JumpStart Baby
© 1998 Knowledge Adventure, Inc.
Is your baby good at waiting? Does she like to listen to and follow directions? These are the skills she'll need to experience success with this CD-ROM "designed especially for babies." The program features eight learning activities, hosted by a teddy bear, each revolving around colors, shapes, animals, and so on. One game, for instance, asks babies to help Teddy get dressed to go outside. Another game lets children hear different instruments and songs being played by an animal band. There's also a coloring activity and a "connect-the-dots" game. While the graphics and songs are quite appealing, the program's design is very disappointing and not at all "baby-friendly." The program's fatal flaw— throughout the program, babies must sit through lengthy narration before they can press a key to make something happen. If the baby presses a key during the narration, nothing happens on the screen. Babies like to explore and manipulate– not sit and wait for just the right moment. With other "first" programs, like Reader Rabbit's Toddler and JumpStart Toddler, children encounter instant success. There's no waiting– any movement of the mouse or any keystroke makes something exciting happen on the screen. The child quickly learns that her own actions affect what's happening on the computer. There are other problems with this program. The CD's responsivity is poor, and there are many lost clicks, even if the baby does wait until the narration is over. Another aspect of the program that drew fire from our test families is the printable "Baby Workbook." A workbook for babies?! Sheesh! The bottom line: if you choose to introduce your baby to the computer, it's important that first experiences are positive and meaningful.
$30, Win 95, Win 3.1, Mac OS (CD-ROM)
Teaches: songs, shapes, colors