My First Amazing World Explorer

This program from Dorling Kindersley is one of the best geography programs on the market for children ages 4-9. There are few geography programs for this age group which are educationally sound and do not require reading skills. Along with the CD, you will receive an activity book, a great book about maps and map making as well as a treasure hunt sticker chart.

"My First Amazing World Explorer" teaches children about the world starting with their own bedrooms and moves out in the world from there. In this bedroom your children will find games, activities, videos and a great interactive wall map. There is no real 'globe' experience in this program so you will want to make sure your children have access to the real 'hands-on' model. In a previous review I had mentioned concern about some spelling errors I had found in the DK "Cartopedia" program. I do not believe there are errors here, but I do not know that for sure. The map does contain major cities, but it is not nearly as detailed as "Cartopedia" so I don't believe the errors have been duplicated.

On the desk, your children will be able to play three different games. "Make Them Match" is a wonderful game where your children will have to look at objects from various angles and try to find the ones which match. "Plan a Picture" teaches similar map related skills. When an object is placed on a picture your child will see both an overhead view and a front view. Both of these games begin to help children with the difficult job of map reading. It is hard for young children to realize that a map is an overhead view, something they do not experience much in life as the smallest members of the family. Coordinates are taught in a game called "Treasure Hunt" where a pirate ship must be navigated through waters in order to find a buried treasure. Each of these games are very educational. Your children may not rush back to them as the best 'games' they have ever played, but they teach important skills in an entertaining fashion.

The world map on the bedroom wall allows your children to travel anywhere in the world. The map is highly animated and colorful. It is not an accurate map as far as detail goes, but it gives them a very good mental picture of the world. Large colorful pictures of the Grand Canyon, Hollywood, The White House and more are splashed across each map. By clicking on the edges of the screen, your child can travel around the world. There are nineteen boat and airplane travel experiences for them to find as they explore. They will collect passport stamps on each of these voyages. As they wander the globe they will also collect postcards which will accumulate on the bedroom bulletin board.

There are other activities in the bedroom as well. There are many fun animated 'hot spots' throughout the room which your children will enjoy. Stickers are always a hit, and as your child travels he or she will have a chance to collect stickers of various landmarks, animals, plants and more. Several animated videos are available as well which teach about the oceans of the world as well as outer space. There is plenty to do in this bedroom and your children will gain valuable knowledge about the world as they play.

This is a wonderful program with few rivals. This is one of your best options for younger children who are not strong readers yet or who do not want a 'quiz' type geography program. This program comes with high recommendations from myself and my children who are in this age bracket.

Grading:

Educational value- 5
Entertainment value- 31/2
Use of medium- 4

Buy My First Amazing World Explorer 2.0 at Amazon!