Keen2learn has just added two great new Numenko educational games for maths to their range. Children are still reluctant to learn maths but these fun games which can be played in school and at home by two – six players follows keen2learn message about “learning in disguise”.  Playing a game is so much more fun than doing exercises or reading a text book. And you learn whilst you play using the rules of the games.

A sound foundation in numeracy is essential to allow children to progress in maths and if this learning can be made to be fun the desire to learn can be accelerated through practice.

The UK is still failing in maths. Although the recent round of improved GCSE results were an improvement on last year there is a hidden concern. Maths, science and engineering are in decline replaced by a trend for children to take easier subjects in order to gain a better score and exam points. Our heritage is at stake, as our inventiveness will decline without a sound grounding in maths and more children than ever are dropping maths after they are 16 years old.

Many children find maths difficult because they can’t see the fun that can be had by playing maths games. Numenko is a board game using wooden tile to form maths answers in a crossword fashion similar to Scrabble. Addition, subtraction, division and multiplication form the answers on the board with the score being the answer to the statement. 6 x 2 =12 gives the player a score of twelve. The simplicity of the game makes it possible to for children of different ages to play. A second version of the game –Numenko in a Bag does away with the board to let children play anywhere – the winner is the first to use all their tiles.

Seeing how easy maths can become through playing Numenko will help children to break down any fear about maths which helps to build their confidence and develop a deep seated interest in numeracy.

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Want to keep the kids occupied with some great educational games  fun at home this summer? We have three  amazing bundled software offers, each with a selection of 10 educational  games that will keep children  amused for hours after exams and during the holidays. Relax and watch them enjoy the games whilst “learning in disguise.”

Developed by market leaders Sherston the games are very popular in school and now available as a mega deal bundle from Keen2learn for home use. There is a choice of three selections to suit age groups;

Deal 1 = 3-5 years, Deal 2 = 5-7 years and Deal 3 = 7-11 years.

Each set comprises of maths, science, literacy and  ICT games and some early leaning basic skills for the 3-5 years old children.
Home Mega Software Deal 1
Home Mega Software Deal 2
Home Mega Software Deal 3

Hours of fun  for just  £ 49.99 (incl VAT) and free delivery and an amazing saving off the individual pack prices.  The 5-7 year selection  includes the every popular Crystal Rain Forest V2 normally priced  on its

own at £20.42 (incl VAT)

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“Warning, this toy can seriously improve your maths”. Although aimed at ages six to 11, my maths was in need of some polishing up, and Bunja was more than happy to oblige. Bunja is a compact nugget of maths knowledge, its purple body housing five bright yellow buttons and a central speaker. A press of the power button and Bunja springs to life, a firm but fair male voice who sounds like he’s auditioning for the nest Tom Tom Sat Nav, asking the first maths conundrum. (A review of Bunja by Josh Welensky)

Things start off nice and easy, “What’s 1 + 3?” But Bunja’s 100 adaptive maths levels meant that I soon ran out of fingers to count on. Like a six-year-old -kid, I don’t have the longest attention span – so I was intrigued by the interactive adventure you’re treated to after answering five questions correctly. Your goal is to help Sam, a vividly narrated character who’s lost in the Borneo rainforest after a plane crash. I was genuinely gripped by Sam’s plight, determined to save him from the raging torrents, scary camp guards and fearsome guerrillas by pressing “A,” “B” or “C” to choose his next move.

Bunja is disguised learning at its very best. Support­ing up to ten players, a built-in report card sys­tem,  80 interactive adventures and 100 adaptive maths levels, it’s going to keep your little one adding, subtracting and multiplying  for many hours to come as well. At just over £20, that’s a lot of maths for your money. I was particularly improved by its simplicity and the rather addictive interactive story.

Bunja is on the keen2learn site at a special 20 % off price .

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Following the November announcement of top ten educational games on the www.keen2learn.co.uk site these are the December results. Christmas has influenced some titles proving that these games are the ideal present.

1. Crystal Rain Forest: For the 3rd month running this firm favourite tops the poll. Using maths skills and logo programming language to help save the planet
2. LogiRobot New entry educational toy robot is a truly unique and multi-talented robot with a mind of its own. It can be used in simple play or in more complex and engaging projects that help you understand the principles of control, automation and robotics.
3. Bunja: Climbing one place this maths game is based on MP3 technology provides hours of fun and is small enough to fir in a pocket when travelling around.
4. Spelling Board Games. Nobody wants to spell – unless it is part of this popular English games pack.
5. Feel Good Friends: Parents and teachers have found this game developed to boost the self esteem in children is great fun for anyone to play.
6. Electric City New entry manly due to the popularity of this science game as a present. Create the fascinating Memory Circuit and understand all about feed-back systems. Make a Burglar Alarm, Light Breaker, Door Alarm, Water Sensor, Alarm Light, Flash Back, Morse Code, Metal Detector and Lie Detector. Test your logical skills.
7. 6 Maths Board Games – Basic New entry to the top 10. Ideal maths resources and games to help understand the basics in maths.
8. Make a Face Puppets New entry  these educational tactile face puppets can be used to create different fun faces and expressions. Used as puppets they are ideal for PSHE role playing or to provide opportunities to talk about feelings and emotions. Each face is supplied with 10 Velcro parts and 6 labels.
9. Nubble Deluxe New entry Everyone loves Nubble! – teachers, pupils and parents. It is the perfect way for pupils to sharpen their numeracy skills. The range is now joined by the a new high resolution version of Nubble! that includes a Headstart option in which between 10 and 50 hexagons are randomly covered over at the start of the game.
10. Kiddoku Children’s Sudoku. Drag and drop the pieces in the grid so that every row and every column contains just one copy of each type of piece. The program includes 4×4, 5×5 and 6×6 grids..

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Coinciding with their recent appointment as a distributor of Neptune educational games software keen2learn has announced a special Christmas offer on a section of the new games. “Neptune has developed an enviable reputation in schools where their software is used extensively. We are delighted to be able to now offer parents access to the same games at a lower home-user price” said Alistair Owens Managing Director of www.keen2learn.co.uk

 The games are ideal for Mums, Dads and Grandparents to practise the lesson content with children at home as well as school. They cover a wide range including maths games, English games, Science games and Modern Foreign Languages MFL. Above all they are huge fun and a great way to help the learning process whilst giving parents a greater understanding of their child’s progress.

 Until the 20th December 2009 we are offering  3 for 2 for the following educational games  titles. Buy any two titles  of the following range and keen2learn will send you a third and lowest cost title free of charge.

1. - Captain Conrad’s Space Adventure
2. - Sing-and-Play: Nursery Rhymes
3. – French With A Story
4. – Spanish With A Story
5. – Percy Teaches Maths
6. – Percy’s Alphabet Workshop
7. – Percy’s Computer Club
8. – Percy Makes Thinking Fun
9. – Percy’s World Of Numbers
10. – Percy’s Animal Explorer
11. - The Learner’s Library: Wild Animals
12. – The Tudor Trail
13. - Bric-a-Brac: Sorting
14. – Paws Explore: Multiplication
15. - Paws Explore: Money
16. – Paws Explore: Numbers

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Responding to frequent requests from visitors asking what are the favourite educational games, toys and puzzles on www.keen2learn.co.uk. they have published a new monthly list of the top ten games. They change a round a bit as new products are released and classes in school move onto a new part of the curriculum. The list is a measure of all sales and includes what both teachers and parents are buying to support the National Curriculum.

1.    Crystal Rain Forest: This firm favourite uses maths skills and logo programming language to help save the planet. A firm favourite in the class and now available to also play at home.

2.    Alphabet frieze: One for the early learners this great wall frieze is the ideal decoration for the classroom and bedroom wall.

3.    Spelling Board Games. Nobody wants to spell – unless it is part of this popular English games pack.

4.   Bunja: This maths game is based on MP3 technology provides hours of fun and is small enough to fir in a pocket when travelling around.

5.   Feel Good Friends: Parents and teachers have found this game developed to boost the self esteem in children is great fun for anyone to play.

6.   Early Learning Songs: Rhyme and alliteration. Children love playing with words that sound the same. These songs develop their awareness of rhyme and alliteration with repeating words and sounds.

7.   Hand counting puzzle: Learning  to count with this colourful wooden puzzle. Suitable for ages three to five years.

8.    Melody Mix: A great little set. Complete with 10 musical instruments including a xylophone, drum, tubular chimes, triangle, cymbal, bells, maracas, castanet, double guiro, a pair of rhythm sticks, 2 strikers and 1 scraper.

9.    Geopolitical Inflatable Globe: This 24″ Inflatable World Globe includes country capitals, important cities, time zones and important geographic features. Great for school and home use!

10.   Geniass: Revision Game: The unique and exceptional educational revision resource in the form of a board game. It is great fun to play, promotes personalised learning and improves exam grades at Key Stages 3 & 4. Geniass was described in the Times Educational Supplement as an “inspiring game” and was short listed for the Science Museum’s Toy and Game of the Year Award. Parents and teachers alike have described it as a “brilliant idea” that is “fantastic fun”. The best invention since the calculator!

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Plans announced by the OFT to investigate dubious pricing practices on the internet have been welcomed by http://www.keen2learn.co.uk, the educational games website, which has attacked many pricing techniques as misleading and “a whisker away from illegal cons.”

The pricing practices exemplified by budget airlines leave many customers reeling at the additional charges hidden until the final pages of the checkout. Know as “drip pricing” they cover a host of extra charges for electable and non electable features. They include carriage, VAT, handling fees and minimum order value surcharge. The list is as long as the inventiveness of the perpetrator. The worst is the charge for using a credit card when there is no other way of funding the transaction. “It’s ludicrous for a website operator to charge additional fees as means of generating income by stealth. It has the same connotation as charging a premium for the phone call through 0870 numbers before they were exposed” said Alistair Owens MD of Keen2learn. “There are huge advantages to web site operators and customers from ecommerce. We should resist any sharp practice based on web anonymity that would meet with contempt in face to face contact in a high street shop”.

Keen2learn provides educational games and teaching resources to schools. The games, matched to the National Curriculum, have equal application with parents wanting to give their children extra personal support at home. The fun games develop positive interaction with parents rather than watching them slog through conventional homework at arms length. “We are at the start of the learning curve for children. An ethical base is at the heart of the operation. This includes “non-drip pricing” that has absolutely no hidden extras; the price you see alongside each product is the final price you pay” said Alistair Owens

About us:

Keen2learn is an award winning website started four years ago to give parents access to the educational games used in school. Practice is crucial in learning retention and often children in a busy classroom lack the opportunity to practice what the teacher has said. The fun games played in class can be a bit of a rush. Playing the games at home at leisure allows parents to engage in the schooling process far more effectively than conventional homework. Since the launch schools have become large customers of keen2learn. Teachers like the extensive range matched to the National Curriculum and ease of ordering from one location rather than ploughing through multiple printed catalogues.

 Contact:

Alistair Owens

Managing Director keen2learn

Tel 0845 643 0585

Fax: 01302 590030

Mob: 07716 515 808

Email: alistair@keen2learn.co.uk

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more