Some Games That Will Keep Your Kids’ Minds Active This Summer

Whenever the calendar strikes June, I hearken to my school days and remember my delight at realizing that summer vacation was just around the corner. Now I’m a grown-up and have to work during the summer. But I’m also a parent with kids who need to be cared for, entertained and intellectually stimulated between June and September.

Television, ballgames and bike rides are part of the equation just as they were when I was a kid, but these days the PC is also a major family entertainment and education center.

Just because kids are sitting in front of a computer doesn’t mean they’re doing something educational or even useful, however. If you want your kids to learn during the summer months, consider buying some educational software or pointing them in the direction of some Web learning sites.

For preschoolers and first-graders there is the new 2000 version of “Jump Start First Grade” from Knowledge Adventure (Mac/Windows, $20). I spent a morning playing with the program and had fun, but I’m a sucker for treasure hunts, simple reading games and animals that sing and dance. Frankie the Dog won’t win any Academy awards, but he’s a friendly enough host who, along with Professor Flee Body, provides helpful hints throughout.

The program has an optional assessment test and a resource center that parents can use to track their child’s progress. Like most commercial educational programs, it’s not deeply intellectual but will keep young kids occupied and provide some level of learning.

Remember those Schoolhouse Rock cartoons that used to play on TV? They were fast-paced, fun and kind of cool. And now they’re interactive thanks to Creative Wonders. There are two versions: “1st and 2nd Grade Essentials” and another aimed at third- and fourth-graders. The programs ($35), which run on both PCs and Mac, come with two CD-ROMs and focus on reading, math, language arts, social studies and science.

It’s been a while since my kids last played Broderbund’s Carmen Sandiego games, but when they did, we all found ourselves heavily engaged. I’m especially fond of “Where in USA is Carmen Sandiego?” because it forces kids to learn U.S. history and geography while helping track down nefarious thieves. The programs seem to work best with kids 8 and older, but there is also a “Junior Detective Edition” aimed at 5- to 8-year-olds.

Studying high school or college math and science can be pretty tedious, but the StudyWorks series from MathSoft makes it a lot more interesting. This impressive group of educational programs is not just fun and games, and it’s not for dummies. It presents sophisticated math and science lessons and provides students with reference tables, glossaries, Web links, tools to create your own lab reports and coaching for the SAT II.

At $29, “StudyWorks Science” represents one of the best educational values around. “StudyWorks Mathematics Deluxe” ($39.95) covers nine subjects ranging from pre-algebra to business math along with geometry, trigonometry, calculus and statistics.

If you have students of any age who haven’t yet mastered basic literacy skills (grades one through three), consider investing $150 in the “School Time Phonics” program from School Time Software (https://www.schooltime.com or [888] 758-5789). The four-CD set for Windows and Mac was designed for use in both schools and homes with parental or teacher supervision. There are pleasant graphics and soothing audio, but don’t expect dazzling animation or multimedia entertainment. This is a serious learning tool that follows a systematic curriculum designed to bring users up to third-grade proficiency. The program, according to developer Jerry Romano, can be used by children or adults in need of basic remedial-skills development.

Learning to speak a second language can be an enormously useful skill, and thanks to PCs, it’s easier and more fun than it used to be. While it may be tough to get kids to spend a summer afternoon practicing a language, it’s a bit easier now thanks to programs such as “Kids Spanish Interactive Immersion Games” from Syracuse Language Systems and “JumpStart Spanish” from Knowledge Adventure.

“Kids Spanish,” which is aimed at beginning Spanish students ages 6 to 10, enables children to learn the language by playing games, interacting with characters and watching videos. It also allows them to record and playback their own voice and even a short video.

For older kids--and some adults--interested in learning Spanish, I recommend “Spanish for the Real World” ($29.95), also from Knowledge Adventure, which helps you master first-year Spanish by taking you on a road rally through Mexico.

Another good choice is the Smart Start series in Spanish, Italian, French, German, Japanese versions from Syracuse Language. These game-style programs focus on speaking and listening. The Learning Company’s newest Quick Study courses in Spanish, French, German and Italian are inexpensive ($29.95) no-frills programs for casual learners high-school age and above who want a quick introduction to conversational language.

You can often buy children’s software directly from the publisher’s Web site or a retailer.

While having your kids use a PC for summertime learning can be great, remember that it is summer and they are kids. Don’t forget to allow time for some fresh air, low-tech horsing around and just plain loafing.

Lawrence J. Magid can be heard at 1:48 p.m. weekdays on KNX (1070). He can be reached at [email protected]. His Web page is at https://www.larrysworld.com. On AOL, use keyword “LarryMagid.”