LeapfrogCritiques

Numbers

This book is a really fun book to read to kids. I love it because you get to introduce children to all sorts of instruments. For example, I used to play a saxophone when I was in 5th grade. So I showed my students what it looked liked in the book. But than, I also brought in my instrument to show them how it sounds.

Time Machine
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Intro Video to Math Concepts for kids--math circus, December 28, 2004
Unlike the previous reviewers I thought this video was great. Though it could be longer, it gives kids (mine are 4.5 and 2.5) a good introduction to basic math concepts: association, addition and subtraction.

One of the problems small children have is that they memorize numbers and can "count" but they don't associate the numbers with an actual quantity. This video uses small white mobile cubes called "quidgets" to teach them that numbers `correspond' to a certain number of objects.

My kids are pretty engrossed by this video and I am overjoyed that I can now give my four-year-old simple hand problems and she can solve them.

Video Outline:

--Numbers are produced: "0 to 10".

--Numbers are associated with corresponding numbers of quidgets, coins, fingers, etc.

For example, no quidgets, then one quidget. The white box gets a number 1 which jumps onto it and stays.

Two quidgets stack vertically... the number one jumps off and the 2 jumps on and so forth.

--A song with 1 quidget, then 1 coin, then 1 finger and a 1 "digit" color worm... and so on until there are 10 quidgets, 10 coins, 10 fingers and a 10 segmented worm. The quidgets are piled vertically, and the worm grows horizontally until it is 10 units long: all numbers are shown in their worm segment.

--Then to the circus.

--Review of counting with quidgets stacking vertically.

--Using a high wire act with two swings, the quidget's do addition and then subtraction.

Two quidgets, for example, swing across and are joined by another quidget from the other swing. The numbers 2 and 1 drop off and the number 3 sticks itself to the stack of three quidgets. The reverse is done for subtraction.

--At the end, stacks of ten quidgets are flung into the ring until their are ten stacks of them demonstrating how we can go from 10 to 100 by ten's.

Time Machine
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Video from LeapFrog -- Code word caper, December 28, 2004

The other reviews are right. If you like the Talking Words Factory, you should like this follow-on video.

In this episode, children are taught about long vowel sounds, 'silent E", blended letters (such as sh and th), as well as blended vowels (the old when two vowels go walking the first one does the talking).

In addition, children are shown how vowels are forced to say their names when E's are added to their ends. Fat becomes long-A fate, for example.

Worth the money, for sure. [Certainly my 2.5 year-old would not know his letters and their sounds without these videos.]

Where do these books come from? Where do they go? Why do parents attract them like tumbleweeds? Why does Spud the Scarecrow hate baselessly, writhing in his malevolence? Why is he a scarecrow? Questions.

The Tag Reading System by Leap Frog is touch sensitive reading device that looks like a pen that “reads” specially designed storybooks for children. The reading system also incorporates activities that promote word recognition and general learning experience. There are over 20 books and games that the reading system can recognize. Many of these books are classic favorites such as, The Little Engine That Could. As a child begins using the reading system, the activities adjust based on the child’s responses. Although a great learning tool, this system is expensive. Only one book comes with the Tag Reading System and after that all other books need to be purchased separately. This is a great system to use in a classroom during centers, or fun learning activity at home for beginning readers.½