Zoo Whiz

Does your child like to play computer or video games but you prefer they don't play mindless ones? Well Zoo Whiz is the perfect combination of fun yet educational, all wrapped up in one great website. Zoo Whiz is a new online program for ages 5-15 that covers math, reading, word skills, punctuation & grammar. Erik recently had the chance to review a premium subscription but they also have a free account that anyone can sign up for as well.

What I did when we first used the program was to log into the parent account and set up Erik's account. I can choose what level to have him at so he isn't playing anything too easy or too hard. Not only that but I am also able to monitor his progress from the parent account and see what areas he may be struggling with in getting answers wrong. After I got him set up behind the scenes, Erik logged into his own account and picked his avatar then started exploring. This program is based in Australia so the voices have that awesome Australian accent which Erik got a kick out of hearing.

The idea behind this program is that the child plays in the "Learn & Earn" area to win and accumulate coins for getting correct answers. If they get an answer wrong, they have a second chance at answering it. If they still get an answer wrong, they are shown the correct answer. The only change I would make to this is that the program would show them how to achieve the correct answer, mainly in the math section.

After Erik earned a stash of coins, he had the choice of going to the arcade to spend his coins on games and/or he could go to the Biodome to purchase animals to build his zoo. This zoo is more of what I'd describe as a collection, as in you get a picture of the animal you purchased. It's not an actual zoo setting that the child manages or plays (though I think that would be an engaging way for the student to be more involved!) The neat thing with buying animals is that when he purchased one, it gave him some interesting facts and info on that particular animal. Erik thought it was pretty cool how many animals there were to choose from. Between almost 14 categories, there are tons of animals to purchase, rare & endangered animals, as well as extinct ones like dinosaurs.

There is also a milestone section for the student to click on to see how they are doing. Erik was able to tell how his progress was based on the smiley faces.

Overall, this was a great way to take a break from book work and reinforce skills Erik was already learning.   I would say this program is a supplement to what you are already doing and not a full curriculum. For the most part, he was able to do this independently but there were a few areas that didn't give verbal instructions so I'd have to step in and help him. Zoo Whiz is currently making changes and updating to add more features that will be coming soon as well. 

Register for the free keeper account. If you & your kids enjoy it, purchase the premium subscription with many more options for only $14.95 for a one year subscription.

As part of the TOS crew, I was given a premium membership at no cost to me in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.