Here is a look at three new science titles for children: two from The Magic School Bus Series which are well worth exploring, and one from a new series called Hands-On Experiments for Smart Kids that has good information and 100 experiments but is very hard to navigate.

The Magic School Bus Whales & Dolphins Activity Center Published on June 1st, 2001

Ms. Frizzle, the eccentric but beloved teacher in the Magic School Bus series of books, television, and software, is back with a new field trip. This time she is taking her class on a deep-sea adventure to learn about whales, dolphins, and porpoises. This software surrounds children with a “sea” of information as they explore the four games, four videos, two interactive experiments, and two creative activities. Kids click around the inside of the Magic School Bus, or they can swim outside in the ocean. Kids’ favorites were “Spout Off”—a question-and-answer game hosted by Petey, the playful porpoise; and “Whale Scales,” an interactive experiment where children can place one of four different whales on a scale and balance it by using children, cats, school buses or elephants! Another favored activity involves snapping a picture of a whale before it dives into the sea. This software does a nice job of presenting a lot of information on the big mammals of the oceans in an engaging manner. Its dialogue is even available in closed captions.
Summary Age  6 - 10 Platform  Windows Mac Price  $20.00 Category  Science Grade  ISBN  Company  Microsoft (800) 724-4718 http://www.microsoft.com

The Magic School Bus Discovers Flight Activity Center Published on June 1st, 2001

Children join Ms. Frizzle and her class as they field-trip to the Walkerville Air Show. Upon arrival, children explore to find four multi-level games, two interactive experiments, two creative activities, three short videos, and loads of interesting facts—all focusing on flight, animals that can fly, and aviation. The games come in many formats including puzzles, a game-show that tests knowledge, and two arcade-style games in which children either drive a fire-fighting plane or a hot-air balloon. The arcade games are fun but are not very educational. In one of the experiments, children explore the effects of thrust, lift, and drag by designing their own plane. They are challenged to see if they can make their plane fly while carrying a specific load. Many things contribute to making this a good title. The Magic School Bus characters (Ms. Frizzle, Arnold, Keesha, Ralphie, etc) are the ones sharing knowledge, and they do it in a manner that keeps children interested. All the games come with three levels of difficulty and are fun to play. The dialogue is even available in closed captions. This is a field trip worth joining because you will be flying high—literally.
Summary Age  6 - 10 Platform  Windows Mac Price  $20.00 Category  Science Grade  ISBN  Company  Microsoft (800) 724-4718 http://www.microsoft.com

Hands-On Experiments for Smart Kids: Discovering Life Published on June 1st, 2001

Hailing from France, this software offers children five paths of science exploration and 100 experiments. Players choose a companion (one of the five “Smart Kids”) to accompany them on their journey into this software. As the players and their companions explore, they encounter scientific questions relating to water, air, and matter. Next, they find a hands-on experiment, which the players perform on the computer in a simulated laboratory. Thereafter, the software explains what happened in the experiment. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, this software is not very intuitive and testers found it difficult to navigate. In addition, they found some of the experiments frustrating to perform. And, they did not like being limited in their ability to experiment—if players did not do the experiment exactly the way the software anticipated, they do not get a response. Open-ended laboratory simulations would have greatly improved the appeal of this software.
Summary Age  8 - 14 Platform  Windows Mac Price  $30.00 Category  Science Grade  ISBN  Company  Montparnasse Multimedia http://www.montparnasse.net

All software is judged on a five star scale by looking at the following five factors: educational, fun, ease of use, value, technical.

Jinny Gudmundsen is the Editor of Computing With Kids magazine. If you have questions or comments, please write to: .

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