**This is a sponsored post written in partnership with Brain Chase.
UPDATE: A winner has been chosen! Check below to see if you are the lucky one! :-) Don't forget, if you didn't win, you can still use the discount code for 15% off! You'll find it later in the post.
Do you have a child ages 6-16 who needs something to do this summer? If you've been homeschooling all year like me, you're probably ready for them to do something ON THEIR OWN for once; am I right?? You might be planning on signing them up for swim lessons, a reading challenge at the local library, or other summer activities – but what if they could be working on their reading, writing, and math in an absorbing, independent manner with no tears or complaints?
I've signed my 12-year-old up to participate in Brain Chase, and I confess that I am possibly just as excited about it as she is. I had never heard of it before, but boy, does it sound like FUN!!
**Readers of this blog will get a special 15% discount, so keep reading to find a code at the end and also a BIG announcement!!**
Brain Chase is a five-week online summer learning challenge for 2nd through 8th-graders, in which kids participate in a massive global treasure hunt. Seriously!! There is a real golden Sunstone of Cortés and $10,000 buried somewhere on Earth. Every 24 hours, adventurers can log in to enter their guess of the treasure’s location. The first adventurer to guess the location within a two-mile radius travels with his/her family to the treasure site to claim the gold. Crazy!!
Here's how it happens: at 9 a.m. ET on Monday, June 22, 2015, Brain Chase: The Sunstone of Cortés begins. Adventurers log in to watch the first animated webisode and meet Mae Merriweather, the star of the show. Then they dive into their first week of learning challenges. A proprietary (patent pending) learning management system – the “Dashboard” – tracks each student’s progress as they journey through the 5-week challenge.
Summer fun that makes school review painless!
Each week the adventurers have four tasks: read for 15 minutes per day, write one journal entry, earn 10,000 points on Khan Academy, and do one bonus challenge. When they’re done, they unlock the next webisode, which contains hidden pictures, numbers, and riddles to help them guess the treasure’s location. Each week should take 4-5 hours to complete, and while they can make up lost time, they cannot proceed to the next week until that week begins. This is to make it fair for everyone to have an equal chance to solve the clues needed to find the TREASURE!!
All of the work is done at the child's individual level; in fact, they are given a pre-test at the beginning to determine what they should work on. Students can do anything from early math and basic phonics to advanced Calculus and Shakespeare! They are measured based on effort (e.g., energy points on Khan Academy, active reading time on the reading platforms), not based on accomplishment.
One of the things that I am really excited about is that there will be credentialed teachers who give personal feedback for every writing assignment that is submitted. As a homeschooling mom, I always love getting feedback about my kids from someone else. I confess I'm a bit biased about them and so may not always be objective – go figure. :-)
Another neat thing for this year is that the child can replace the writing module with a foreign language module from ROSETTA STONE. Wow!!!
We've already received some of the “adventure tools” that all participants get – and they are VERY good quality. I won't spoil the surprise by showing them here – just know that neither you nor your kids will be disappointed!
Here's the whole thing in a nutshell:
- 5 weeks of structured challenges on external reading and math website
- Weekly writing exercises with feedback from credentialed teachers
- Weekly progress reports emailed to parents
- Exclusive access to an original animated adventure series loaded with hidden puzzles and clues
- 3 adventure tools mailed to your home to help solve special bonus challenges
- Participation in a massive global treasure hunt for a golden trophy containing the key to a safe deposit box holding $10,000
What's not to be excited about??
But wait, there's more!! (I feel like I'm selling Ginsu knives, but I truly am excited about this!!)
Readers of this blog get 15% off!! Just use this discount code: ANNIE15.
There IS limited enrollment. The people who run Brain Chase have only ordered so many sets of the hands-on materials, so they can't accept enrollment beyond that number. So be sure to make your decision early, and use the discount code ANNIE15. Go to the Brain Chase website to sign up!
And if that wasn't enough, here's my BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Brain Chase, one of the coolest summer activities EVER, can be yours for FREE!!
I'm going to do my FIRST EVER giveaway!! One lucky reader will get a FREE membership to Brain Chase for this summer! Isn't that the coolest thing? There are THREE ways to earn entries, although you don't need to do all three. But more entries means more chance of winning! :-)
(Don't worry, your email address will not go anywhere from here. :-) Also, please be sure to give the required information and hit the “Enter” button for each entry. If you've already completed one of the entry requirements in the past, you still have to answer the question so I can verify you — and hit ENTER! Thanks!!)
The contest will run from now until Monday, May 18 at midnight Central Time. Then on Tuesday I'll email the winner! If you are not the lucky winner of the free membership, you can still use the 15% discount code to enjoy one of the coolest summer activities ever!
I think we're gonna have some serious fun this summer!! How about you? :-)
Shared on the Hip Homeschool Hop, Laugh & Learn Linkup, A Little Bird Told Me Linky Party and
Ann has written Cure the Fear of Homeschooling High School: A Step-by-Step Manual for Research and Planning, Save Your Sanity While Homeschooling High School: Practical Principles for a Firm Foundation, and recently Taming the Transcript: The Essential Guide to Creating Your Teen's Homeschool Transcript from Scratch (without overwhelm). She also founded the popular Facebook groups It's Not that Hard to Homeschool High School and It's Not Hard to Homeschool K-8, and in addition she voices the It's Not That Hard to Homeschool High School Podcast.
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We cannot wait to start this! (We’re part of this campaign too) It just looks so engaging!
I agree, Adrienne! Thanks for stopping by! :-)
This sounds like a lot of fun!
I know, right? I think it will be a blast for my daughter — and I may or may not be right there with her! :-) Thanks for commenting!
Brain Chase sounds like so much fun for my 10 year old grandson and me!
What a great idea to do it with your grandson! You could have tons of fun together! :-)
Awesome post! I always stress this to my girlfriends that have kids. The brain is a muscle and you must exercise it to keep it strong and heathy. Constant review is an excellent form of brain exercise :)
Yep, I agree! Maybe we’ll avoid the usual back-to-school “I don’t remember anything” syndrome this way. :-)