Night Zookeeper is an online creative writing skills program that does more than you might expect! As a former homeschool mom, I try to keep an eye out for educational programs. I find that it helps to know what would work well if we started homeschooling again. However, I also love to find quality supplements that will help my children thrive in school as well. I want to share more about Night Zookeeper as well as a discount code later in this post so you can try it out!
What is Night Zookeeper?
Disclaimer – This is a sponsored post in partnership with Night Zookeeper. All opinions shared here are my own.
Night Zookeeper is a writing and grammar curriculum at its core but it is so much more than that! Night Zookeeper uses interactive components, gaming-styled incentives, and some really fun characters/stories to bring the world of creative writing to life for children! Children who use Night Zookeeper will interact with a variety of characters and story elements while learning key writing, grammar, and spelling skills. Night Zookeeper uses a fun learning atmosphere to keep children engaged in learning.
What age is Night Zookeeper for?
On the Night Zookeeper website, you will see the ages listed as 6-12+. I think that is a fair starting point. That said, I think it will also depend on your children and what they are using the program for. For instance, my 12-year-old engaged with the program and had a great deal of fun. For him, it works wonderfully as a supplement to help him prepare for the FSA. For the teen, it’s been a great option for reminding her of some of her writing skills as she prepares for the PSAT. The fun gaming environment kept her engaged and made it fun to keep learning.
In my opinion, if you are working on writing skills, I would recommend letting your child try out the free trial and see if they would engage well with this program. You might find that though there are certain ages listed, it is not a firm rule on who would benefit from it. (I may or may not have learned a bit watching my kids play some of the games.)
What does Night Zookeeper teach?
Night Zookeeper is able to be used as a full grammar curriculum for schools and homeschools meeting language arts standards. A few of the topics you can find in the program are as follows:
- Creative Writing – This program takes a unique approach to creative writing. They will prompt your child as they work on a writing project to help them see what needs to come next. This takes some of the fear of writing away and builds confidence. Read more of the writing standards.
- Spelling – With spelling challenges in a variety of games, children will have a chance to work on their spelling skills in a low pressure environment. They will get to laugh along with their favorite character and collect rewards for improving spelling skills. Read more of the spelling standards.
- Grammar – As children play games, listen to stories, and take on writing challenges, they will be encouraged to work on proper grammar. Many of the games in this program will let children practice grammar in a fun way. Read more of the grammar standards.
- Vocabulary – This program does a brilliant job of introducing a great deal of new words to children and putting them in a context that will help children to fully understand them. Using this program is a great way to expand on a child’s vocabulary and prepare for future testing if you test your children.
- Sentence Structure – Proper sentence structure is such an important part of any writing curriculum. This program does a brilliant job of encouraging children to write sentences properly while keeping it fun.
- Reading Comprehension – Small stories are read been children and a few simple questions are available to answer afterwards. Here are a few the reading skills covered.
Is Night Zookeeper good for dyslexia?
As many of you know, my daughter has dyslexia and dysgraphia. I wish I would have discovered Night Zookeeper when she was younger. The program is definitely designed with those with learning differences in mind. Here are a few of the reasons I think it is definitely dyslexia-friendly.
- All written instructions can be read aloud to the child. – This can be such a huge asset to children with dyslexia. Spending time reading directions can be overwhelming and they may disengage. Being able to listen to each portion will help them to stay engaged for the learning portions.
- Prompted writing – When a child is working on a writing assignment they are not given an empty sheet and told to write. Instead, they are given the opportunity to answer simple writing prompts to help them build out their writing piece. With this support, children can learn to enjoy writing without getting overwhelmed.
- Writing expectations. – When a child is working on a writing piece the program will give simple directions to make things easier. This could include suggesting a noun, adjective, or word count for the piece they are working on.
- Ability to save work and return to it. – This program allows the child to save a writing piece as a draft so they can come back to it if they get overwhelmed with writing.
- Creativity is a core part of the program. – Using creativity in both story building and in drawing on screen for a variety of tasks is a good way to keep children with dyslexia engaged.
- Compatible with Grammarly. – Programs like Grammarly can be a great support to dyslexic students as it can show them misspelled words and help them to see where a correction needs made. This program will allow the Chrome grammarly plugin to work while they are writing. This means children can write with confidence without worrying about misspelling words.
How does Night Zookeeper work?
Night Zookeeper has a variety of learning tasks that help children to learn a variety of concepts. This will include games, videos, stories, writing prompts, activities, lessons, challenges, and even projects. Even better, there are tutors at Night Zookeeper who take the time to look over the writing children have done and offer quick feedback about the work they have completed.
Is there a Night Zookeeper app?
As of right now, there is not an android app for the program. Your child can use the program via a web browser. I hope they do have an app in the future. I am pretty sure my kids would never put it down.
Is Night Zookeeper appropriate for school?
Night Zookeeper’s program can be used as a classroom resource to help with learning common grammar topics. Reach out to Night Zookeeper if you would like to add it to your classroom.
Is Night Zookeeper a full curriculum?
Night Zookeeper is listed as a full curriculum and I would be more than willing to define it as such for my homeschool. It definitely has a thorough approach to a variety of standards. Consult with your homeschool evaluator to see if it is acceptable for your state’s requirements. Not all states/countries will have the same standards.
If I were using this as a full curriculum option I would have my kid work through a tv episode each week. With 19 units, that could take quite a while to complete.
How much does Night Zookeeper cost?
Night Zookeeper prices are all in Euros as the program is originally from the UK. The pricing starts at $11.33 a month without paying the entire year upfront. Your prices will change depending on how many months of access you purchase.
1 child is $59.99/year’s access with our 50% off discounted offer. 2-3 children is $77.99/year with the discount. Essentially, the 3rd child is free.
Night Zookeeper Publishing Opportunities and an Adventure Book Series
Your child’s work could be published in the Night Zookeeper storybooks, featured storytelling card games, or even end up on the TV show!
If you’re looking for your child to get extra reading practice, there’s also the complete Night Zookeeper storybook series! These books delve into the wonderful world of hero bears, spying giraffes, and lioness pilots!
Night Zookeeper Coupon Code
I am so thankful to Night Zookeeper for offering a special discount to you! If you purchase the 12-month access you can get it for just $5 per month! This is an incredible discount on a program you are sure to love for your kids.
Sign up for Night Zookeeper at 50% off!
See Night Zookeeper in action.
What do my kids think of Night Zookeeper?
The 15-year-old told me that she expected the program to be for a younger age group and not beneficial to her. However, she found herself having fun playing the game and interacting with all of the different elements. She said she could see it being helpful as a tool for teens who are preparing for testing or trying to expand on their language arts skills.
The 12-year-old was absolutely loving all of the color, creativity, and personalization features. I don’t think he realized he was learning while having fun with so many of the playful elements included in the program.
