Jump Ahead Frankie Pet Friends Preschool

Parental help and guidance will obviously be needed for the target age range, and it is strongly recommended that parents read the excellent information contained in the manual on the CD-ROM before beginning—it's straightforward, comprehensive and very easy to follow. There's the opportunity to take part in an assessment test, to predetermine a child's skill level. On completion, a diagram of results is shown, indicating skill levels in letter recognition, phonics, colours and shapes, spatial awareness, sizes and patterns, number recognition, counting and quantities, and prereading rhymes, which are all subsequently practiced in the games with Frankie and his friends. Parents can also adjust volumes, view progress, and set curriculum levels.

Children are asked various questions and dependant on the choices made and their learning style, they can be helped to learn using the unique talents of either the Word Smith, the Artist, the Athlete, the Musician, the Maths Whizz, the People Person or the Explorer.

Homeless pets have been rounded up--let your child choose the pet he wants to help, then earn rewards for the pets such as food, toys, songs and brushes, as you play. Get the pet all ready for adoption, and when it has been fully cared for, join Frankie on the Hot Air Balloon, and look for a new home for your charge. The games are accessed in the pre-school classroom, and include picking a pet, playing with magic chalk, making bubbles pop, playing at shape tag, taking perfect pictures, making balloon animals and animal masks, making music, hearing rhymes, playing with the pets in their playroom, and playing in the cloud maze. These enhance phonics and listening skills, upper- and lower-case letter recognition, following directions, spatial awareness, colour and shape recognition, sorting and sizing, classification, patterns, number recognition, visual discrimination, counting one to 10, quantity recognition, early PC graphic and mouse skills, musical appreciation and composition, rhymes, pre-reading skills, all of which are necessary for overall development in later years.

This is an excellent program that is extremely well thought out and easy to install. The games are stimulating, the graphics bright and clear, the music catchy, the instructions are easy to understand and the variety is endless. At times, it was a little slow to respond (tested on a standard home PC) but, all in all, it works well and makes discoveries exciting and learning fun. --Susan Naylor

Interactive Learning Buddies: It’s a fact children do not learn the same way! Some Children respond better to pictures, some learn through songs and others prefer hands-on examples. Educational experts have identified 7 key learning styles: the 7 learning buddies, the All-Stars, personify these different learning methods, guiding children through early learning.

Interactive pedagogy: The learning buddies help children whenever they need to. They encourage active learning to physically involve children in the activities. A buddy talks to the child, asking him/her to play/sing/talk with him and act in the real life. This is a brand new way of teaching through software, as kids develop a real relationship with their buddy. Children are not passive anymore in front of their screen.

Interactive Rewards: This functional reward system is like a game within a game. Children play learning games and win the cool stuff they need to get the ultimate prize. It’s twice the fun with two games in one! Kids will have so much fun they won’t know they are learning!