There are many online websites for children that are educational and also ones just for fun.   One of my daughters has been playing on one called Always Icecream that we received free access for as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew.    According to the Always Icecream website, their site is ” the innovative play and learning website exclusively for girls between the ages of 7 and 12.”   I originally thought , “Oh another website that my daughter will get on and play around that will be so-so education-wise for me and that maybe she might enjoy playing on but really what value does it give her?  Is it going to be another thing she wants to do online that takes away from other things that we could be doing?”  Yes those are some run-on thoughts that I had when I first knew that I would be reviewing this online service.    However, once she started using it and I started see some of the benefits of it, I felt more comfortable with saying “Yes” to her when she asked if she could go online with Always Icecream.   Unlike other online kid websites, this website is in fact very educational as well as fun.

What exactly is Always Icecream?

First of all, as a parent, I have to point out that I feel safe having my daughter online with Always Icecream.  A quote from their website about their safety explains a bit about the safety on their site.  “Always Icecream has been certified by the Privo Privacy Assurance Program to be in compliance with the rigorous standards defined in the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).”  You can view more about how their site is secure and how you too can feel safe allowing your daughter to be online with Always Icecream by visiting their Safety page HERE.  As a parent you have access to various features to help control what your child does while on their website which again is described in more detail on their safety page.

For your child it provides various fun and educational activities.

The Always Icecream website provides this description of their fun and learning aspects of their site:  “Always Icecream serves “virtual ice cream,” or $coops, to girls in exchange for practicing basic math, advanced math, geography, language arts, science, typing, and more. Girls use $coops to play fun games, decorate their homes on MiniWorld, and feed their virtual pets on Pet World. “    They also add that “On Always Icecream, girls actively participate not only in the learning games, but also by creating artwork, and by communicating with other girls in a safe, moderated environment. “  I think what they have to say about their online website says it better than I could. Mostly because it has much more than I can talk about concisely in one review blog post.  I would rather talk more about what my daughter’s experience has been on this online website.

I have to say she tells me on a daily basis how much she loves this website and how much fun she has with it.  She has made new online friends, learns things that I would not even have thought she would, and she continually asks to be on it more than any other website that she has access to.  She gets excited and tells me about what she is learning, what her friends and her talk about, and just how much she has doing the various activities.   Not only does she tell me this but I can see it for myself on a daily basis.

With my parent login I can choose various items to moderate and select to help control the experience my daughter has on Always Icecream .  You also have choose to reward your daughter with $coops ( the website’s online money/credits)  for doing specific or achievements.   In addition, I can see a view of her activities and accomplishments for the last 90 days.  I was amazed at everything she chose to work with and do while on Always Icecream .   To give you an idea, I included a list of what was posted in my parent area on her activities:

• Classical Music Quiz from level 1 to 5
• Bible Quiz from level 1 to 3, earning a Bronze Medal
• Dog Breeds Quiz from level 1 to 5, earning a Silver Medal
• Melting $coops
• Health Quiz from level 1 to 4, earning a Gold Medal
• Vocabulary Practice English – Spanish from level 1 to 2
• Basic Anatomy from level 1 to 31, earning a Diamond Girl Trophy
• Math Quiz – Adding from level 1 to 12, earning a Bronze Medal
• States of the USA from level 1 to 25, earning a Silver Medal
• Typing for Beginners from level 1 to 50, earning a Diamond Girl Trophy
• Percentages from level 1 to 2
• Internet Quiz from level 1 to 5, earning a Diamond Girl Trophy
• Typing Intermediate from level 6 to 7
• USA State Capitals from level 1 to 2
• Multiplication Drill from level 1 to 5, earning a Bronze Medal
• Adding Fractions Drill from level 1 to 3

It also showed me what videos she watched, how much artwork she did and whether she had moderated communication with other girls.

I have to say that after reviewing Always Icecream , my daughter and I have been very happy with it. She has a blast with it and I can feel confident that she is not wasting time while she is online with it.

That said, Always IceCream has various pricing options for you and your daughter.  You can select a membership that works for you. They have monthly, two-month, annual and lifetime memberships available. A Monthly membership is available for $4.99 per month with the first month being 99 cents. You can also opt to get an annual membership for $29.99. For a complete breakdown of their pricing plans you can go to their membership page at http://parents.always-icecream.com/membership.

You can go to the Always Icecream home page and try it for free as well as look around their website for yourself to learn more about Always Icecream .

The parents area is at http://parents.always-icecream.com/login.

The kids area is located at http://www.always-icecream.com/login.

Don’t forget to also check out our TOS Crew Blog HERE to learn what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say about Always Icecream .

Note: I received this product for free as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew in order to provide an honest review for my readers.

Filed under: Home by Barbara
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