A few years ago, for Christmas, my parents bought our kids an Amazon Echo Dot. hThey already had one of the first generation Echo devices… my parents have always loved trying out new technology. They had an iPad before us, too. So I installed the app on my phone and figured out how to use it. It quickly became something we used every day. For me, I liked the daily news briefing that lasted long enough for me to make a pot of coffee and for the kids, it was great for homeschool.
The Echo Dot is on sale at Amazon today
The Fire Stick is on sale too! We use both.
Here’s a few of the ways we use our Echo Dot for homeschool (by the way, we sometimes use the Amazon stick that is set up on the TV):
Spelling: My kids don’t ask me how to spell words, they ask Alexa (sometimes Siri but usually Alexa)
Word of the Day: This is a fun feature that increases vocabulary. The more words your kids know, they better readers they become.
This Day in History: While as adults, we try remind ourselves to live in the moment, your kids need to know that the world existed before they did and people did stuff… and sometimes it was pretty interesting and bears on current events.
Exercise: There are few different options like “7 minute workout” that my kids enjoy
Timers: Alexa is great at helping us cook. However, setting timers for how long I want my 4th grader to read is great, too. If you’re virtual schooling, you might want to use the timer to remind your student that it’s time for their next Zoom class.
Math: There are skills that teach probability, runs math facts and more.
What else? There’s a dictionary, thesaurus, podcasts, audio books, music, weather, kid-friendly news, international news and more. It’s pretty easy to download the app to your mobile device. I like that it stores the searches so I know what my kids have asked it. My family enjoys asking questions and learning something new every day. I think yours will, too!
