by
Sandra Medlock
January 2002
| Sandra
Medlock is a corporate computer trainer and SIG leader for Alamo PC,
as well as a dedicated mom. Her daughter's first computer program was Sheila
Rae the Brave and her first Internet experience was visiting the PBS Teletubbies
web page |
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If you are a parent or relative interested in providing an educational
and entertaining software library for your child, take the time to read
reviews and plan your purchases before you invest in several software titles. |
Take a close look at the age appropriateness of the program. Most
“edutainment” software indicates an age range, but you need to study
the skills and topics—and know your child’s abilities—to make an educated
judgment on the purchase. Ask for a demo, if possible, or get online
and read several reviews.
| About 12 months ago, I excitedly purchased a “Magic
School Bus” Microsoft two-pack collection, basing my purchase on my daughter’s
enjoyment of the MSB books and cartoons. Big mistake. I saw
the age recommendation of 6-10, but it didn’t sink in. After installing
the program, we spent a couple of frustrated hours, maneuvering around
games and lessons that were beyond her skills and reading ability.
Now both CDs sit on the shelf, waiting for her to grow into them. Every
three months or so, she tries them again, and I see her skills and understanding
improving, but the frustration level is still high, and they’re certainly
not games with which she can entertain herself. |
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Know your computer specifications when you’re shopping for software. Know
which version of Windows is running on your computer, how much RAM you
have, and whether or not you have a 3D accelerator card, and what speed
the CD player can handle. Check the program's minimum hardware requirements
listed on the side of the box. If your computer is the same as the
minimum requirements, don’t buy the software…you won’t be
happy with the performance. Try to buy software for which your computer
meets or exceeds the recommended requirements.
| Recently a dad came to a computer class I was teaching
and told me he had bought several software titles from a discount bin for
his children to use. To his chagrin, he found out after he opened
the packages that he had bought Windows 95/98 titles, but his old computer
was only a 386 that used Windows 3.11. His story had a happier ending
than some…he bought a newer, faster computer and everyone’s happy with
the computer performance and the software. |
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Try to avoid impulse buying. Take time to read reviews, ask parents
and teachers for recommendations, and know what your child likes before
investing twenty or thirty dollars in a program. For example, some
characters like Reader Rabbit, Sam the Lion, Arthur, or Madeline may interest
a child for several years while others like Barney or Bear in the Big Blue
House are outgrown shortly. And tell yourself (or your child!) that you
don’t have to buy every title you see.
| If you’ve ever visited the software section of
a warehouse club, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Almost every
established children’s character has its own version of reading, ‘riting,
and ‘rithmetic games at various age levels. While you’ll want some
variety in titles, you don’t really need twelve different characters’ takes
on phonics or first grade math. You’ll see from the following reviews
that I depend on a few multi-disc titles to provide variety. |
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Do you plan your video/DVD library or children’s book library carefully?
The same type of reasoned, balanced thinking goes into planning the software
library. You want a balanced mixture of titles: edutainment, interactive
story-telling, perhaps some art and music development, and plain old arcade-like
fun.
| You’ll usually get a good variety with about ten
titles, particularly if they’re multi-disk sets. I try to buy the
deluxe editions or combination packs, which generally contain two or more
CDs. This provides variety and in some cases growth paths, where
the child moves from, say, pre-school level to kindergarten level activities.
The Sesame Street Toddler Deluxe edition, for example, contains three disks—one
an art workshop of coloring, costuming, and stamping, and the other two
covering the alphabet and numbers—that have provided almost four years
of entertainment and education. |
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Don’t plan on using the software as a babysitter. Know that the young child
will need your assistance each time a new software title or topic is introduced;
while older children may need assistance understanding the instructions
and levels. Together you will explore how to use the program, and
in many cases, you’ll act as an extra set of eyes and ears to solving the
mystery or puzzle. Once the child is comfortable with the program,
you’ll be called back frequently to see the latest art masterpiece, how
he or she got to the top level, or the silly behavior of the title characters.
| I monitor my daughter’s skill level, and if she
seems to be breezing through an edutainment program, I’ll move her to the
next level of difficulty. Or if she’s playing a game while I’m preparing
dinner, I’ll make sure she’s on a level that’s not too difficult and frustrating,
so that she can easily entertain herself for a short period. And
then there’s the ubiquitous mouse freezes and blue screens that you must
resolve... |
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| When shopping for children’s software, compare prices between brick-and-mortar
and online stores. Most variety and toy stores carry software titles
in addition to the electronic stores. Software and electronic stores frequently
offer bargain bins and closeout buys while warehouse stores provide values
and rebates on multi-packs and deluxe editions.
There are several sites on the Internet that offer bargains in software;
if you’re unfamiliar with any, do a search engine search for the title
you’re looking for and some of these sites will turn up in the top ten.
Check the software publisher’s site to see if they’re offering specials
in their online store. If you’re looking for a specific title or
older program that someone recommends, check the auction sites for used
or closeout bargains. [As always, when buying software at an online auction,
verify the legitimacy of the titles you’re buying. Look for offers
with register-able, original packaging so that you get instructions and
booklets, or buy only sealed packages. Be careful in substituting inexpensive,
shareware-type titles (see my comments in the interactive books review.)]
Now that you have some ideas on planning your child’s software library,
go in search of the bargains! |
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