"Hey-this computer said my name!" exclaims four-year-old Jenna, as she clicks on her name in the sign-in screen in this new CD. What Jenna doesn't know is that she's playing with some of the most sophisticated computer learning technology to date. Not only does this new Reader Rabbit title have the ability to remember and say 527 of the most common names in North America, but it can administer its own pretest. This lets parents or teachers fine-tune the set of eight activities to a particular child's abilities, before he or she starts playing. Each activity presents skills within entertaining themes. In one game, kids decorate cookies with sprinkles and frosting. In another, they have to identify the patterns and sequence of dancing mice. Parents can easily access detailed reports of what a child does in each activity. The entertaining activities were a real hit with testers.
Teaches: logic, identifying patterns, following directions
Age Range: 4, 5, 6 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue
Amazon.com Review
An exciting new set of learning games featuring the ever-playful Reader Rabbit and friends,
Thinking Adventures provides tons of activities designed to get kindergartners mastering all kinds of important skills. The goal is to throw a party for Sam the Lion, and there's a lot to do to get ready--matching, sorting, patterning, memorizing, and problem solving all play a role here.
As always with this series, the difficulty level adjusts automatically, and there's lots of printable worksheets and certificates. Reader Rabbit is always ready with helpful hints, which is great for kids who like to play without parental assistance. This is a great accompaniment for other Reader Rabbit titles--kids love the characters, and this title is more about general learning and entertainment than other programs that focus exclusively on math or reading. Younger kids will have a great time exploring with the easier skill levels--nearly every scene has lots of fun clickables, and many games can be easily handled by preschoolers. Reading isn't necessary, but good listening skills are--more easily distracted kids may need some assistance in understanding game instructions. You'll appreciate the progress reports--and knowing in which areas your child excels or needs some extra help. --Jill Lightner
