GoGo Kabongo – TOS review

Company:  Go Go Kabongo

Website:  www.kabongo.com

Price:  Free (for 2 habitats) additional habitat $4.95

 

My 8 year old daughter loves to read.  When asked if I would like to review this website, I knew she was a little old but she loves online games so I said yes. 

Go Go Kabongo is an online reading game that allows your student to practice early and pre-reading skills.  When I asked Bella what she thinks of it she said “Well, it doesn’t really have anything to do with reading, but I like it”.  I think she was expecting harder things to do and more games that required actual reading questions.   She also said it loaded slowly.

This game is recommended for ages 4-7 and I think would work great for the lower end of this age range. 

Go Go Kabongo

• Builds the thinking skills kids need to read
• Games adapt to your child's level, inspiring confidence
• Interactive rewards keep kids playing & learning
• Designed by cognitive psychologists & learning experts

 

You can view the learning skills chart here.

The website is very colorful and really keeps your attention.  There is a lot of activity (whirling tornados, trains, etc.)  This game is in it’s Beta version right now so there are some technical issues.  A couple that we noticed were the cursor can’t be seen at times and reward stickers not showing up.  

There are three different learning habitats: Laughter Lake, Twister top and Galaxy Gardens.  Each one has three different games to play with six different learning levels in each game.   There is a reward system that the player gets when they finish an activity.  Bella liked adding trophies to her shelf in her room as one of her rewards.   She also enjoyed making her own character who happens to have roller skates.   

Her favorite habitat is Laughter Lake.

There is one part of the game that allows the student to build their own skate park with ramps and connects that you can earn. 

The parent gets weekly emails that tell you how your child is doing.   The following is a portion of an email I received.

Hi There Parent,

WOW! bellaballerina is having a great time playing and learning on GoGo Kabongo. Here's a summary of what your child has been doing this week:

Your Child's Progress

Game

Level
4

Skill:

Visualization:

When children are presented with more information than they can easily remember, creating a mental picture often helps them process what is being described.

Kabongo's Learning Activity of the Week

Extend the fun and learning with this activity you can do at home.

Look for Patterns in Your Environment and Point Them Out to Your Child.

It could be as simple as the pattern on a bed comforter: “Look, it is made of stripes.” Encourage your child to find more patterns in the house or wherever you happen to be. Later, look for patterns in numbers, music, and literature, as well as in nature. The state of mind that allows us to see patterns is one of curiosity and engagement. Finding patterns helps us appreciate the beauty in life.

For more helpful advice check out https://www.kabongo.com/parents/parent-resources

 

I like the extra activity suggestions in the e-mails.  They would be great for the younger student. 

This is a very cute, safe online game for the younger kids to play on.  I would recommend if you have a youngster who wants to play on the computer.  Even if they can already read, they will still have fun with the games.  

Right now you can get two learning habitats for free.  That’s 6 games to play for free.  You can add the third habitat for a one time fee of $4.95.  This is super reasonable for an online gaming environment for children.

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Our family gives GoGo Kabongo

(This a hard one to rate because my 4 smiles mentions budget.  I think this is definitely worth the money but since it is below our age level, probably wouldn’t purchase it)

Smiley guide:

1 Smiley - Product not really for our family. Probably wouldn’t buy. This really should probably be a frown face but we hate to be negative.

2 Smileys - Would maybe buy this product if on sale. Not a great fit for our family.

3 Smileys - We really liked this product and would probably recommend this to friends and fellow homeschoolers.

4 – Smileys – Definitely would buy this if the budget would allow. We suggest you check this out to see if it is a fit for your family.

5 Smileys – Would sell the family pets to get this one (just kidding). A must have for our family and we think you should get it too.

To see what my fellow crew mates have to say about this this product, click here.

For giveaways,and other great stuff, please check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog by clicking below.

Please note:  I received this product for free in exchange for my honest opinion in this review.  No other compensation was provided.  Thank you to  GoGo Kabongo and TOS for this opportunity.