthday is imminent and again on this card I could personalise both the name and the age. The card is a nice size and one I hope she’ll enjoy when she opens.

I also selected a couple of the smaller non personalised cards to see what they were like. I chose a few humourous ones that will be suitable for friends birthdays and am happy with all of them.

What I particularly like with ordering from The Dog’s Doodahs is that these cards are different, you won’t see similar ones elsewhere, giving them a more unique feel, rather than a lot of the more traditional high street cards that you immediately recognise. The ordering process was simple and delivery was quick.

I am more than happy with the cards and online service received and would happily go back and order more cards from them. Why not take a look for yourself?

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received some cards in order to write the review.

Yellow Mellon Children’s Clothes – Review

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Fiona Martin

Yellow Mellon are a fashion forward online children’s clothing retailer and kindly offered to send my two children a complete outfit to try out. I know my daughter Miss M can be rather fussy, so provided details of their likes and dislikes, not knowing which items of clothing would be sent.

This is what we received from Yellow Mellon, presented beautifully in tissue wrapping, like a present waiting to be undone.

Miss M received a Minx denim jumpsuit, made from a lightweight, soft feel fabric. It has an elasticated waist and buttons down from the top to put on. She also received a simple, basic style vest top in bright pink to go underneath. At £12.49 for the jumpsuit and £1.99 for the vest top, I thought this was excellent value for the whole outfit.

When I first showed her the outfit, her eyes lit up, and she said ” I love it, can I try it on now?”. She likes to be comfortable in what she wears and tends to prefer trousers over skirts and dresses, so this outfit was right up her street!

We asked for a size 7-8, although she is only 6, as she is fairly tall and we tend to find a size up is always a better fit. The pink vest top is a very slim fit and Miss M actually struggled a little getting it on over her head and it didn’t leave much room around her body when on. Although it did have a soft feel and was comfortable, I would go a size up again if I was to buy one. The jumpsuit was the perfect length, and good fit around her. Miss M loved this outfit and found it really comfortable as all the fabric was soft and easy to wear. It is perfect for everyday wear during the summer and I can see this being worn many more times this year.

Mister B received a smart looking, collared polo shirt by Freaky, with two buttons to undo at the top. It features stripes in turquoise, grey, white and navy, which Mister B loved. This seems to be of a good quality and well made. It is a good thickness and suitable for year round wear. It also has a smarter look, being collared so suits many occasions. This was a very good fit and looked perfect on him. He also tried some Jeans from the Freaky range. These were also of a good quality and look really stylish. They were a good fit with an adjustable waist, they were a tiny bit long so we turned them up, but they still looked as good and give him something to grow into.

He also loved his outfit and seemed perfectly comfortable in this all day. I thought he looked smart and my first view of the outfit was that it was from a good brand and didn’t look cheap.

I think all the outfits we received were of a better quality than I expected, the clothes certainly all seem to be good value and the designs are all modern and fresh. Both my children were absolutely thrilled with their outfits which is also important to me and when they have something that is comfortable and they are happy to wear, then, then it makes for a happy family!

Yellow Mellon are a clothing company I hadn’t really heard of before and not sure I would have ordered from before trying these clothes. But seeing the great value isn’t a compromise on quality, then I would be more than happy to purchase from them in the future.

The company have been trading online since 2011, although have over 40 years experience in manufacturing and supplying children’s clothes. They cover a whole range of designs for 0-13 years, from wardrobe staples to partywear and as well as their own brands, Minx for girls, Freaky for boys, and they also sell a range of character products such as Disney (Frozen, princesses etc), Ben 10, Spiderman, Thomas and Hello Kitty.

Yellow Mellon are very trend led with some of their logo t-shirts for the older ages, which I’m not so keen on, but there are plenty of other plainer items that still feel fashionable, tutu skirts, party dresses, pretty woollen bolero cardigans and lots of accessories such as hairbands and bags. I also spotted some Disney Frozen pyjamas which I imagine would be a big hit with a lot of young girls right now!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and the clothes were sent to us in order to write the review.