Babysitters Club 4th Grade Learning Adventure

Copyright: KBkids.com

Pre-teens across the country have made the Baby-sitters Club book series a grand success. The new computer programs will appeal to girls who are already book fans, and others who want a 'girl' program. This new 2 CD set includes skills which would normally be covered in the 4th grade year, but it is appropriate for younger children, or 4th graders who are a bit behind. This is one of the first grade specific programs which makes some room for those who are not quite up to snuff, yet don't want to feel like a failure playing a '3rd grade' labeled program. Bravo!

Aside from that compliment, there is nothing extraordinary about the skills covered here. Your kids will get a bit of extra practice on a few items, but this is not nearly as 'complete' as some of the other grade specific titles which try to cover more of the curriculum. Each of the four main characters allow your child to enter her locker, find out about her, and play a game. Your child will be assigned a locker right next to theirs, where she will find a scrapbook and a few bonus games. The following games can be found in the girls' lockers:

Count On Me- In this maze activity, your child must answer the story problem questions correctly in order to finish the maze. The maze itself is very easy, other than a cat who keeps trying to catch you. Each of the story problems involves mathematical situations regarding baby-sitting, hourly wage, pizza delivery etc. If your child is stumped, a hint button will at least tell them what the math problem should look like. These are all multiple choice problems, and as with all included games, has three skill levels.

Map Maker- At level one, your child will simply place the continent puzzle pieces on to a map which includes grid lines. At level three, puzzles includes US states, and more intricate maps. Testers only complaint here was that the pieces were randomly generated, and did not individually look like a country or state. The visual input of picking up a puzzle piece which looked like France, for example, would have been more helpful. Each piece contains sections of various countries, or states.

Trina the Ballerina- This activity is identical to one included in Creative Wonders Schoolhouse Rock series involving an ice skater. By telling the ballerina which direction to move, the entire dance is choreographed. Not testers favorite activity.

Wacky Word Kicks- This is a soccer-based Mad Libs game. Your child will place words into a mystery story. This has always been a fun way to learn parts of speech.

Your child's personal locker will include bonus, off computer activities, a game show, and a bonus game. You will also find a second CD which includes another game show called Brain Blitz. This Jeopardy-type game can be played by 1-4 players. One nice feature here is that each player can individually set her skill level. Questions are generated randomly and cover all areas of the curriculum.

Bottom Line: Girls will enjoy playing with their BSC friends. Not enough meat here to keep girls coming back indefinitely. Good for slower 4th graders who want to play a "4th grade" program.

Ratings: (based on KBkids.com's 4 star rating system)

Overall: 3

BrainGain: 2 1/2

FunFactor: 3

EasePlease: 4

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