the WRITE Balance: Smart Kidz Radio: An On-Demand Library Review

I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

The prominent messages we hear in our culture today are so toxic and even our news is something to be avoided most days! One thing I am always happy to share is a positive program that reinforces healthy concepts and skills, especially for kids. Smart Kidz Radio is just that type of program! For this review, we got to try out Smart Kidz Radio: Member's On-Demand Radio Program Library with our family and discovered a really neat resource for our homeschool.

What We Received:

We received 6 months of access to Smart Kidz Radio: Member's On-Demand Program Library. Smart Kidz Radio: Member's On-Demand Program Library is a website radio subscription service that seeks to inspire it's listeners with encouraging and educational content. They are so committed to being a positive force in the lives of children that 20% of every membership fee is automatically donated to Smart Kidz Foundation, a nonprofit organization that encourages young people making a difference in the world around them and provides resources and education toward that end. It is designed for Preschool to Middle School aged children, but can be used in a variety of family settings.

How It Works:

This online radio station consists of a variety music, story and educational stations that are available to play at any time, in any order. The dashboard is setup for browsing, much like other digital subscription services, where various categories are presented as you scroll down. Near the bottom of the page you will find the Recently Played category in case you forget where you found something. There is also a search feature at the top. Just about everything you can think of for an educational classroom seems to be included like math skills, world music, manners, animals, study music, fairy tales, and learning Spanish!

How We Used It:

My children are 9, 7 and 3 so we cover the elementary age really well. I would generally pick the station and play what I chose for the occasion. We are studying different countries right now and I discovered the World Cultural Music category that had a whole station of Music from France. It was a great addition and offered us music we hadn't considered before. There is a collection of Nostalgic Music Programs that has music from the 50s, 60s and 70s. I like that just for fun background music! The Background Music for Studying was also a great anytime collection of music. The stories are a fun alternative to watching something in their free time for sure, but also when school work doesn't require extra help, like handwriting.

What We Thought:

I really liked the variety of positive content that I didn't have to worry about what might play next. All of my children responded positively to the music and variety of stations. Since my kids are accustomed to other specific programs or devices, they didn't automatically try to use it all the time, but I feel like it's better that way. Since I treated the program like a resource for my homeschool, there wasn't a lot of need or opportunity for them to use it themselves. If my children were all 9 and older, the experience would be a lot different I think. They have quite a few coming soon categories that I'll be interested in trying out in the future. Overall, we thought it was a great program and resource to have as homeschoolers!