Software programs can be a fun way to help your child learn -- not only concepts (shapes, colors, letters, numbers), reading and math, but also learning how to use a computer in general. And even the ones that seem like pure fun to the kids often help foster logic, reasoning and critical thinking. Lakewood Public Library's children's software collection has a wide variety of circulating CD-ROMs for kids. Many are both Windows- and Macintosh-compatible, but not all are, so you want to check carefully before you bring it home. You can even sample most of the software titles at both branches -- at the toddler computer stations in the Children's areas and, for three-year-olds and up, in the Children's Computer Connections room at the Main branch or in the Dennis G. Fedor Computer Center at the Madison branch.

This page deals with the stuff you can take home and use on your own computer, and there's fun to be had! What's really valuable is the chance to see whether any particular software is worth purchasing -- whether it has continuing play/learning value, or if its resources have been exhausted by the end of the two-week loan period.

 

Learning & Activity Programs

The Little People Play House and Little People Play House and Farm (Fisher-Price) are great introductory programs for little ones. My colleague Amy's children loved it, and she says it's perfect for learning how to use a mouse. The animals come across the screen and make their animal noises, it also has songs, and one activity lets kids clean up a room and match socks.

The Jumpstart Series (Knowledge Adventure, Inc.) has a wide range of programs to help kids, from 9 months through sixth grade, learn things appropriate for their ages. The graphics are fun, the songs are catchy, and the characters are cuddly. For the youngest, they have Jumpstart Baby, Toddler, Preschool, Numbers, Animal Adventures, Music, Spanish, and Kindergarten (plus Reading and Math for Kindergarteners). Once in school, kids will enjoy the Jumpstart programs for first through sixth grade -- and, starting at third grade, the Jumpstart programs are learning adventures!

Elmo's Preschool (Creative Wonders) lets kids go to a playground to learn about numbers, shapes, letters, colors, music and social skills -- where they can make faces and learn about emotions. My colleague Amy's 3-year-old daughter loves this program.

The Reader Rabbit Series (The Learning Company) is for preschool through third grade and is very popular with library patrons. The first one is for babies and toddlers and introduces sounds, shapes, patterns, colors, parts of the body, and language with interactive songs, stories and easy-to-play games. Next up is a preschool one, then a kindergarten one, on up.

Circus (Matra Hachette Multimedia) offers a variety of activities, like creating your own clown face, conducting the circus parade, or helping the lions play basketball. The music and animation are excellent, and the learning activities are subtle, but include matching patterns, sequencing, and even some physics --like force and trajectory. Kept my 4-year-old's attention for close to half an hour, and she still likes to pretend she's the acrobat Charlize, doing her act with her brother Charles.

Pajama Sam (Humongous Entertainment) is about Sam, an ordinary kid who, with the help of his red cape, turns into "kid superhero" Pajama Sam! It's for 3- to 8-year-olds and has games and activities along the way, like collecting and matching socks. Amy's kids (ages 3 and 8) love these programs. This series includes: Pajama Sam in No Need to Hide When it's Dark Outside; Pajama Sam 2: Thunder and Lightning Aren't so Frightening; Pajama Sam 3: You are What You Eat from Your Head to Your Feet; and Pajama Sam: Life Is Rough When You Lose Your Stuff! (Atari, Inc.)

The Putt-Putt series (Humongous Entertainment) is especially fun for little ones, and is a good follow-up to Pajama Sam. Children about 3 years old will need your help, but even kids up to 8 years old will still like it. They help develop logical thinking and mastery of moving the mouse around to click on what you want, and there are games at different 'locations' along the way. And the graphics are very fun and simple for that age range. The series includes: Putt-Putt Joins the Parade; Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon; Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo; Putt-Putt Travels Through Time; Putt-Putt Enters the Race; Putt-Putt Joins the Circus; Putt-Putt's One-Stop Fun Shop; and Putt-Putt Pep's Birthday Surprise (Infogames Interactive).

The Freddi Fish series (Humongous Entertainment) is a nice step up from the Putt-Putt series, for about 4- to 5-year-olds. These games get more into solving a mystery, and help build logical reasoning as children move from place to place, talking to characters, and gathering clues and evidence. It teaches sequential thinking; if you get to a certain point and don't have the item you need, you have to go back and find it before you can move on. They include: Freddi Fish and The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds; Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse; Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell; Freddi Fish 4: The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch; and Freddi Fish 5: The Case of the Creature of Coral Cove (Infogames Interactive).

The Spy Fox series (Humongous Entertainment) is also quite fun for emerging junior detectives, and a good next-step up for the 6 to 8 age range. This series requires even more logical reasoning -- or at least just a lot of patience! -- to try to solve each mystery. And the Spy Fox character is quite funny, in a sarcastic James Bond kind of way! They include: Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal"; Spy Fox in "Cheese Chase"; Spy Fox in "Some Assembly Required"; and Spy Fox in "Operation Ozone."

The Thinkin' Things Collections (Edmark Corp.) are age-graded activities that encourage creative thinking in kids. We have tried only the first collection, geared to 4-8 year olds, and enjoyed it a lot. Thinkin' Things was very different from the usual learning programs for this age range (teaching letters, numbers, patterns and sequencing). Six activity centers incorporate lots of sound as part of the learning, and allow children to fill orders at the Fripple Shop, create their own custom birds in the Feathered Friends factory, experiment with music, and "bounce" different shapes. It's hard to describe, but a winner on the screen! Besides the first three collections, others include: All Around Fripple Town, Sky Island Mysteries, Galactic Brain Benders, and Toony the Loon's Lagoon.

 

Drawing Programs

KidPix Studio (Broderbund Software, Inc.) is a wildly fun and surprisingly sophisticated image-creation package, for children ages 3-12. Your kid (or you) can draw, paint or color with a wide palette of tools, colors and patterns. You can animate your creations, add sound, play with puppets, make photo essays or even school presentations. If you have a color printer, you too can decorate your refrigerator with computer drawings right next to the crayon, marker and painted drawings!

Other fun art, drawing and also learning programs include: Crayon Factory (Sidewalk Audio) for young kids about 3-6 years or so. Jumpstart Artist (Knowledge Adventure, Inc.) is geared for kids about 5-8 years old, and Elmo's Art Workshop (Creative Wonders), is also for preschool ages, they can make stickers, create different outfits and scenes for Elmo, paint -- but it's all pre-drawn pictures.

 

Games

Barbie as Rapunzel (Mattel Media) lets girls use their creative artistic ability to create a room, using a paint brush. The castle has been destroyed and the child helps Barbie clean up; she can change the colors and restore everything to its previous beauty. There's also fun in finding the jewels (done after cleaning each room) and then rescuing the prince and attending the ball with him. Barbie of Swan Lake: The Enchanted Forest (Vivendi Universal Games) is a similar concept, where a wicked spell has been put over the land. Your child helps Barbie restore the land to its natural beauty, and at the end she picks a gown for the fairy forest party. Amy's daughter (age 3) has played both of these games and loved them. Other Barbie CD-ROMs include: Barbie Pet Rescue; Detective Barbie: Mystery of the Carnival Caper; Detective Barbie: The Vacation Mystery; Barbie Sparkling Ice Show; Barbie Riding Club; Barbie Horse Adventures: Mystery Ride; Barbie Mermaid Adventure; and Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper.

Tonka Raceway (Hasbro Interactive) is fun for boys to choose a race track, then race their cars around it. Also for boys are the Backyard games series -- Backyard Baseball, Backyard Basketball, Backyard Soccer, Backyard Football (all Humongous Entertainment), Backyard Hockey (Infogrames Interactive / Atari Inc.), and Backyard Skateboarding (Atari Inc.). They get to select their team from a roster of famous players, call plays, and then play either a single game or a whole season of games.

 

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