Best Children's Science & Nature Software
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
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Filled with untamed adventure and fascinating fun, Animal Adventures challenges players to become animal experts by identifying more than 40 animals and collecting their photos. A total of 16 action-packed animal activities place kids in the animals' real-world, wild habitats, or kids can create their own animal habitats. Discover the thrill of going face-to-face with wild animals as you explore fascinating habitats filled with untamed adventure.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is one of the games we use in our preschool and is very well suited for 4 year olds and more advanced 3's."
"I'm not giving this game all the credit, but my son is a very visual learner and this definitely helped him learn a lot of English words and general things about animals and life."
"We like all the JumpStart games."
"I purchased the animal game for my grand daughter for Christmas."
"This game was well received by my Granddaughter."
"Use to enjoy this title on Windows 98, but can't seem to get this new purchase running on Windows 7."
"This didn't work very well with my Windows 8 Computer."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I could go on and on, but suffice to say, once you play Oregon Trail II, I doubt you'll go back to any simpler entry of the series!"
"I had some difficulty getting this game to work, though I don't think it the fault of the game--it is an older version and we knew that when I ordered it."
"This game is very fun!"
"I love the music, the guide book, the diversity in how your journey goes, and the well-crafted decision making."
"I started playing this game when I was much younger, but even after all these years I still enjoy it."
"Good service!"
"The disc didn't work."
"I'm very disappointed with this because it won't work in my Windows 8 laptop."
Best Children's Social Studies Software
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
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Best Children's Math Software
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
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Best Children's Reading & Language Software
Easy-to-follow directions and fun exercises motivate students to work on their own. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Best Children's Software Games
![Kid's Typing Bundle: Mickey’s Typing Adventure with Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum 5 [Amazon Exclusive]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71IgoSByl6L._SS600_.jpg)
Includes the #1 best-selling Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum – Ideal for ages 8-11.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Best Children's Art & Creativity Software
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
Find Best Price at Amazon"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)."
Best Children's Early Learning Software
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
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Best Children's Problem Solving Software
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
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."