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Best Children's Math Software

Zoombinis Logical Journey - PC/Mac
Embark on a dangerous quest to a new Zoombini homeland and learn critical logic and mathematical thinking skills. Learn important life skills such as deductive reasoning, pattern recognition, hypothesis testing, and more, while leading the Zoombinis to freedom.
Reviews
"No problem with installing or running the game on the computer with Windows XP. The second defect I noticed about the game was that part of the game did not show--the part that had the menu icons. My 4 year old grandson had a hard time remembering which icon to push to get to the next level because you could only see part of the icon--many times we kept going to the map instead of the next level. My daughter in-law's monitor is not a wide screen monitor, which is common very common now, so maybe this is part of the problem with the display not showing the whole screen for this game."
"Since I've always been a little bit logical, even as a kid, I always made the challenges as easy as possible by putting the maximum number of Zoombinis of each type (2) on each journey, and then I would always have all of them be the same, but change the shoes, or change the nose, etc. My dream would be for this game to be re-released as an iOS game, but until that happens (probably never), at least it is still playable!"
"The best thing about this game is that every time you play, every puzzle is solved differently. I have seen the mountains accept or reject Zoombinis based on physical features as well as gender. I originally bought the game because my son needed to learn to think logically."
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Jump Start 2nd Grade
A learning adventure that teaches essential skillsSystem Requirements for Windows Windows Vista XP 2000Pentium II 266 MHz or faster processor64 MB RAM (128 MB for Vista or XP)10 MB free hard disk space640x480 resolution 16-bit color with 256 color capabilityWindows-compatible sound card & speakers12X CD-ROM drive. Great gift ~ Stocking stuffer.
Reviews
"The noun song will drive you insane, but your child will understand nouns."
"Awesome!"
"My 5 year old is on this thing like everyday, and she is actually learning a lot."
"I went back and bought the first grade version still waiting to see if he likes that more."
"Was great was what I child wanted."
"This game has all the subjects they teach in school so it reinforces what they already have learned."
"My mom got this for my sister and I when we were little."
"I bought this for her to use the summer before school started."
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Math Missions with Card Game Kindergarten-2nd Grade [Old Version]
From the bus to the ferry to the toy store and beyond, Math Missions: The Race to Spectacle City Arcade leads youngsters on a stimulating learning journey of discoveries and rewards. A fun, urban environment sets the stage for 12 exciting activities like sorting toys and counting candy. Explore 12 activities with three levels of challenge Tackle thousands of tough math puzzles and word problems Learn fast--the level of challenge automatically increases to match your progress Use handy hints to get through tough spots without frustration Celebrate your accomplishments with motivating progress reports Math Missions supports the educational standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Every facet of this colorful program is designed to nurture a positive, enthusiastic attitude toward learning mathematics. Supports National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards for grades 3-5.
Reviews
"However, I thought I'd help everyone else who owns a windows 7 computer. We homeschool our kids and our 7 year old has been hesitant to want to learn math. The problems get harder as he works at them."
"You can use it in the DVD player with your TV OR on the computer with a DVD/cd player."
"The only thing I don't like is that in order to make the characters "more relatable" some of them speak in slang or say things like "totally, like whatever!""
"I was sort of skeptical buying a CD-ROM-based computer game (this isn't 1998 anymore!"
"I have some other games that are hard to navigate, and I have to sit there the whole time and assist. This has helped him immensly he has a renewed enthusiam and thinks it's really fun."
"My daughter who is 5 and will be turning 6 in a few months loves this software."
"Where is the kindergarten and 1st grade addition and subtraction problems? I have yet to find a game that has basic addition subtraction that is not boring."
"The games are fun and my children love playing the games. There are approximately 7 games for your children to play and you can change the skill level from easy, to medium, to hard; thats it."
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Best Children's Science & Nature Software

JumpStart 5th Grade
Armed with her wits and her skateboardJo plays curriculum-building games while dodging Dr. X's goons and searching for clues to unravel the mystery.Skills Learned Reading Comprehension Addition Subtraction Multiplication Division Geometry Fractions Decimals Environmental Science Art History and Appreciation U.S. History Geography Critical Thinking and Reference SkillsProduct FeaturesEndless Fun Creative Games Challenging Activities Exciting Adventures Keeps children involved for hours of learning funContinuous Challenge Auto-leveling helps children learn at the pace that suits them Windows System Requirements Windows 2000 XP Vista Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit) Pentium II 300MHz or faster processor 128MB of RAM 10MB of free hard disk space 640 x 480 resolution 16-bit color Windows patible sound card and speakers 12X CD-ROM drive. Armed with her wits and her skateboard, Jo plays curriculum-building games while dodging Dr. X's goons and searching for clues to unravel the mystery.
Reviews
"A lot of the game it doesn't explicitly tell you what you need to do as the previous two games did, and as someone else said the information for the crosswords are things about art history and geography that a 5th grader would never need to know."
"She has spent a lot of time playing with this game, so I'm glad that we bought it, but of the Jump Start nth grade series, it is by far the weakest. The biggest issue is the art history sections and crossword puzzles, full of painters that I've never heard of and trivia that seems largely irrelevant, over the head of most adults, let alone kids."
"I bought this for my Great Nephew who will be entering the 5th Grade in September."
"You could probably find a little more up to date one because they weren't really specific on what this one was compatible with so it didn't even work on my computer."
"we've used jump start before and liked it."
"I've used Jumpstart products with an older child years ago and it was AWESOME!"
"Did not work on my computer."
"Maybe it's me, but my kids wanted to do the game."
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Best Children's Software Games

Kid's Typing Bundle: Mickey’s Typing Adventure with Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum 5 [Amazon Exclusive]
Includes the #1 best-selling Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum – Ideal for ages 8-11.
Reviews
"The program shows you where you hands go and which finger it is looking for, Both programs are great for kids and the added games keeps my kids engaged.. Must have.."
"Good program for kids to learn typing."
"Now we've only used 2x so hopefully I can provide a follow up review on how her typing skills improve."
"Bought the bundle for the cousins to deliver on New Years.Really important for school testing."
"My daughter has fun practicing."
"Typing is such an important life skill for kids."
"Has two different levels so all the grand kids can play and have fun while learning how to type."
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Best Children's Social Studies Software

Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? (Jewel Case) - PC/Mac
Get ready to travel the world, encounter exotic sights and sounds, meet unusual people – and arrest them! Carmen Sandiego's international crime ring is filching world treasures ordinary thieves wouldn't dare tackle.
Reviews
"The game helps improve critical thinking and problem solving kills while giving kids a great introduction to geography, history, and culture."
"NOTE: While playing the game, the video clips are likely to be of lower quality than they would be on an actual Windows 95 computer. This is because your display is automatically switched to 256-color mode when the game starts, and Windows XP won't allow the video clips to play using 16-bit color while the game is running in 256-color mode. If you discover a way to force XP to show the clips in 16-bit color, please post instructions."
"(I also have the old Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego game, which works perfectly on my mac in classic mode)."
"I have thought of contacting the manufacturer and asking for another copy of the game but - did I install the game wrong (?)."
"Despite asking for a cd compatible with Mac I was unable to open it and had to return the product."
"Be aware that this game is not the deductive reasoning, clue game that it used to be."
"This product is incompatible with the current Intel based Macintosh systems / Mac OSX Leopard."
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Best Children's Early Learning Software

Reader Rabbit Personalized Reading Ages 6-9 Deluxe
Within the graphic and sound-rich "Reading Lands" the programincludes 20 progressively challenging storybooks supported by carefullystructured skill-building lessons at 3 skill levels.Because children can choose whether to explore a Reading Land read a storybookor play a skill house game learning is self-guided and children are in controlof their own learning experience.Unique A.D.A.P.T. A. Assesses Abilities D. Develops Skills A. Adjusts Levels P. Provides Help T. Tracks ProgressSkills Learned Vocabulary Advanced Phonics Writing and Creativity Predicting Rhyming Words Combining Syllables Compound Words Consonant Blends Long and Short Vowels Superlatives Reading Aloud Antonyms & Synonyms Visual and Auditory Word RecognitionActivities IncludeReading LandsThe 15 Reading Lands provide a fascinating journey along the Reading. READER RABBIT PER READING 6-9 DLX 2CD JC.
Reviews
"These educational games are wonderful."
"I bought this reader rabbit for a child I knew was having a hard time because her mom never prepared her properly for school the kid love it totally and I couldn't get her to get off the computer now she's a straight A student and I would recommend this product all day long just get the right version and your set and buy I grade higher !"
"Bought this for my son along with the Reader Rabbit Math ages 6-9 and the Reader Rabbit I Can Read with Phonics 1st and 2nd grade."
"You can't beat the learning experience my child gets from Reader Rabbit; I have purchase the entire set; She is able to navigate it on her own; just wish it was offer on 64-bit; Nevertheless she has a 32-bit laptop now that she can use anywhere; What amazing fun this tool is for any child;"
"I am going to purchase an older desktop for my daughter and hope it works on it."
"Do not waste your money, could not install this game, we try in two computers, Compaq and Dell, both with Windows, with no success, and since we have to open the software trying install it now we can not return and get our money back."
"I have not been able to install the installation progam disk...I cannot then use the RR personalized reading program."
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Best Children's Art & Creativity Software

VIDBOX Stopmotion Studio 4.0
Creating stop-motion animation not only encourages the development of story-telling, it also provides an opportunity for kids to use the PC as a movie productions tool. Honestech Stopmotion Studio 4.0 can create output in WMV, MPEG1, MPEG2 and high definition MPEG video resolution up to 1920 x 1080 (requires DSLR camera, HD webcam or HD camcorder). Great Features Capture images using webcam, camcorder and DSLR cameras. Use the Full Storyboard tool to see a larger view of your captured frames, and re-arrange the order of the frames with your mouse via drag and drop. Various Enhancements The new DSLR camera support allows you to create stunning 1080p HD video using Canon/Nikon DSLR cameras with Live View support. The storyboard allows users to view the frames in sequence for easy editing, and users can add on screen text, subtitles, sound effect, voice, and background music. DSLR Camera Support - Create stunning 1080p HD video using Canon/Nikon DSLR cameras with Live View support.
Reviews
"That said, it is probably the best product you can get for the money, with all sorts of useful features and easy enough for a nine-year-old to use (with some adult guidance in lieu of the written instructions)."
"Worked fairly good-Easy to understand-Limited functionality."
"Very easy to use good software for a beginner."
"There are no controls over sound and it's really easy to lay in sound tracks or load sound files, but I'd suggest recording outside the program for full control in something like Audacity... then loading in your sound files."
"My only previous experience in making such a film comes from an interactive museum exhibit over a decade ago. You can also use a DSLR camera if you want good image quality (I didn’t test that ability). Onionskin: Onionskin superimposes the previous frame on top of your current camera view so that you can position your frame perfectly – you can control the level of transparency. Others: You can add still-frame photographs or images, title scene or ending credit scene, and you can also adjust contrast or apply image filters (like black & white)."
"If you already have a webcam set up, it will appear in Stopmotion Studio as a Camera Device in the dropdown menu as an option. Key drawing lets you sketch over the View Screen, so you can mark the position(s) of your character(s) in the next frame. There are also special effects you can play around with, like green screen, which allows you to change the background (your backyard, for example) after production. You can also get really artistic and use the drawing and painting tools to add other elements (like gunsmoke, flare, and laser beam)."
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Best Children's Problem Solving Software

Zoombinis Logical Journey - PC/Mac
Embark on a dangerous quest to a new Zoombini homeland and learn critical logic and mathematical thinking skills. Learn important life skills such as deductive reasoning, pattern recognition, hypothesis testing, and more, while leading the Zoombinis to freedom.
Reviews
"No problem with installing or running the game on the computer with Windows XP. The second defect I noticed about the game was that part of the game did not show--the part that had the menu icons. My 4 year old grandson had a hard time remembering which icon to push to get to the next level because you could only see part of the icon--many times we kept going to the map instead of the next level. My daughter in-law's monitor is not a wide screen monitor, which is common very common now, so maybe this is part of the problem with the display not showing the whole screen for this game."
"Since I've always been a little bit logical, even as a kid, I always made the challenges as easy as possible by putting the maximum number of Zoombinis of each type (2) on each journey, and then I would always have all of them be the same, but change the shoes, or change the nose, etc. My dream would be for this game to be re-released as an iOS game, but until that happens (probably never), at least it is still playable!"
"The best thing about this game is that every time you play, every puzzle is solved differently. I have seen the mountains accept or reject Zoombinis based on physical features as well as gender. I originally bought the game because my son needed to learn to think logically."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Children's Reading & Language Software

Scholastic Success with Writing, Grade 1
Easy-to-follow directions and fun exercises motivate students to work on their own. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
"Got this as a supplement for home school during summer."
"Love this entire grade-level series."
"This is an excellent book to teach elementary age children beginning writing skills."
"This is a great tool if you are using it for some summer learning or a supplement for homeschooling."
"My kid loved it."
"We love scholastic success workbooks."
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