What is Enchanted Learning? It is many things to many learners, parents, and educators.
Child
What is Enchanted Learning?
What is Enchanted Learning? It is many things to many learners, parents, and educators.
The two friends, founded in 1993 by Jeananda Col and Mitchell Spector, wanted to create a well-rounded selection of educational games on various topics for their children. Their first endeavor was a CD-ROM game called “Busy Little Brains.” The company is located in Mercer Island, Washington.
In 1995 Col and Spector created the EnchantedLearning.com website, hoping to share their collected learning materials, documents, and methods with others. Enchanted Learning, LLC now contains over 35,000 pages for use in Kindergarten through to 12th-grade lessons and learning goals. There are numerous topics covered in dozens of categories.
In 2014, Audrey Col-Spector joined the team as a content writer and developer. She is the site administrator and social media specialist, as well. Robert Col-Spector has been the software development program director since 2015.
Their website explains that their mission “is to produce educational materials that emphasize creativity and the pure enjoyment of learning. From crafting and reading to writing, our lessons are geared to promote students’ curiosity and exploration. We believe that one can learn the most (and retain it the longest) when actively involved in educational pursuits that are stimulating, logical, and fun.”
The site is designed in a fairly simple and easy-to-navigate way. It has an old-school feel. Spending about 15 minutes looking around will show users how much is available in the wide assortment of topics. Early readers can find worksheets, dictionaries, and appealing information pages in the “Little Explorers” section. High schoolers can research advanced data about languages, biology, geography, and essays. There is certainly something for every school age.
Education resources
Subscribing
Much of the information and printouts are free, although some are available to subscribers only. It’s good to note that the company does not sell subscriber information to other sites, researchers, or companies.
Here is what subscribers receive for personal use (can include a family or teacher) at $20 per year:
- A unique username and password to access the EL website from anywhere at any time.
- Full access to all Enchanted Learning content. This includes over 35,000 pages of information.
- Absence of advertising. While free users see banner ads, subscribers do not.
- Extra printing options include better-quality pages and the chance to enlarge many images.
- A full 365 days of membership, with the join date and end date the same and no automatic renewals — It’s up to each user whether they want to renew at the end of a year.
As another option, schools can buy a membership for the entire class body at $125 per year. All the teachers can use a single username and password to log on, and they can print or access information from any computer (home, school, library, etc.).
All subscribers can purchase their subscriptions with credit cards or PayPal. Schools are allowed to use purchase orders or checks, too. This can be done via the EnchantedLearning.com website. Customers must be 18 or older.
Type of content
The simple navigation may be a refreshing and nostalgic sight for some users. The array of activities, printables, and learning games is excellent. There are also links to recommended content for many subjects so students can delve into further research on the internet.
There are so many subjects – too many to describe here. Here are just a few examples of topics and content:
“Little Explorers” Plants: An A-to-Z list with links to various plants and plant-related topics, including Arbor Day, acorns, cacti, kiwi, mushrooms, roots, venus flytrap, wheelbarrows, yucca, and zucchini. There are color sheets, links, games, and more that are age-appropriate and interesting.
Writing Activities: Finish the Sentence activities, Writing Prompts, Brainstorming Worksheets, Book Report Forms, Character Charts, Book Dioramas, Memory Books, Comic Book Templates, and much more. The creative options are extensive for all ages.
Biology Human Anatomy: Several printables of body parts and systems, Heart Glossary, Human Skeleton Chart, Tooth Anatomy Quiz, Five Senses Word Wheel, Anatomy Diagrams, Label Me! Printouts for many anatomical subjects and more. Late elementary and middle schoolers and even high schoolers can learn much from the information here.
Italian Language: English-Italian Word & Picture Dictionary, Word Translation Books, Time & Calendar in Italian, Seasons and Holidays, The Body, People, Food & Cooking, Animals, Colors, Outdoors, Numbers, Games, Measurement, Music & Instruments, and more.
See for yourself
The best way to determine whether Enchanted Learning is a good fit for you and your learners is to explore the website, look around, print out some free pages, and discuss it with the children who will use the content. Take time to truly look around, as there is more than might initially appear. Whether you subscribe or not, you’ll likely be back for a second visit at some point to check out the extensive selection of good information.
