Amazon.com Product Description

From spinning planets to shining stars and whirling pizzas, lovable Baby Newton guides parent and baby through five fascinating activities filled with sights, sounds, and words. Vibrant colors, interactive animation, and the music of Vivaldi help you teach your baby about basic shapes. Using real-world objects, Baby Newton: Fun with Shapes introduces baby to circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, and more. Parents can incorporate photos of family members, pets, and household objects to personalize the play. Two fun modes, learning and guess, extend the educational play. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Baby drugs
I call this baby drugs because when my child plays this game he becomes completely involved and will watch it forever. However, this is not really and interactive game as much as it is a video on the computer. True, the child must press some key for the game to continue, but it is highly irregular. At some points in the game pressing the keyboard will do nothing until the entire scene has been played. In my opinion this leads to the child not truly understanding the cause and effect of pressing the keyboard. The child never has to "point and click" but they can drag the mouse over the item desired to select and it will automatically choose it. The problem this leads to is if the mouse stays in the correct spot the game will continue to move forward with no requirement of the child. Its rather difficult to explain, but the best way to put it is that this turns into a video for the child to watch. It does not require any parental control so if you need to do a chore and keep your child interested without your supervision this game works. However, if you truly want your child to have an interactive game I would advise Reader Rabit. This game will keep your childs attention but it would be cheaper to just buy a DVD. You child will learn just as much from that. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Every day can be a fun-filled learning adventure with the Adventure Workshop Preschool-1st Grade, featuring three award-winning educational titles for ages three to seven. Your child will love playing, learning, and just spending time with his or her favorite characters, and you'll love watching your child laugh and learn through colorful and clever activities that build valuable skills in subjects that include vocabulary, reading comprehension, addition and subtraction, logic, and art. Give your child a ticket to join this fun and exciting learning adventure.

The software bundle contains Little Bear Rainy Day Activities (join Little Bear for an exciting day of indoor fun with over 100 activities designed to strengthen creativity, thinking, and memory skills), Arthur's Computer Adventure (in which Arthur, D.W., and friends lead a hilarious adventure that builds critical reading, math, and logic skills with five learning activities and 13 surprises and puzzles), and Dr. Seuss Kindergarten (covering math to music, spelling to sorting, a full year of early learning skills in that unmistakably fantabulous Seuss style). ... Read more

Reviews (3)

mother of two busy boys
I purchased this package two years ago when my oldest son was almost 4 years old. He seldom played with Little Bear, liked the computer adventure with Arthur, but loved Dr. Seuss. This CD ROM alone has been paid for over and over. The features that are great for the children not only include the 7 areas of play (sequencing, measuring, matching, alphabet, spelling, grouping, and math..... plus other little things to do along the way), but the ability to change the level of difficulty within each area. There are 3 levels of difficulty for each area that allow the child to master a level then challenge themselves to the next level of difficulty. It is easy to move up or down a level during the game.

Follow along with your child so you know what they mean when they tell you they like "the Star Belly Sneeches" or "the Rumble Tub", and "Truffula Fruits" the best. The Dr. Seuss vernacular is another one of those things that makes this game unique.

We own about 15 childrens' CD-Roms and this one is by far the favorite. It is fun for the children while the parents feel like they are actually learning something. Our oldest child is on the verge of out growning it (6 years), but our second child, age 3, is right there to take his place.

Good Programs, Good Value
These are not my four-year-old daughter's favorite programs but she does choose them occasionally from her CD-ROM album. The graphics are not cutting edge crisp but are still good by 2003 standards. Parents should love the Dr. Seuss as it brought back a lot of nostalgia for me. My daughter's first book to read on her own was Green Eggs & Ham so it's fun for her to see Dr. Seuss on computer too. All three games are highly educational and a good value sold together. It seems the "Little Bear" title is much easier than the other two.

Loved the Dr. Seuss game
We have bought several CD packs for our 3 yr old daughter including: Living books: Grandma & Me, Brighter Child: The Muppets, Jumpstart: Numbers, Jumpstart: ABC's, and Jumpstart:Pre-K. Adventure Workshop: Preschool-1st grade seems by far the best. Arthur's Computer Adventure (part of this Adventure Workshop pack)is on par with Just Grandma & Me. Both are interactive stories that our daughter enjoys working with. She particularly likes the cashier section of the story.

Little Bear (also part of the Adventure Workshop pack) is a fun game. Our daughter really likes making cookies and dressing up various characters. But, by far the best, is the Dr. Seuss game. We really like this game because it is very educational. Our daughter really likes this game because she really likes the song and dance of the various Dr. Seuss creatures and the background story the games take place in. Unlike the similar Jumpstart games, the Adventure workshop games are challenging without causing her to feel frustrated if she hasn't mastered the task. Dr. Seuss has really helped our daughter better grasp counting and adding, recognize patterns, and identify letters of the alphabet. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Based on the popular PBS television show, Zoboomafoo Animal Alphabet takes kids on a guided tour of their ABCs, allowing them to brush up early reading and spelling skills while learning about animals from the Kratt brothers and their leaping lemur friend.

An educational activity center for children in the 3 to 6 years age range, this game offers a variety of simple minigames designed to build alphabet knowledge by capitalizing on a young player's curiosity about the animal kingdom. Users can color animal flash cards or play an arcade-style round of Penguin Pong, bouncing ice floes off each other to reveal the answer to a quiz question. Alternately, they can go to Animal Mixups, a top-notch activity where kids mix and match animals, grafting a zebra head, to take one possibility, onto a tiger torso, perhaps with a cow or reindeer tail to finish.

As an extra bonus, play is interspersed with lengthy live-action sequences from the television program. A win in one of the spelling games triggers a shot of the Kratt brothers going face-first into a mud pit. The Kratts and Zoboomafoo the leaping lemur also host a collection game, where players seek out animals whose names start with the different letters of the alphabet, and then get to see video footage of the creature itself.

Animal lovers and fans of the show should enjoy Zoboomafoo Animal Alphabet thoroughly, especially if they have never seen a game of this type before. More experienced players may recognize that about half of its activities are standard fare, reworked versions of games that appear repeatedly in educational software. This is the only complaint to be made, though, with what is otherwise a completely engaging game with lots of fascinating animal facts and great potential for teaching young learners some basic reading skills. (Ages 3 to 6) --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Nice mix of learning and fun
My 3 year-old really enjoys this game. It is perfect for a child who is learning her capital letters, but who is not quite ready for phonics yet. Also, while the graphics aren't superb, they are good enough for a pre-schooler and make her feel like she is interacting with the show. The CD-ROM also has a nice variety of games where different skill sets are tested. My only reservation is that that the software seems to have a few glitches on my Windows XP.

a good collection...
of games that teach spelling, reading and letter recognition. In addition to this, are the usual colouring and puzzle games. The positives: my 3 year old is quickly learning how to spell simple words and seems to enjoy the animal movies and graphics. The negatives: the font they've used for the games utilizing the alphabet is quite difficult to read (the k could be an x, etc.) Easy readability is crucial to a teaching program such as this, when will they learn? Also, the "Penguin Pong" program needs a patch but it is easily retrieved if you go to the Learning Company's website.

Pass On This One
With all the software titles available now days, I would suggest passing on this one. My child loves animals and learning, however, this is one of our least favorites. Maybe this is because we have access to more software (family "hand-me-downs") so this one just sits. After using this a few times I kept thinking there would be more substance, there isn't. I would suggest one of the JumpStart learning series (jumpstart advanced preschool etc.).

kids and parents deserve better than this lame software
I am really startled at the praise this software is getting. We own approximately twenty software titles for children and I would rank this as one of the three worst. In its favor it does not crash, but the quality of both format and content is poor.

First off, the resolution is bad. We've run this game on a Macintosh laptop and desktop computer, and the introductory footage looks fuzzy on both.

The live-action introduction is fun for fans of the show, but the few live-action sequences in the game's interior are not enough to keep little ones happy. The Kratt brothers are charming hosts of the television show but we don't see enough of them in this game. After the introduction children see a pan-and-scan version of Animal Junction populated with twenty-six clickable animals, each representing a different letter of the alphabet. When kids click on one of the animals, they receive a "page" with a picture and an assortment of facts about that creature, though in eight instances a child is presented instead with a game (more about these later). Confusingly, when a game is finished we hear Zoboo say, "That was great! Here's your animal page. Do you want to play again?" Instead of seeing an animal page, kids get a Yes-No choice. If they choose Yes they go to a game repeat. If they choose No they then go to the appropriate animal page. Did they beta test this at all?

Finally, the games are neither well-explained nor are they well-designed for children. Penguin Pong, even at the lowest of three difficulty levels, moves slowly and, in the vein of the classic game Pong, you have to knock out 49 blocks. It takes forever and kids get bored. Similarly interminable, the letter scramble is also a mess. A child must rearrange letters to form the name of a pictured animal, then click on a virtual spinner to advance Zoboo 1, 2, 3 or 4 spaces on a "game board". First complaint: when a child uses a letter from the scramble list it remains active, which is confusing for little ones. Second complaint: the game board is 35 spaces long -- it takes at least nine scrambles, and usually many more, for Zoboo to get to the end. Third complaint: when Zoboo does finally reach the 35th square, nothing interesting happens, unless you count that now-familiar non sequitur, "That was great! Here's your animal page. Do you want to play again?" What's the lesson here -- lowered expectations? In the Noodle Hut game, Zoboo asks for a letter and your child is supposed to click on it amid a field of noodles, each with a letter on it. But even at the lowest difficulty level, there are multiple examples of letters, again confusing to little ones. If there are three "R"s, which one should they click on? Also, some of the letters are presented at a three-quarter view which makes them less recognizable. Why would you do that to young children just learning their letters? My final complaint, and an important one, is that the games are not presented within any story or context to make them either interesting or meaningful.

I could continue to find fault with each of the other games, but why bother? This is lazy, sloppy software that is not good enough for your child. Instead, buy Blue's Clues or Franklin or Reader Rabbit software -- consistently well-designed and well-written. It is strange and disappointing that PBS, long considered THE leader in creative educational children's programming and products, seems to be faltering in the wake of recent competition.

Our family will continue to watch and enjoy the Zoboomafoo television show, but this software is a loser.

Your Favorite Lemur Is Back
Animal kids is here now on CD.
On this game you must collect 26 pages for your animal book.
There are also 8 great games.
They include penguin pong,the mud pit,and Wiggys noodles.
There are many other games too. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

dinoterrific
I love I mean ove anything about dinosaur.This game is tops.You get so much out of the game but I play the games because there so much fun.My friends love to come over on the weekends to play them too.The game is not to hard but challenging.I hope everyone runs out and buys it.My older sister also enjoys the game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Toddlers explore a bright garden world where they can make snails count and critters with instruments play the Blue Danube Waltz. Their playmate is an engaging duckling named DeeDee, who's visiting her grandmother. DeeDee's gran has a heck of a fun place: there's a Treehouse of Shapes, a Numbers Pond, a Garden of Colors, a Musical Waterfall, a forest full of Peek-a-Boo Animals, and ABC Toadstools in the garden. Go inside and there's Gran, all set to play Picture Playtime. All seven activities can be initiated and played with a sweep of the mouse or by hitting random keys--no clicking required. Parents should plan on guiding younger toddlers around this program. DeeDee's explanations are no substitute for seeing Daddy do it.

JumpStart Toddlers sneaks the learning in everywhere. While you're counting in the Numbers Pond, sweeping the feather cursor over a lily pad makes a letter of the alphabet pop out, and DeeDee cheerfully interrupts her counting to utter "A!"(or whatever the letter is). Letters also appear like subliminal advertising behind the Musical Waterfall. Music is everywhere on this CD-ROM as well; each activity has a corresponding song, belted out in DeeDee Duckling's Broadway best.

We occasionally find JumpStart's characters a bit cloying, but whoever designed DeeDee gave her some of the very same qualities that make toddlers so endearing. DeeDee fidgets, rubs her nose gleefully, and chews on the ends of her bonnet ribbons.

The Learning Scrapbook that comes packaged with this CD-ROM is simply a series of printable templates that parents can use to build a baby scrapbook in that cutesy JumpStart graphic style. (Ages 18 months to 3 years) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (27)

What are you thinking?
Ok.. I do not own this title. I am looking for something to buy for my 18 month old since he's bored with jumpstart baby. I have a major issue with most of these reviews --- MANY people say that a big problem with this software is that it requires the parents to be there and do it. DUH. These are toddlers - little kids! Of course a parent should be sitting right there helping out!!! My son loves moving the mouse around because I taught him how to do it, not some software. (white curser on black blackground did the trick, btw). I have no intention of plopping my baby down in front of the computer and walking away. It's just like watching the TV - a parent (or other adult) needs to be sitting right there explaining stuff and interacting with him. I don't understand how you can give a bad rating simply because it requires an adult to interact with the child. If there's something wrong or bad with the software, I want to hear it. But saying it's bad because it forces a parent to spend time with the kid is not a good reason for a bad rating!

Great start for beginning computer users
At around 2 years old my son began showing interest in computers. His dad is an IT Administrator so our son was around computers all the time. Also, he was (and still is not) interested in learning the traditional way (through books, play, etc.), but rather through computers. We were NOT disappointed with this piece of software! Through this program my son has learned most of the alphabet, shapes, numbers and colors. We have had this one for about six months and he has not lost interest in it.

However, there are some things that I was not pleased with. First, this product is recommended for children 18 months-3 years. It would probably be more suited for children 2 1/2 to 4 simply because it requires basic knowledge of how to use a mouse and the program does NOT teach this skill. Also, the concepts it teaches (letters, numbers, shapes, colors, music, animals, memory skills, etc.) are more geared toward the preschool crowd. Second, the layout is "busy" and it is hard to see all of the different entrance areas (even for me an adult). Finally, another minor complaint (it is very minor) is that the duck's voice can get annoying after 15 minutes or so for me, but my son enjoys it so this is tolerable.

Overall, I highly recommend this software, however, for children over the age of two.

Teaches Mouse Skills
Regardless of what other reviewers said this is THE ONLY SOFTWARE WE HAVE FOUND THAT TEACHES MOUSE SKILLS. We bought this software along with toddler verisons of Reader Rabbit, Winne the Pooh, and Sesame Street when our oldest child was about two. For over a year she was frustrated with not being able to make the games do what she wanted. Then one day we helped her 'find the animals under the leaves'. The game responds to mouse movement so clearly that in less than an hour she had it down. Now she can use the mouse to do what she wants in all her computer games with little assistance. Unfortunately, the kids stepped on and broke our Jump Start Toddler CD. We have been trying to teach mouse skills to our younger children using the other games we have, but the games just aren't cutting it. We'll be getting another copy of Jump Start Toddler soon.

My advice is to buy it at 18 months. Play the 'find the animal' game once every 3 weeks. When your child is able to understand how the mouse works, they're ready to play more often and try the other games on this software. Then get the preschool versions of Jumpstart and/or Reader Rabbit ready for the day they get bored with the toddler games.

Very disappointed
Jump Start Baby was fantastic so when my twins became toddlers I decided to buy Jump Start Toddlers. The graphics and sound quality are fine the but usability is not easy and very erratic. Take the counting game for example. 10 fish are displayed on the screen and it is supposed to count from one to ten so the child can learn to count. What happens is if the keyboard is clicked (which it is all the time) it goes on to the next group of fish to count. So basically your child is just hearing the number 1. This also happens with the colors. The flowers change color and as soon as the keyboard is clicked it goes on to the next color to change cutting Dee off in mid sentence. I think the product would be really good if this feature were fixed. We have stopped using this product.

Diappointing
This game is very disappointing. There is actually very little to do and see. It requires a parents help to point and click the mouse and has very little interaction. Other CD's capture my 21/2 year olds attention for 3x as long. It is rather expensive and keeps a young childs attention for only 10-15 minutes. I read several other reviews saying it would be better for older kids - but my 5 year old daughter complains the CD is boring with nothing to do. I suggest Reader Rabbit or Fisher Price Little People instead. ... Read more

Features

• 3-in-1 set teaches reading, early math, problem solving, and creativity
• Discover entertaining reading activities with Clifford Reading
• Tackle riddles and various challenges with I SPY School Days
• Solve problems and play creative games with Huggly Saves the Turtles
• For kids ages 4 to 7

Amazon.com Product Description

Every day can be a fun-filled learning adventure with the Adventure Workshop Preschool-1st Grade, 4th Edition, featuring three award-winning educational titles for ages three to seven. Your child will love playing, learning, and just spending time with his or her favorite characters, and you'll love watching your child laugh and learn through colorful and clever activities that build valuable skills in subjects that include geography, science, memory, logic, reading and reading comprehension, phonics, and writing.

The software bundle contains Paddington - The World Mystery Tour (the popular bear's first CD-ROM, featuring 30 activities, 40 minutes of interactive video, and travel in five countries with 60 exciting locations), Reading Rabbit's Reading Ages 4-6 (help Reader Rabbit and Sam the lion as they travel to many Letter Lands, learn their sounds, and take giant steps toward real reading), and Millie & Bailey Kindergarten (with which your child will build skills and the ability to solve problems using best selections from Millie's Math House, Bailey's Book House, and Sammy's Science House). ... Read more

Product Description

Play in a World All Your Own! Ages 3- 7]. It's Time to Get Cooking in Your Own Disney Kitchen. Mix up some pancakes, make a yummy sandwich, or pop that chicken in the oven¿it can all happen in a kitchen of your very own! 30 kid friendly recipes from the experts at FamilyFun Magazine! 30 clips from classic Disney animated films! ... Read more

Features

• Play in a World All Your Own! [Ages 3 - 7]
• It's Time to Get Cooking in Your Own Disney Kitchen
• Mix up some pancakes, make a yummy sandwich, or pop that chicken in the oven
• 30 kid friendly recipes from the experts at FamilyFun Magazine!
• 30 clips from classic Disney animated films! [Windows 95/98]

Features

• 6 fun learning activities teach creativity and self-expression
• Learn how to follow directions in a fun-filled environment
• Puzzles teach shape matching and recognition skills
• Follow the instructions of the narrator or play each activity individually
• Games combine music, sound effects, and graphics

Reviews (5)

Gotcha Gopher Is Great!
This is the best software purchase I have ever made! My son is 2 1/2 years old and loves this game. In a very short time, he has learned all major colors, can count almost to ten, knows when and how to use a drill, hammer, and screwdriver, and how to follow directions (to name only a few!). I am a high school math and science teacher and am very picky about educational games for my children. This is a wonderful game to start with. The graphics are great, the sounds are pleasing, and the fun never ends for my child!

FUN, FUN, FUN!
My three year old twins had not been anywhere near a computer when we introduced them to the computer with this game. This game is so appealing to children, and easy to follow and understand. It has several clear choices of games, based on real Fisher-Price toys, which all children are familiar with. Instructions are given verbally to the kids, with the objects blinking to demonstrate at the same time. In no time at all my kids learned to move the mouse and click on the toy of choice. After the pointing and clicking was learned, minimal parental help was needed. The program continues to give verbal and visual prompts and reminders, and the set-up is clear. Since this program also has several different games to choose from, any interest or skill can be used, keeping the short attention span of children stimulated. My kids love all the choices, from the vehicles used to get from point A to point B, to baking cookies, to working with tools, to matching shapes to fill in/build an object of choice (such as a castle), to building their own working car, to drawing or doing crafts, and on and on... This is a fantastic program for young ones. So fun, in fact, that I now have to limit computer use!

Our Favorite Program
This program is the favorite program in my Early childhood Special Education classroom. It is easy for the 3-5 year olds to do independently and they like how it relates to toys in the classroom. Our special favorite is the workshop where you get to hammer and drill to make a toy.

Fisher Price Learning In Toyland CD
This is a wonderful program for children who are just beginning to use the computer and they enjoy it after they develop this skill, too. Children as young as three can master the program. I find it is very good for my beginning kindergarten students. It gives a lot of good practice in using the computer's pointing device. Children learn to follow directions and improve thinking skills. Plus, it is FUN!

Gotcha Gopher
There is a lot of variety in this program featuring Gotcha Gopher he holds the kids attention, you can build things,paint and color,follow directions and even print out what you make.great for kids 2-6. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the School Zone workbook series, this program incorporates critical math skills with interactive exercises and fun games. A solid curriculum, audio guidance, and clear examples help your child master classifying skills, the alphabet, rhyming words, opposites, and more. The program randomizes problems with each use, providing a different experience each session. Engaging games provide an important break. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good basic program
My 4 year old daughter loves this program, as well as another title in the series called Shapes. (shapes is better for younger children though). It is fun and easy to use, and is very enjoyable as well. I can't say she is really learning much in the way of new things, but she certainly is having fun, and her brain is engaged at the same time. ... Read more

Amazon.co.uk

ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures is a great way for children aged10 to 12 years to consolidate their school learning while having fun. In thisgame, the ClueFinders are in an underground world populated by a mutant plantarmy that is planning to destroy the town above them. To make matters worse, twoof the ClueFinders have been kidnapped: to stop the plants and rescue theirfriends, the remaining two ClueFinders have some problems to solve.

The puzzles in this adventure game give math, language, science, andproblem-solving skills a workout through 15 different activities. Parents can set theskill levels to suit their children's ability, and can do this separately fordifferent skills. As a bonus, ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures comes withan Adventure Kit CD offering various fun activities, such as a map maker so youcan plot treasure hunts or other map-based activities. --Sandra Vogel ... Read more

Reviews (1)

It's a great game!
The cluefinders 6th Grade is about two of the cluefinders have gone missing! So it's the other two's job to find them.They find themselves underground and have ended up in the plant peoples lair.It's the cluefinders job to find their friends and stop the plant people from destroying earth! I recomend this game to kids who are in 5th or to kids who are going into 6th. ... Read more

Features

• Features 10 fun educational activities with Zoboomafoo
• Kids can sing along with 4 fun songs
• Visit Zoboomafoo's friends in the Animal Junction to learn fun animal facts
• Play through a complete Zoboomafoo adventure
• Three different skill levels

Reviews (1)

A must for your kids
My kids love this game and fight over the computer to play it.Nor do they know how much they are geting from the game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Yay! Elmo is on an adventure in Grouchland, tracking down his best friend--his blanket! It's slipped out of his hands down Oscar's trash can, and he--like Alice following the White Rabbit--has to meet interesting characters and finish several missions in order to be reunited with it.

This software holds vibrant primary colors, sweet Sesame Street songs, and lessons on values that everyone can agree with. Parents will appreciate the conflict resolution skills that Grouchland builds, but kids will just love Elmo singing and dancing.

Installation was simple, and once in the program, frankly, we wished every navigation system was this intuitive. The program distinguishes the elements you can click on by having them sparkle when you move your cursor over them. And, no matter where the child is in the game, there's a green arrow that can lead them to the next spot. Throw in the Sesame Street humor (Elmo visits the Bad Humor sardine-ice-cream cart), and it's clear why this one is a winner.

A particular stand-out feature of this software: there's no wrong answer. When building a bridge to get Elmo across a mine shaft (yes, Oscar's got a mine shaft in his trash can), kids can choose from a series of different options, but none will be rejected. When he climbs a mountain at the end of the adventure, some of the ledges he needs to get to are occupied by sheep, but there are always plenty more to pick from.

One note of caution: Elmo in Grouchland has only a few scenes. We would have preferred that the gameplay go on and on, although we can also see the reward for young players in winning the game--getting Elmo his blanket--within a session or two.

Grouchland's core is its terrific messages within the storyline--much like the television show on which it's based. Elmo meets some sweet junkyard weirdos, for example, and they all wind up singing that "Beauty is where you find it." Elmo enchants through scenes like this, with his high-pitched voice calling to reunite with his beloved blanket. --Jennifer Buckendorff ... Read more