Fall 2000
Seal of Approval
Product Testing Report
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Letters
& NumbersThis musically oriented educational software title
impressed our testers as using more than just repetitive drills to teach young
children about letters and numbers. This
CD-ROM offers a fun, entertaining sing-along experience that elicited smiles,
laughter and some impressive results. The
appeal of this product is in its ability to engage children and give them
encouragement to move through all the lesson/play sections, thereby reinforcing
the concepts. Parents told us that
they were pleased to see their children react so positively to an educational
title.
Recommended Age: 2 to 7 Price: $19.95
Theme
Weavers - AnimalsEdmark
Designed to supplement an early educational curriculum,
the Theme Weavers Animals school kit, which comes with two licensed copies of
this CD-ROM software, is a great addition to your school's computer lab.
The program is designed to strengthen reading and comprehension.
There are numerous stories that the child works through and along the way
they interact to uniquely guide the storyline, predict content and analyze
characters. In playing Theme
Weavers Animals they are building their vocabulary and practicing their reading
skills. There are three children's books and multiple levels of play.
Teachers can track the progress of their students and then use the
lessons in the classroom discussion.
Suggested Age: Grades K-1 Price: $59.95
Mia
II: Romaine's New Hat
Kutoka
Interactive
Kutoka has given us one of the most visually rich
educational software titles ever and our testers were floored by it.
No detail was overlooked as Mia, our plucky mouse heroine, navigates
through a small patch of sidewalk, street and backyard that makes up her world.
Along the way she interacts with the environment and characters that help
her with clues, tools and other helpful advice.
The educational content ranges from science to math and language.
We found children of all ages got tremendously caught up in the
experience this is in part thanks to the ability of the software to tailor the
difficulty to the age of the child. You
will be amazed at the look and feel of this software experience.
Suggested Age: 5 to 11 Price: $19.95
Magic
School Bus Explores BugsMicrosoft
The Magic School Bus rolls on, this time to the
miniaturized world of bugs. All
sorts of creepy crawlies are set squarely in the sights of the Miss Frizzle's
adventurous class. Ralphie, Wanda,
T.A., Carlos and the rest of the gang explore settings that are crawling with
creatures that feature multiple legs, slimy bodies, twitching antennae or
colorful wings. There are lots of
facts and fascinating tidbits to discover but mostly there is fun.
Games, music plus opportunities to interact with the children from the
class and the environment make the experience rich and memorable.
Suggested Age: 6 to 10
Price: $19.95
Mind
Twister MathEdmark
This software set, designed for use in school computer
labs or classrooms, features a fun, challenging way to keep on top of math
skills. The software requires a
minimal learning curve which educators appreciated.
Utilizing a game show format made the experience an entertaining one.
Tracking individual skill advancement as well as offering the ability to
play along with another classmate was very well received.
Watching children cooperating, playing and learning together impressed
our testers. The net result of the
educational experience was children learning new math concepts and methods,
while reinforcing lessons taught in class.
Suggested Age: 8 to 9
Price: $59.95
Inspiration
Software
Parents and our children are often hard pressed to
accomplish goals whether for school, around the house or at work.
Time is not a luxury that anyone seems to have anymore.
Inspiration is an award winning software title that does not feature
animated characters or bells and whistles of any kind.
This is software is designed to help children and adults get a handle on
their thoughts and ideas. Inspiration
provides a tool that allows you to visualize the process of thinking through an
concept, seeing a project to completion, gathering input and so much more.
No matter what the task at hand may be, Inspiration helps users plan the
order, time and magnitude of each required element.
This is invaluable for children who demonstrate difficulty with
organizational skills. Using the product requires a commitment of time and energy,
but the result impressed our testers with its clear, insightful results.
Suggested Age: K thru 12th Grades Price: $69.00
Encarta
Africana 2000Microsoft
The new millennium version of this groundbreaking software
is a demonstration of how excellent software can reach new heights.
Delving deeply into the rich history of Africa and the people whose roots
reach back to there, Encarta Africana 2000 does a splendid job of shedding light
on a region of the world that has often been misrepresented and misunderstood.
Illustrating the accomplishments and achievements of great historical
figures of African heritage such as Nelson Mandela, Bob Marley and Martin Luther
King Jr. is just one of the many things this software does right.
Life in African villages depicting lifestyles, music, fashion and history
are highlighted as well. Using audio, video, timelines, essays and photos, the
user is invited to delve deeper and discover more about the diverse, often
painful, but extremely proud history of Africa and it's people.
Suggested Age: 10 and Up Price: $69.95
Encarta
Reference Suite 2000Microsoft
The Encarta franchise makes the transition to the new
millennium with a superb new release that comes as no surprise.
The superb Encarta series has been garnering seal of Approval awards
since it first set the standard for CD based encyclopedias.
Rich with multimedia content that is culled from a database that knows no
rival, the researchers, writers and editors at Encarta have created a research
and explorative tool that is a pleasure to use.
From homework to casual browsing you will be hard pressed to come away
empty handed whether trying to trace the history of the Roman Empire, the roots
of jazz or the origins of life on earth. Encarta
is a wonderful tool for anyone with an inquisitive itch.
Or, for more information about The Seal of Approval or The National Parenting Center call: 1-800-753-6667
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Last Update: August 15, 2000