ALKHOBAR, 1 April 2008 — How time flies! Unbelievably, it's just a couple of months until the kids will be out of school again. No, this is not an April Fools' joke, but rather the horrible reality of the academic calendar. Even if parents' fantasies that their children will help out around the house come true, those little darlings will still have a lot of time on their hands to drive everyone mad. So turn to technology to keep the kiddies out of your hair. It's really your only means of survival.
Let's start with the little tykes - ages three to six. It's essential to get them to burn off energy so they will consider taking an afternoon nap with you. That's where Fisher-Price's Smart Cycle Physical Learning Arcade System can be a lifesaver. The Smart Cycle Physical Learning Arcade System is an innovative stationary bike that combines physical play with learning and gets preschoolers interested in a more active lifestyle.
Using plug-and-play technology, simply plug the stationary bike into the TV's A/V jacks. Now kids are ready to hop on the bike and start pedaling and steering to play fun learning games right on the TV. As they pedal, character friends guide them through learning discoveries, games and even exciting races. There are multiple levels of play for different ages and stages.
The Smart Cycle, which retails for $100, comes with a Learning Adventure game cartridge that offers three ways to play:
* Drive - Kids pedal, steer and learn at their own pace. They can visit Math Mountain, Shape Lake, Number Fields, Letter Creek and other stops along the way.
* Learn - Kids can stop and rest, but they don't stop learning. Kids use the joystick to reinforce important learning skills with plenty of games and activities- with different levels for growing kids.
* Race - Now's their chance to "Burn Baby, Burn! Kids put the pedal to the metal as they race with cars on-screen, against the clock,or with another player!
With the Smart Cycle, kids can learn upper & lowercase letters, numbers & counting, spelling, problem-solving, creativity, spatial reasoning and a lot more. It's a great product and recently won the Most Innovative Toy of the Year and the Educational Toy of the Year awards from the US Toy Industry Association.
The downside of the SmartCycle is that others can't watch television while the bike is being used. So, if there's a football game on TV and your youngster needs a bit of distraction, then log on to the Net and let her tune in to www.LuckyKatTV.com. Please note that this site was designed to work with high bandwidth and a broadband connection is necessary for this content to be enjoyed.
Lucky Kat TV is an online interactive TV destination designed to make learning fun through a variety of educational games for kids. The central character - Lucky Kat hangs out in the tropical fantasyland of Lucky Kat Island. This is a playful environment that includes a "click and narrate" mechanism allowing non-readers to participate throughout the Lucky Kat TV Network. In this unique environment, children can watch both cartoon and live-action programming with the interactivity available via the Internet. Children's minds are enriched through educational, entertaining and character-building programs and activities. The site's stated goal is for Lucky Kat to teach children to believe in themselves in a positive environment and learn how to think, not what to think.
Another great site for kids is www.KidThing.com, which opened its general access beta release during the first week of March. In its first two weeks, KidThing acquired over 10,000 registered users. KidThing delivers the next generation Internet-based learning environment through its proprietary distribution, publishing and social networking platform. The site provides a safe, ad-free, global learning environment that insulates children from the World Wide Web.
KidThing is accessed through a KidThing player, which should be downloaded at the first visit to the site. Some content at the site is free and there is also content that can be purchased. Publishers and content creators around the world are making their works available in the KidThing store. The prices are very reasonable starting at $1 - but a credit card is needed to pay for purchases. Books, art projects, games and other enriching content can be downloaded. Once purchases have been downloaded to a computer, that PC can be disconnected from the Internet and children can use the content offline. This means that if the computer is a laptop, the content could be enjoyed anytime, anywhere.
The site is a very nice way to encourage children to read. Through KidThing, in April the Penguin Young Readers Group will begin offering the first ever direct to consumer digital versions of classic titles such as The Little Engine That Could, Corduroy, The Hat, and Nana Downstairs. Several Dr Seuss titles and other books are already available at the site.
Loads of content creators have begun to realize that there is a huge requirement for age appropriate digital media. The EA Casual Entertainment Label is developing a new wholly-owned, original intellectual property, created for 7-11-year-old boys and girls. Zubo is to be a music-based rhythm-action game featuring a unique set of characters. It is scheduled to ship worldwide later this year, exclusively on the Nintendo DS handheld system.
In the videogame, players will enter the world of Zubalon to help the colorful and zany inhabitants, the Zubos, defeat an evil force, which is bent on world domination. Players can befriend the Zubos they meet along the way, feed and nurture them, help them gain skills and strength, and assist them in their battles with the enemy, the dastardly Zombos. A key element to Zubo is music, which is intrinsic to Zubalon from its tuneful plant life through to its currency of musical notes. The player will use the music to drive the battles forward, synchronizing their stylus action and tapping in time with the musical beats to win! With 55 Zubos available to find and recruit to a player's squad, plus mini-games and the world of Zubalon to explore, Zubo should offer fun that lasts a long time.
Zubo won't be out for a while, but one game that will be available on the Nintendo DS this summer is Guitar Hero: On Tour. The game's developer, Activision's Vicarious Visions, claims that Guitar Hero will give handheld gamers the freedom to "unleash their inner rock star anywhere, anytime." The game will challenge handheld gamers to rock out and prove their skills on a diverse set list of master tracks including classic rock, alternative and pop favorites.
The game will be packaged with the Guitar Hero Guitar Grip peripheral that will fit snugly into the DS and a unique Guitar Hero pick-stylus that will be used with the DS's touchscreen to strum the tunes. Activision claims that Guitar Hero: On Tour will be "easy to play but difficult to master." In addition to individual play, fans will also be able to join together to play co-op mode using a local wireless network, or battle each other in a Guitar Duel using new Battle Items unique to the DS platform. For example, players will have to blow into the microphone to extinguish pyrotechnics effects gone wrong, or use the touch screen to autograph a crazed fan's shirt in the middle of their set. The game is rated "E 10+" (Everyone 10 and older). To track the game's release, visit www.guitarheroontour.com.
Before signing off for today, there's one last item to mention - a new travel resource. With the riyal converting poorly against numerous global currencies, many people must vacation in a dollar-based economy this year, so a summer holiday in the US seems to be the most practical. If you are thinking of a US vacation, have a look at a new online travel resource launched by DisneyFamily.com. This is not a site promoting the company's theme parks, but instead it has a focus on family-friendly destinations in the US.
The site is showing 54 different ideas for great family vacations in America and more will be added in the future. The website makes it easy to search the list by type of vacation, such as the great outdoors, beaches, culture and history or theme parks. For each vacation destination, the website provides age-appropriate recommendations for places to stay and eat, maps, actual video tours of family vacations, fun facts and other activities. Check out the list at: http://family.go.com/travel/vacations/.
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