 Franklin
the Turtle: Goes to School
Knowledge Adventure
Amazon.com Review
Designed to make learning fun, Franklin the Turtle Goes to School is a
set of two CD-ROMs filled with games and activities that don't require
any reading, making it perfect for younger players. Concentration and
listening skills are crucial, however, as all instruction is provided
verbally.
Areas for play on the first disk include the schoolhouse, theater, and
playground. Each features three fun activities, found by moving the
cursor around the area. (It changes from an arrow to a star when
you've found a game.) Every game's difficulty level can be set
individually, and once each game is mastered at each skill level,
players get to attend an official graduation ceremony with Franklin
and friends. Basic preschool- and kindergarten-level skills are
reinforced, including counting, measuring, sorting, identifying
colors, practicing phonics, recognizing words, and learning the
alphabet.
The second disk in the set is mainly for parents. It includes a list
of skills each game is designed to teach, as well as nearly 30 pages
of printable activities, which kids will love to color when computer
time is over. A short synopsis of each of the books in the Franklin
series is also available, as are interviews with the creators of the
series.
The activity CD-ROM installs painlessly, and many children won't have
a problem navigating around the screens by themselves after the first
couple of visits with an adult. No installation is necessary to access
the second, more informational disk, so you can pop it in when you
have the time. A free JumpStart activity disk is also included in the
package, and its simple learning games geared toward the same age
group should provide a few additional hours of entertainment. (Ages 4
to 6) --Jill Lightner
Franklin the Turtle: Clubhouse Adventures
Knowledge Adventure
Amazon.com
Review
Kids and parents alike love Franklin the Turtle, a popular children's
book character with his own Nick Jr. TV series. In Franklin the
Turtle: Clubhouse Adventures, children join Franklin and his pals in a
fun-filled interactive clubhouse for challenging, open-ended creative
activities and games that teach important life lessons.
Kids can let their imaginations run wild as they put on their
detective caps and help Rabbit spot the differences between two highly
detailed pictures; they'll learn the importance of paying attention
and following instructions. Players simply click on an item to resize
it to match how it appears in the first picture, and they'll be
treated to zany sound effects and positive reinforcement for a job
well done.
Other activities include:
Dig for Dinosaurs with Snail, a multilevel puzzle challenge with some
interesting twists
Find the Royal Knights with Fox, a fast-paced, hide-and-seek game
Make Friendship Bracelets with Bear, a great multilevel activity that
enhances visual and auditory memory, patterning, and sequencing skills
Make Posters with Franklin, a printable showcase of picture
backgrounds, character stamps, borders, and more to create original
works of art
Play Pirate with Bear, a megachallenging Frogger-style game in which
kids man the arrow keys as they dodge snakes, whirlpools, flying
frogs, and lily pads to steer their paper pirate ships across the pond
After kids complete a game level, they earn printable badges that
reinforce the games' themes of investigation, cooperation, friendship,
imagination, courage, and discovery. (Ages 4 to 7) --Tina Velgos
Franklin's Home Page at Nickjr.com
Do you have a favorite
book you would like to
share with us? |
