The Old Schoolhouse® Product & Curriculum Reviews
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Didi & Ditto, First Grade Review by Cindy West
Kutoka Interactive1001, rue Sherbrooke Est
Bureau 400
Montreal, Canada H2L 1L3
514-849-4800
http://www.kutoka.com/
Didi and Ditto are beavers. They live in a land that has been overtaken by some nasty, but not so smart, wolves. Didi and Ditto set out on a mission to outsmart the Wolf King and take back their kingdom so that all the animals can be free again. Your child's job is to help either Didi or Ditto outsmart the wolves as they roam through the kingdom completing challenges among the Provences' leaders. Upon completing the challenges successfully, flags from the Provences are gathered and taken back to the Wolf King to prove the leaders have been outwitted. In the end, all the land is set free because of Didi, Ditto, and your child.
This CD-ROM is so much fun! Even though both my older children are past first grade, they (and I) loved playing this game. In fact, on the highest of three levels, my soon-to-be third grader was even challenged some of the time.
In each Provence, your child will need to complete a thinking game in one of four subject areas: math, reading, science, or creativity. Math skills covered include geometry, problem solving, addition, subtraction, probability, and measurement. Reading skills included are spelling, rhymes, writing, associations, words, and sentences. Under the science heading are life science, categorization, and geography. And the creativity games include music and colors.
As a parent, you can easily see how your child progresses in each of the skill areas; you can also move your child up or down in skill levels. All of the games are very good, but I was especially impressed with the amount of critical thinking and problem solving expected in the math games.
The cartoonish characters and scenery are bright and colorful. And the goofy little characters are sure to bring smiles to your children's faces. Characters will provide prompts if your child requests them. I have to admit that it took me a few minutes to figure out exactly what I needed to do, and I had to use the prompts a time or two! Once I caught on to the expectations, though, there were no further troubles. For a five- to seven-year-old child who enjoys learning on the computer, this makes for a great addition to your software collection!
Product review by: Cindy West, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August 2008
