Amazon.com Review: The phrase "teaches early math skills" can translate into "steer clear" for a numbers hater. But as Blue, the dog, accompanies your youngster through this backyard carnival, visiting snack booths, pattern parades, and souvenir stands, she (and her inimitable squeak) turns the dread phrase into a series of enjoyable activities.
The seven activities in Blue's 123 Time are all designed to encourage counting, pattern recognition, and deduction. Real-world applications abound here: kids can put objects on a scale and weigh them in Bell's Souvenir Stand; save, spend, and count money in the Prize Tent; and develop card-sharking capabilities playing Baby Bear's Card Game. In fact, since successful completion of each activity pays off in Blue Dollars to spend in the Prize Tent, parents who frown on gambling may raise an eyebrow at the little felt bear dealing a deck. But there's nothing like a good game of cards for fostering pattern recognition and counting skills!
Fear not, Blue won't lead your preschooler down a path of vice. Everyone here is benign, encouraging, and comfortably two-dimensional, just like the television show. The games subtly increase in difficulty as they're played, easing kids into fairly complex concepts like sets, subsets, and estimation. The activities teach on an almost subliminal level, with enough counting out loud and positive reinforcement to make numbers friendly to any child. --Anne Erickson
Amazon.com Product Description: Practice pre-math and problem-solving skills in this activity pack filled with multi-level learning games. Develop logical thinking and deductive reasoning skills, recognize and complete patterns, practice simple mathmatical operations, and explore estimation and prediction. Preschoolers strengthen early math skills as they help Blue win Big Prizes at the Prize Tent.
Blue and her friends help strengthen early math skills, including counting and number recognition, simple addition and subtraction operations, shape and pattern recognition, sorting and classifying attributes, prediction and estimation, weights and measurements, sets and subsets, counting and spending money, and number line exploration and navigation.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Favorite Toddler Software
I bought this for my son when he was 2. He really liked it then, but didn't have the mouse skills to use it alone. Now that he is 3 this is his favorite computer game. His mouse skill are good enough that he can play it on his own while. The games involve pre-math skills like sequences, sorting and matching. As the child completes tasks correctly, the games become more challenging.
Rating: - Need to update to Mac OSX
The product seems nice, but runs in a clunky and confusing Mac OS9 window. i wouldn't recommend this for Mac users until it is updated.
Rating: - Super Math Game!
As a parent and former preschool teacher, I can highly recommend this game. My 5 year-old comes back to this game again and again. The activities in this game are creative and unlike other preschool games. My daughter particularly enjoys one game which requires choosing the heaviest/lightest toy, and uses a scale in addition to numbers to show the concept. There are games to teach sorting by multiple characteristics, pattern recognition, and addition as well. All games are fun and provide hints if needed,with constant reinforcement. This game is a worthwhile addition to your software collection!
Rating: - Excellent and Educational
This is a fun cd with several games all aimed at teaching a child math skills. There are sorting games where a child has to sort out items into two sets of like items. There are games that encourage number, color or shape recognition. There are games that encourage measurement (in that something is bigger or smaller than something else) and weighing. As children play games the games get progressively harder. Also, as children play they earn blue dollars that they can later spend.
By little four year old boy still enjoys playing with this game. We bought it when he was three.
This is a fun computer game. It is easy to use and required very little input or direction from me as my son learned how to play the games. It grows with the childs skill level. This computer game makes math fun.
Enjoy.
Rating: - Loved by my 4-year old
My wife and I purchased a computer for my (then) 3-year old's Christmas present. We also purchased some educational software for him to use, and Blue's Clues 123 Time Activities was one of the titles selected.
The software installed easily on his Windows XP-based HP computer. He was up and playing in "no time flat."
Game play is intuitive, and his favorite game is a Crazy -8s-based card game that he plays against one of Blue's Clues charming characters, a little bear. All of the games progress in difficulty depending on the child's level of success.
After winning or successfully completing a task, the player is given a certain amount of "Blue Dollars," which can be used to buy items at the prize tent. These items are accumulated and are put together (by the computer, not by the child) to form a neat object like a toy boat or toy car.
My now 4-year old still enjoys the game, and has experienced a limited amount of frustration. His mom helps to guide him often, and he also helps to guide me through some of the activities!
- Favorite Toddler Software
- Need to update to Mac OSX
