Reviews (2)

Difficult and not fun
I purchased this for my 7 year old son who is making slow progress in reading. It starts on such a very simple level, identifying animal sounds, that he was immediately bored and had no interest in using it. The worst part about this program is that you cannot access any other level until you have completed the first level. There are no instructions. You just have to click around and nothing can be accessed but the animal sounds game. After my 4 year old son played the animal sounds game for a long time, another level was finally available. This product was a waste of money. Both kids have said it is not fun.

Pretty Good
I have the I love Spelling for about 3 grade and up. That is super. This does not keep my students attention. It is hard for me to navigate correctly. As you can imagine tough for my students too. There are some very neat aspects of it though, but just hard to get where you want to go. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Start kids off right with this completely thorough phonics program. This program teaches phonics with a systematic progression, beginning with simple animal sounds, then progressing to letter sounds. These are the first steps toward real reading. There are fun activities like Get on Track, in which kids must move Letterbod along the track to learn the correct way to form all 26 letters. In Bingo, kids compete against Mack the Mouse to boost skills, and learn to recognize consonants, vowels, and blended sounds. Kids learn phonemes--the building blocks of phonics--as they slide letter clusters and combinations into place to make more than 300 words. A special parents' section lets you customize the program to match your child's learning needs or school curriculum, and access detailed reports on your child's progress. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Curious George Learns Phonics may be in a digital format, but it has the same gently rendered pastel artwork and whimsical characters that made H.A. Rey's classic children's books so popular. This CD-ROM takes kids under the big top, where they can master letter sounds, word parts, and reading comprehension with clowns, musical seals, and acrobatic elephants. Phonics is the focus here, so most of the six activities have to do with matching word parts. Match a clown holding a picture of a log with another clown holding a picture of the letter L, and the clowns team up and tell a joke of the "Why do hummingbirds hum? Because they don't know the words!" variety. Match the right pictures with the vowels under Sammy the Musical Seal's horns, and he will honk out a little tune. Build words in the fun house by grabbing the correct letter when a clown dangles it out the window.

One of the most entertaining activities is Thea's Story Theater. Thea is a redhead in a purple dress with a flair for storytelling. Kids can read along with each of Thea's 10 stories, watch actors perform them, and answer the questions about the text that Thea occasionally asks. This activity shines because it works on so many different levels: kids learn how words behave in context, strengthen reading comprehension skills, and are entertained by some great stories that surpass the generic dross that occasionally gets banged out by software developers.Since this program's only focus is phonics, it isn't as multilayered as some other Curious George titles. And we were curious about what the heck happened to Curious George: We didn't see enough of him under the big top. Also, we think the lower end of the recommended age range is either the product of a delusional parent, or one that has a genius preschooler on his or her hands. (Ages 3 to 7) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (4)

poorly designed, teaches nothing, difficult to play
This game is very poor compared to Reader Rabbit's Learn to read with Phonics or I can read with Phonics. I already had those two games but I read the following comments and thought I should get this one too. Not so! The games in here are ridiculous, teach very little phonics or reading, are difficult to master, and are all a waste. For those who like curious George, this game hardly ever shows George at all. I think the Reader Rabbits games are 1000% superior in every area in teaching kids phonics and reading. Skip this product, stick with Reader Rabbit, and you won't be stuck with it like I am.

Very good game, lower case letters and phonics!!
George is great for both boys and girls and the circus is a huge hit so there you have their attention!! The secret is to keep this as your one and only game at least for a good couple of months before you start buying the easy, fun entertainment-only games like Blues Clues etc.. That will give them a chance to love this game because it does make them think and you have to be there to help when they first start off. I don't think it is slow at all, the narration is just right and there is plenty of help from the ringmaster of the circus, kids just need to be told to click on his icon to get clues. Great for my 4 yr old that learns phonics in her Montessori pre-school. Tons of sweet stories about circus animals for them to just listen to when they are tired of the phonics. I love this!!

More 'work' than 'game' -- but still a valuable CD
This CD lacks the color and the adventure of the Reader Rabbit CDs, but it makes up for thru it's phonics drills. It's one after another with little talking which is why my children burn out on it fast. I don't see that as a bad thing, tho, as children learn in quick bursts and then like a break from the drill-like phonic questions. Which is probably why they can play Reader Rabbit games for hours because it's less ceribral and more game-orientated.

I love Reader Rabbit, and thank god for it, but I like this CD, too. I 'make' my 4 and 5 year old play it a little bit every day and it improves their phonics and then they can play Reader Rabbit afterward as a reward. *G*

Worth the money. Helpful. Not a CD you regret buying if better reading and phonics is your goal. But not a CD the kids will be begging to play 24/7.

It works and works well!
3/16/2001:
I wanted to teach my just turned five-year-old daughter how to read, but her current selection of books and educational software was just not meeting the challenge. Sure, the Winnie the Pooh, Blue's Clues, My Personal Tutor software, etc did an excellent job of motivating her and teaching her the alphabet. She really enjoyed all the Dr. Seuss and Winnie the Pooh books, but all these resources were just not cutting it in regards to getting her to read by herself. After extensive trial and error this is what I found work for my daughter.

I found Reader Rabbit's Complete Learn to Read System and Curious George Learns Phonics invaluable at teaching her to sound out her words all by herself. One small note on Curious George Learns Phonics, my daughter did not like the software. It actually made her work for once, so I usually had to be nearby to answer any questions. I would recommend using Reader Rabbit for a few days before introducing Curious George.

After about a week or so I began using the flash cards included in Reader Rabbit to have my daughter memorize beginning words. I would also have her write the words in her notebook. I particularly found helpful the list with Reader Rabbit on which order I should have her learn her words.

When I felt she should probably be ready to read very easy sentences I had her start out with Bob Books First! Level A, Set 1, although I would highly, highly recommend the entire set. Bob Books seemed to be the only books easy enough for my daughter to read by herself and progress at a reasonable rate. She loves the books!...

I have some final thoughts. Firstly, the Reader Rabbit and Bob Books are fine quality products but are a bit overpriced in my estimation. They are STILL well worth the investment. Secondly, you would think there would be some product or resource out there to help teach your child to read. I needed not generalities but a highly specific course of actions. I was quite disappointed in that respect, but I would be interested if such a product or resource exists.

Updated 11/28/2002:
It's been two years now and it is time to teach my son to read. Apparently, Reader Rabbit Complete Learn to Read System is no longer in production. That is too bad. It is very good educational software.

Still, Curious George Learns Phonics is the sleeper education software in existence. It's not perfect and the kiddies tend not to like it. However, it is challenging and teaches them phonemic awareness very well.

I have tried "Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" due to several recommendations from individuals reading my reviews. I used it with my son and I didn't like it. Subsequently I was informed from first grade teachers (my daughter's included) and my education courses that apparently research shows that coded words (Distar conventions, e.g. e with a line over it, double oo, like the pronunciation key of a dictionary) teaches kiddies to read best. I discovered this first hand when my daughter brought home her homework to code some words. I didn't have a clue how to help her. Maybe it's just a case that daddy isn't smart enough to help his daughter.

I found myself already using some of the techniques from "Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" that I had discovered by trial and error worked with my kiddies. In any case, I still haven't used the book.

I have finally found a set of books to use after the Bob Books are all used up. I found the kiddies needed a little more structured practice before they where off reading whatever we have around the house. It is the "Now I'm Reading" series by Nora Gaydos. ... ... Read more

Features

• Don't Let Your Child Miss THIS Bus! (Grades K - 3)
• Contains 50 Educational Learning Programs designed and developed by scholars
• Students are encouraged to explore and progress at a pace they are comfortable with
• Phonics/Language; Science; Math; Social Studies; Geography; And Much More
• Windows 98/2000/XP

Features

• Kids will go on multimedia problem-solving adventure with Rocket Reader, and learn to speak Spanish with Multimedia Spanish
• Talking Math & Kids' Science Fair introduce kids to new ways of thinking and playing
• Explore the universe with Guide To The Galaxy
• Multimedia Algebra, Phonics 4 Kids, and Talking Typing teaches crucial learning skills in a way that's easy and fun
• 3D World Atlas and Top 30 Games For Kids help kids learn, explore, and grow more intelligent!

Features

• Interactive learning about this land's history with American History
• Explore the world without leaving the house with the 3D World Atlas
• 100% safe kid-friendly fun with Top 30 Games For Kids
• Develop keyboarding skills through fun games with Talking Typing For Kids
• Talking Math 4 Kids is an exciting and entertaining way to learn basic math

Amazon.com Product Description

Your child will laugh and play with Kermit, Piggy, and all the Muppet Kids while learning critical reading skills in this three-volume collection. The Reading Skills software was designed by educators to teach as well as entertain. The set features more than 60 games and activities so that your child can learn important skills through exploration. Feedback, which is such an important part of learning, is even more exciting with 3-D animated clips of "grownup" Kermit and Gonzo commenting on your child's progress. ... Read more