Jump Start Explorers

Jump Start Explorers

Reviewer: Mary Jo Chretien is a Speech-Language Pathologist with Thompson Connecticut Public Schools and EASTCONN; she also serves as Related Services Group Coordinator at EASTCONN.

Knowledge Aventure
http://www.sunburst.com/ka/index2.cfm

System Requirements: Windows®; PC Pentium® 233MHz or better; Windows® 95/98/ME/2000; 64 MB RAM; 10 MB hard drive space; High-Color (16bit) Graphics Capability; 16 X CD-ROM Drive; Windows® Compatible Sound Card; 56k Modem and Internet connection (recommended); Printer (recommended)

Macintosh®; Macintosh® G3 233MHz and above; MAC OS 8.1, 8.6, 9.1; Memory - 64 MB required; 10 MB hard drive space; 24 X CD-ROM Drive; 56k Modem and Internet connection (recommended); Printer (recommended)

Price - Teacher's Edition (2 copies) $59.95

Rating: A+

Jump Start Explorers is a well-designed, exciting way to learn social studies. The activities are based upon the character CJ Frog, whose tadpole nieces and nephews have used his time machine and gotten lost throughout history. CJ travels to places all around the world and to years gone by to find his tadpoles. The program is labeled as appropriate for ages 5-8. Three levels of play tailor the game to the students' interests and abilities.

Colorful graphics and exciting animation intensify the concepts of time and place. Main character CJ Frog clearly provides instructions. If desired, begin the game by printing out a "Time-Hopping World Map." As you play, you earn and can print stickers to show where you've been. Destinations and dates include Egypt - 1359 BC, China - 1280, South America - 1532, Plymouth Colony - 1621, and Antarctica - 1911.

The activities found in the destinations teach a variety of curricular concepts and appropriate vocabulary. In Egypt, a short movie shows how King Tut's servants loaded the boats and made the journey up to Memphis and the "Wrap CJ" game demonstrates the process of preparing a mummy for the sarcophagus. South American animals are featured in the games, "Feed and Comb the Llama" and "Load the Llama." As in real life, the llama spits if loaded too heavily! In Plymouth Colony, planting corn, archery, and preparing the feast are featured. In addition, general language and reasoning skills are developed throughout. For example, the Time Card game in all destinations requires the student to sort pictures which are or are not associated with the location. Other "global" activities are "The Mapping Game," "Mazes" and "Tadpole Search Screens."

A running tally shows the points accumulated with each activity. A progress report details each destination and activity visited; concepts presented in each destination are checked off. As stickers are accumulated, they can be printed and placed upon the large paper map. The program is fun and the "rewards" are easily discerned whether you're printing or not.The "Rainy Day Crafts" section has interesting, printable activities to complement the computer games; these really enhance one's understanding of life in the destinations. In South America, for example, students can print Inca headdresses, tunics, jewelry, weavings, and drums.

Most activities are easily navigated with mouse, keyboard, TouchWindow, and other adapted input devices. Many activities involve adding clip art to the picture, as in making "Paper Lanterns" in China, wrapping the main character CJ as a mummy in Egypt, and "Husking Corn" in Plymouth Colony. These activities can be used to increase a student's precision and control of his or her movements and the adaptive equipment. For some students, though, the high degree of precision required may preclude greater independence. You'll have to pick and choose, of course, and provide assistance as needed.

A feature that has advantages and disadvantages is the obscuring of the menu bar/task bar. (When the game is running, a student can't accidentally "get off" the window and trigger the operating system menus.) A volume control in the opening screen, however, takes care of the need to adjust volume once the game is running.

I tested this program with several children, including my five year old twins. When asked to give her comments for this review, my daughter Michelle summed it up succinctly: "You get to find the tadpoles. You get to go places. You get to play again. And if you don't finish, you can save the game." Indeed, the program stores the information so many students can play repeatedly. There are so many great activities that students will not easily tire of the game.

In summary, this program will entertain, educate and enrich for many hours.