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Wednesday 10th of March 2010

Multifunctional programs designed for children

  1. GCompris -

    Gcompris Screenshot
    Is a set of educational programs and games for children between the ages of 2-10 (ages are developmentally dependent). This program is divided into different categories (e.g., computer, maths, games) in which there are various tasks. Performing these exercises not only broadens dry knowledge, for example by learning the addition of numbers. Many of these tasks have a practical purpose, such as explaining the mechanics of a sluice or by teaching how to use money at a grocery store. The program’s interface responds to the visual need of the target age bracket so it’s colorful and full of big icons. Good answers are rewarded by an animation, such as with the happy face of a clown. Though the program is still under development, it currently contains approximately 80 exercises. GCompris is the part of a project named Friends of the World Treasures, under the patronage of UNESCO.

  2. Childsplay -

    Childsplay Screenshot

    Similar to GCompris, Childsplay offers tasks and games designed for the youngest students. Most of them are oriented for learning either math or a language, however it is available only in English because it has not been localized (but this may be a good thing because we now have a good program to assist children in learning English). There are games that teach language, such as Pacman, where by eating letters in the correct order, we make a proper word. Audio-visual layout of Childsplay is nice for the eye and ear, and in many tasks, we are assisted by animals (their sounds recorded in nature). Some of games’ tasks train memory, for example where you must remember positions of two cards and match them into pairs. Despite the application having fewer tasks than GCompris, they seem to be more refined. Unfortunately, the big drawback, as mentioned earlier, is lack of a Polish localization.
 

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