Check out this quick video for the scoop:

Linking your accounts gives you a number of exciting benefits. Here are the highlights:

1.Your kids will get bonus coins to use in the game. We’ve had parents asking if there’s a way to give their kids bonus coins for special occasions – here’s your chance! Help your little one finally get their hands on that super cool magic carpet or stylish pirate hat.

2. You’ll be able to see your Facebook friends who are also on JumpStart! Who knows? Maybe your cousin’s family or your neighbor’s son is already playing. Find out, then link up your kids with theirs, so that everyone can play together in the virtual world!

3. You can get real-time updates of what your kids are up to in the game! Did your daughter finally decide to buy that funny pet lamp? Has your son finally beaten his best score in Dodge N’ Dash? With these handy updates, you’ll finally know what your kids mean when they start arguing about who has the cooler pet blob.

Ready to get started? Click here to visit the official Link page. You’ll be asked to login to JumpStart.com, then taken through the steps!

PS. Since we’re on the topic of Facebook – don’t forget to come join our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/JumpStart. Thanks!

Get Your Friends in the Know!

The JumpStart world goes Halloween this month!

To start the fun, grab your friends and head to the Jumpee Creator to design the perfect Halloween get-up. A swashbuckling pirate? A pretty princess? A stylish cat? A spooky ghost? The possibilities are endless!

Then it’s time to select the perfect spooky sidekick! Pick a bat, a pumpkin or maybe even a mini-skull.

Halloween pets!

Just keep in mind that the more JumpStart games you play, the more coins you’ll earn, and the more festive you can make your Halloween. But that’s not all! Once you are all decked out in your BOOtiful costume, it’s time to venture out into the slime-covered pumpkin-packed world for some festive Halloween fun. With special Halloween themed contests and challenges appearing throughout the month, it’ll be just as fun as trick or treating! Get excited…Halloween is just around the corner at JumpStart!

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It is time to strut your stuff on the Merllywood Runway! You can find this game first by entering MarineLand, swimming through Ship Wreck Reef, splashing your way through Rubble Ruins until you end up in Merllywood. When you are ready to show off your fashion skills go find the game Trendy Tides.

In this creative and resourceful game you compete with other Jumpeez for points and express yourself through the art of fashion!

Strike a pose!

First) Choose your collection. Pick the fashion theme that best suits your style from  silly wear, to grown up clothes, to arghhhhhh even pirate attire!

Second) Now that you’ve got your focus, design the best outfit that follows the instructions given. Will you pick a red pirate hat or a purple one? Maybe some cow pants or a leopard skirt? With so many possibilities it is up to you to pick out the best outfit for your runway collection

Now that is my kind of outfit.......

Third) With that confidence and style, you’re ready to work it on the runway!  Press the right buttons and strike a pose!

Strut you stuff!

Lastly) Listen to what the judges have to say about your outfit.  

Simon and Randy have nothing on these judges

Now the question is will you be the next Trendy Tides fashion star? Check it out for yourself!

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“Where are you going?” asks Jack SlothSprout.

“I am going to explore JumpStart,” Bugsy FlameCloud replies. “Follow me!”

JumpStart.com is taking children’s gaming to new heights with the addition of canned chat! Jumpeez can now communicate with one another using pre-selected words and phrases. We know kids love to chat online with their peers, and sometimes dance moves alone won’t cut it. We’re dedicated to keeping your little ones safe and happy, and we’re confident that the new canned chat function will do just that!

Canned chat is now available at JumpStart.com!

Here at JumpStart, we want to make sure your kids are both having fun and, of course, learning. The great thing about canned chat is that while your kids are socializing with their Jumpee friends, they’ll also be learning sight words that are important to their reading skills.

Edward William Dolch is famous for his creation of a list of important words that occur frequently in children’s (and indeed, all!) books. The Dolch words are now known as “sight words” because most of the time, they cannot easily be recognized by pictures or sounded out according to normal phonetic rules. There are 220 sight words and another 95 nouns that should be standard knowledge by third grade. A full list of the Dolch words and additional nouns is available here.

The words that appear in our brand-new canned chat function are based on Dolch’s research. As children use “sight words” repeatedly to communicate with other players in the virtual world, they will become more familiar with them and recognize them more readily. By including many “sight words” in the canned chat menus, we hope to advance the reading levels of our players and build their confidence in school!

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Dance party at JumpStart.com!

We’d love to hear what you think about what’s happening in our virtual world at JumpStart.com! Please use the comments section of this article to give us your feedback. We’re also happy to answer any questions you may have. Thanks for your input!

For more information about our multiplayer features, check out our earlier articles here and here.

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With our new multiplayer feature, the world at JumpStart.com is more exciting than ever. It still has all the same fun learning adventures as before, but your child can now learn and play alongside other kids. Yes, that means that all those other cute Jumpeez running around are actual players, learning at their computers just like your child!  Plus, we’re developing group activities and challenges that will teach participation, sharing, and teamwork.

To celebrate the release of our multiplayer features, we’ve added a dance floor in the center of the JumpStart world so that players can boogie down together! We always let the newest feature take center stage, so access to AdventureLand has been moved to the submarine near the ocean.

Jumpeez boogie on the JumpStart.com dance floor!

Safety is always a top priority at JumpStart, so we’ve built this new multiplayer feature in a way that allows for playful communication without the ability to share any personal information. Participating in the JumpStart world will reinforce safe, positive habits for your child as he or she begins to use the Internet. To learn more about the new multiplayer feature of JumpStart.com and its benefits, check out our earlier article here.

See it for yourself at JumpStart.com today!

Please note: If you and your child are more comfortable with the single-player learning environment, you may opt out of multiplayer. (But be warned, you are sure to be missing out on an exciting dance party!)  To opt out, visit “Online Game Preferences” under “Manage Account” and click “disable.”

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With this exciting new feature, your child will be able to celebrate his or her achievements with friends by sharing all the cool accessories and extras earned for completing learning games! Plus, the new interactive world will soon have organized events to teach teamwork and more.

Because you’ve chosen JumpStart for your child, we know that learning and safety are very important to you. We have compiled the following important FAQs to help you better understand how these new features will enhance your child’s learning adventure with JumpStart:

Will my child be safe?

Of course! Your child’s Jumpee (personalized avatar) will only be identified by its special Jumpee name (for example, “Sandra SpeedySnake”), and no personal information will ever be shared. Plus, only 25-30 Jumpeez will be interacting at JumpStart.com at a time.  We feel that this provides a calmer, more controlled environment for your child to learn and play in.

How do the Jumpeez communicate with each other?

The Jumpeez interact through dance moves and emoticons (super-cool smiley faces).  We recognize the potential dangers of unrestrained “free chat” and that the challenge of typing words can be frustrating for children this age.  To keep everyone safe, we have restricted communication to dancing and facial expressions.  Soon, we will have “canned chat,” which will allow players to choose from age-appropriate, pre-selected phrases and greetings to send to each other.

Jumpeez express themselves with floating emoticons

What are the benefits?

We thought you’d never ask! First and most importantly, these new features provide incentives for your child to continue playing the learning games at JumpStart.com.  By interacting with other Jumpeez, your child will see all the cool new things their hard-earned coins can earn. Nothing motivates better than the possibility of having tiger-striped skin or an awesome new set of antennae to spruce up your Jumpee! Your child will be able to celebrate learning successes by dressing up with friends – such fun!

Plus, your child will build confidence and learn teamwork while making friends and working with others to accomplish missions in the online world. We’ve got all sorts of exciting events planned that will give Jumpeez everywhere the chance to work together and accomplish amazing feats!

Jumpeez form a conga line and dance through JumpStart!

Stay tuned to the JumpStart blog for updates on when you can expect your new friends to appear at JumpStart.com – it should be by the end of July!

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Come check out our new and improved YouTube channel! We’ve put up high-quality versions of our videos, added descriptions, and made the whole channel easier to use. You’ll also find our playlist of fun, educational songs that you and your kids will love to sing along with, like this one:

You can subscribe to receive updates when we post new videos, and feel free to make us your YouTube friend! Check out our channel here.