Yesterday we completed our first day of homeschooling for the year, and I have to say, I’m so excited to have 10 year old Bug home with us again! He is the perfect age for homeschooling: still curious, yet old enough to begin doing more complicated projects.
This week I had the opportunity to review one such project: The EEME Genius Light Project. Even the name sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Read on to see if Bug was as excited as I was!
About EEME
EEME was created by a father who was dissatisfied with the “educational” toys he saw marketed toward children. He wanted to see kids be able create projects that would teach them how things work. Out of that desire, EEME was born.
EEME is a subscription program. When you subscribe to the program, you receive one electronics project for your student every month. Your child watches online videos, which help him complete the project. Through video instruction and personal experience, children learn how electronics work.
There are two subscription levels, starting at $18.95 a month.
My Thoughts on EEME
I was interested to see how EEME would go over in my house. My 10 year old seems to really love projects or really hate them. There is no in-between.
I reviewed the Genius Light Project from EEME. When the package arrived, I was surprised at how small it was. I’m not an electrician, and I’ll admit I was a bit intimidate by the baggie full of small parts. At first, Bug wasn’t too excited.
When I had some time to help him with the project, I pulled it out. Suddenly, Bug’s face lit up. “Oh, I’ve done that before!” he said.
Except he hadn’t. He’d done a similar project before, and I’m glad the memory had him so excited.
We pulled out the computer and began to run the videos, which explained how to put all those parts together.
I really liked that the project was explained in a series of short videos, rather than one long video. That made it easy to take breaks from the project when necessary, without losing our place. (And let’s face it…with a 3 year old in the house, there are a lot of interruptions!) Alternatively, at one point in the video series, we were prompted to hit the save button and log off, if we wanted to save the rest of the project for another day. Even though the project doesn’t take a lot of time, having the option to quit and return later is appealing.
The video instructions were super clear, and they were much more than a simple “how to” video. As we were building our Genius Light, the narrator taught us all about open circuits and closed circuits, breadboards, and resistors. We played around with a couple of configurations before putting together the final project.
Every once in a while, the video would stop and we would be presented with a multiple choice question about what we’d learned. I really wasn’t expecting this, and as a homeschool teacher, I was pleasantly surprised. I was also surprised at how well Bug retained what he’d learned.
In the end, Bug walked away with a light that dims and brightens in response to a sensor. He built it completely by himself, and he’s quite proud of it! And that makes me happy.
EEME Genius Light Project Review in a Nutshell
The Pros:
- Very hand’s on for kinesthetic learners.
- Video instructions are clear for auditory/visual learners.
- Genius Light Project was easy to complete – we did it in under an hour.
- Kids might not even realize they’re learning.
- $18.95 a month is a reasonable cost for the project.
The Cons:
- Kids who hate projects might not appreciate this curriculum.
- It’s not a full science curriculum.
My Overall Opinion: I really loved EEME! I mean REALLY loved it! It’s not that often my son gets excited about school related projects, and he loved this one. It’s not a full science curriculum, but it’s a great supplement!
Important Information About EEME
Website: http://www.eeme.co/
Age Range: 7-12
Price: $18.95 a month for the Builder (Basic) plan, $29.95 a month for the Builder (Pro) plan
DISCOUNT! EEME is offering the first month free toward a paid subscription to all readers of the Mosaic Reviews Team’s reviews! This is a limited time offer which expires on September 16, 2013. To take advantage of this offer, you need to use the following link: EEME Promo Offer.
What did the rest of the Mosaic Reviews Team think of EEME? Head over to the Mosaic Reviews blog to find out!
