Fisher-Price Fun-2-Learn Computer Cool School

by Fisher-Price

Product Features

• Includes a kid-friendly keyboard, writing tablet, stylus and CD ROM software that helps preschoolers in getting ready for school
• The ready for school center is an expandable system with each additional piece of software
• The five centers are reading, writing, math, art, music, and science
• Each center is represented by a physical button on the base hardware
• Children can also print out reward certificates and supplemental worksheet-type activities
• Consists of five Learning centers and one field trip activity
• Used to access those activities additional figure keys unlock new functionality

Product Details

User Manual [739kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 11.1 x 20.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0015KVW56
• Item model number: M6635
• Manufacturer recommended age: 3 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,396 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (164 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Computer Cool School is sure to get your young ones excited about learning. Whether they are in school already or haven't started yet, this easy-to-use educational toy will get kids ages 3 and above writing, reading, counting, painting, and more!

Children will learning using a real full QWERTY keyboard. View larger.

Kids can write and draw using the tablet and stylus. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Easy navigation and crisp, clear graphics that are fun and colorful without being cloying. The Bad: Can't adjust the volume while playing the game. In a Nutshell: Kids will enjoy the wide variety of activities and will associate learning with fun! At a Glance Ages: 3 and up Requires: PC with minimum of: Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows XP Processor: 1.2 GHz Memory: 256 MB RAM Hard Drive: 200 MB available Video Resolution: 800x600 32-bit color DirectX9.Oc compatible CD or DVD drive USB port Recommended: Printer, Internet Connection (for software updates)

Fast and Easy Set-Up
With bright, animated graphics and big controls that are easy for young hands to use, Computer Cool School hooks up to your computer via a USB cable. Once you've completed the quick software installation, kids are ready to start learning and playing. They'll love Leo the friendly leopard who leads them through the game, and all the other colorful creatures they meeting along the way.

Computer Cool School requires that you connect the Computer Cool School keyboard to your computer with a USB cable and install the game's software on your computer via a CD-ROM. The installation is fast and easy; the software's set-up wizard walks you through the process. Before letting your child play, you can use the parental controls to set things like volume and number of copies that can be printed. Parents can also create a password that protects their hard drive and prevents their child from going on the Internet. These parental controls are easy to find and set. The helpful instructions thoroughly describe the setup process and all the different options for play.

Kids play using the sturdy plastic Computer Cool School keyboard. It has big, colorful buttons that your child will learn to use quickly, along with a drawing "tablet" and attached stylus they can draw with. The layout of the QWERTY keyboard is clever yet simple, with buttons along the top and side that let your young ones navigate to different parts of the game. They'll not only have fun, but they'll also feel "adult" because the keyboard looks so much like yours!

Learning Equals Fun!
Each time your child starts to play Computer Cool School, they go to the home classroom where Leo the leopard greets them. From there they can visit one of the four learning "centers," including reading/writing, math, science, music, and art. There is also a "field trip" they can go on, which takes them on a fun-filled visit to a farm.

Each of these centers is unique and filled with great information and stimulating activities. Kids can choose to click on different things and learn about them or participate in a more interactive way, with quizzes, games, or writing and art projects. In the art center, for example, they can create original drawings with a range of tools and colors, and then print or save them. In the science center, they learn about different kinds of environments and the plants and animals that live in them. But they can also choose to play games that test their knowledge and help them learn more.

The graphics in Computer Cool School are crisp, clear, and fun to watch. The colorful creatures, buildings, objects, and environments are beautifully rendered and the animation moves at a good pace -- fast enough to keep your child's interest and let them participate, but not so fast as to be dizzying. The audio is equally clear, and in fact can be very loud -- so be sure to set the volume low to start with. Though kids will be learning constantly throughout the game, they'll also be having fun, which is how learning should be!

Your Child Will Feel Like a Star
We really liked how the software uses your child's sign-in name in the classroom in various ways. For example, there's a sign in the classroom that says "Star of the Day" and your child's name is on it. We also especially liked the art and music centers, which will inspire your children to creative heights. In the art center, you have a huge variety of colors and virtual art implements to use, as well as "stamps" and backgrounds that your child is sure to love. In the music center, children will learn about different instruments and play them in combination with all (or none) of the other included instruments. The clear and colorful (but not cloying) graphics are another high point of this game.

In general, Computer Cool School is very thoughtfully designed, enabling kids to navigate a wide range of play options with a few simple touches of a button. Our only complaint was that we couldn't find a way to change the volume settings once we'd entered the game. In order to change the volume, we had to back out of the game and reset the parental controls.

There is a short learning curve for figuring out how to navigate through the centers, but once you know how, it's easy to do. Your child will be up and running in no time, having fun and learning at the same time.

What's in the Box
Computer Cool School keyboard with USB cable; templates for practicing writing numbers and letters; software; instructions.

Product Description

This kid-safe, kinder-friendly laptop builds confidence in young ones by teaching important school skills. It plugs into your computer via an easy-to-use keyboard (QWERTY) to provide learning fun throughout five learning centers and one field trip activity. The centers are: Reading, Writing, Math, Art, Music and Science. Activities in each center can be accessed by the simple push of a button. Children can also print out reward certificates and supplemental worksheet-type activities for further encouragement. Plus, parental controls keep kids away from Mom and Dad's desktop, prohibit internet access, and limit the number of prints your child can create. Expandable system includes keyboard, writing tablet with stylus and CD Rom software. Measures 20.25" x 4.25" x 11".

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

123 of 124 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid product - plus a tech tip, November 2, 2008

By 

John Dupuy "armchairscientist" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Fisher-Price Fun-2-Learn Computer Cool School (Toy)

We have tried a few 'early computer learning toys' and found them wanting. This is the first one I have seen that is properly interactive, bug free, and well built.

My kid is only 2, so he is officially too young. But frankly, he has mastered the paint part of it already; he is quickly learning the rest.

A few technical points:

1. Yes, its like a USB keyboard but it does not act as a keyboard if the software is not running. So, the kid is not going to be able to mess with your PC outside of the software--a good thing. The software auto-launches and closes with the on-keyboard "power button" so the kid can start it up without help. My kid is 2 yrs old and learned that fast.

2. The tablet is like a tablet, not a mouse. Its position on the screen is absolute rather than relative. It might take the adult (me) a bit to get used to. My kid finds it easy, but he doesn't have 20 years of habit to overcome :).

3. The docs are evasive about where the kids drawings are saved. Here is the answer for Windows XP users:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Fisher-Price\Computer
Cool School\US\User0\Base

The 'Application Data' directory is normally hidden. Substitute 'User0' with the relative position on the log in screen. The files are regular .png graphics files. Fair warning: don't change these files. The software won't expect that. This is simply a hint for making a copy of them to email to friend/grandparents :).

If there is any downside to this thing, it is that it contains a limited amount of content. The kid hasn't explored all of it yet, but I suspect I'll end up buying the software expansions.

---------------
FOLLOW-UP: A few friends of mine have tried running this product with Windows Vista. Very buggy. I only now recommend this for XP users. Typical of many toy manufacturers, they simply don't get software. It is not a "make once and forget about it" thing. You have to keep and plan for updates as the industry changes. The price they sell it to distributors for should account for those future costs.

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for kids under 3 too!, September 11, 2008

By 

M. McGee (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fisher-Price Fun-2-Learn Computer Cool School (Toy)

I bought this when it was first released for my 2 1/2 year old. I hooked it up to my old Dell with Windows XP (this is not Mac compatible - and I converted to iMac in Dec). I bought the additional Dora & Diego software, and the Clifford software will be installed on her 3rd birthday in 10 days.

She LOVES this thing! I LOVE THIS THING! It keeps her busy, and she easily mastered all the navigating. The first month we had it, the old Dell had no sound - she still managed to use it and enjoy it in silence. Now, I almost wish I hadn't gotten the sound fixed! HA!

I'll definitely purchase the additional software to keep the variety in the activities.

The only problems I've encountered: sometimes a warning pops up that the keyboard cannot be detected. I just unplug it and plug it back in. Problem fixed. The cards that are the templates for writing are very slick and impossible to stack neatly - get a small basket or something for them.

I've found it quite durable.

The best feature for parents is that it requires a password to exit the program, so if you install this on your main computer, the child cannot get out of the Cool School program and into your computer! Brilliant!

128 of 146 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fun but not very educational, August 7, 2008

By 

BruinBear (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Fisher-Price Fun-2-Learn Computer Cool School (Toy)

I bought this for my 4 year old daughter and although she enjoys playing it, I really question the educational value. There are different subjects for her to explore, but the product is not really teaching her anything substantial. We have a lot of Leapfrog products and I have to say that this product does not teach her anywhere near as much as those do. Some of the product is hard to use as well - the letter writing part seems like a great idea but in reality it is next to impossible to actually recreate the letters and not have them look like disjointed pointy things (that look nothing like the actual letters). My daughter got pretty frustrated with that activity and now doesn't even try that one anymore.

My niece has the ClickStart from Leapfrog and now I'm wishing I'd bought that instead - it's really helped her learn how to spell 3-letter words and it's great that there's so much focus on computer skils too (another thing the Cool School does not do).

All in all, definitely not worth my $[...].