Big Thinkers! 1st Grade - More Than Fun Math Games

Big Thinkers! 1st Grade offers more than just fun math games. It's a curriculum-based program (in the exploration genre), that is packed with engaging educational activities that are likely to stimulate your child well beyond 1st grade. As a guest of the teen aged Brightly twins (Ben and Becky), you're invited to explore the bazaar of sights and sounds, which they call home. Interesting things (some just visually, while others are can be clicked on) can be found in every nook and cranny. For example, clicking on the patchwork-topped ottoman in the living room causes one of three historical figures (Neil Armstrong, Amelia Earhart, or Abraham Lincoln), to pop out of one of the patches and mention some historical tidbit about themselves.

Exploration and Reward
Children are free to explore 7 venues (the four rooms of the house, the garage, backyard, and a barn) as they engage in various activities, assisted by high energy Brightlys, who morph into the activities themselves. As young learners successfully complete activities they will be rewarded with SmartStars. When a child has earned enough SmartStars in each of the in each of the five major categories (Math, Reading, Science, Thinking Skill, and Art) they qualify for the SuperStar of Smarts Challenge. In this challenge round, accumulated SmartStars are used as fuel to power the participant's activities. Winners of the SuperStar of Smarts Challenge will be presented with a printable certificate along with the exuberant praise of their digital cohorts.

For Parents
The Smart Chart, allow parents to check a child's activities, that is to say the number of SmartStars they've accumulated for a given academic focal point. This information is presented in both numerical and bar graph style.



Curriculum
Big Thinkers! 1st Grade attempts to address impressive suite of academic focal points: money, addition and subtraction, fractions, telling time, reading, phonics, spelling, geography & directions, environmental science, life and physical sciences, critical thinking, problem solving, spatial perception, art creativity, and music creativity.

For me this software presents most topics quite well, however, compared to the other fun math games presented in Big Thinkers! 1st Grade, the fractions activity is simply boring.

Conclusion
Big Thinkers! 1st Grade is engaging fun, and worthy of high praise. It has much to offer both struggling and successful students. Another bonus, in terms of value, rests in the fact that Big Thinkers! 1st Grade is an older title, so it's not nearly as expensive newer titles, but has better game play than most. If you dig about on the Web you can find Big Thinkers! 1st Grade for less than $5.00 (including shipping).