04/16/99

Sites for Tykes

This week three readers asked me for more preschool sites, and since one of them was my sister-in-law, I decided to comply. Here are 1-2-3-4-5 recommendations for your littlest point-and-clickers, just learning to count. But wait, there's more. This week (and this week only) I'm throwing in a bonus site: Blue Dog Can Count at http://www.forbesfield.com/bdf.html. Woof! Woof! Have fun.

Fun School Preschool

The preschool section of Funschool.com is a cornucopia of great Java games. Among the counting activities are Number Matching, Connect the Numbers, What's the Order? and Teach Me 1-2-3's. Before you begin, spend a few minutes familiarizing yourself with the buttons at the button of each screen. One will return you to the grade-level game listing, one will restart the current game, and one will take you to the next game. My favorite counting game is Fishing for Numbers, where you match numbers to sets of fish. For older siblings up to grade six, try The Spot.

Humphrey's Counting House

Only one of Humphrey's Shockwave games actually involves counting, but Humphrey the singing, dancing bear is amusing enough to earn his place here anyway. Click on the cards for a well-implemented game of concentration, matching the numbers one through six to their appropriate pictures. Other treats are a coloring book which is better than most I've seen, and a fun music game (can you repeat a pattern of xylophone notes?) And don't miss Humphrey's opening dance number, just click on his smiling head.

Kid's Carnival Numbers

The starting page warns that these Java games take a while to download, and even at cable speed, they are right. So grab a snack and relax. You'll be rewarded with five different number games and six Connect-a-Dots. How Many? and Counting Fun are the easiest of the number games. The other three get into higher mathematical concepts such as addition and subtraction. Connect- a-Dot is a perennial counting favorite, but be forewarned the red-on-blue numbers are difficult to read.

Monster Math

"The monsters you will meet are not really scary, they just need help figuring out how many arms, legs, eyes, heads and fingers they have. . . . Today, Fred the monster is throwing a surprise birthday party for his sister, Laurie the monster. He doesn't know which head to wear. How many heads does Fred have to choose from?" Although perfect for first graders, littler ones will need help as the problems progress from counting to addition and subtraction. For something different, try Monster Math in Spanish or Italian.

Preschool Numbers with Kylie Kangaroo

Straightforward and fast-loading, this site is the easiest of today's selections. Simply click on a number (zero to nine) for a corresponding picture (four butterflies, seven soccer balls, etc.) When your little one tires of clicking, mosey on over to the activities page for additional games such as Build a Ruler (place the numbers in order) and lots of word scrambles and puzzles.

Please send questions or comments to feldman@surfnetkids.com.