On holiday with Reddy (Full KIT: CD-ROM + book)

THE CD-ROM
The adventures of Reddy, a greedy little bear who travels around in a hot-air balloon in search of honey, and his encounter with Speaker Bee, a friendly bee who speaks English, form the narrative setting which the games in this software are inspired by. The CD-ROM introduces young users, over a recreational programme with 8 activities, to the discovery of their first everyday words and the sound of the English language. Children must help Reddy overcome a series of fun linguistic challenges, which are made even more competitive by the presence of a mischievous queen been who will do anything to make the bear’s life difficult.
Seeing as it is an approach to a new language which children will most likely have no prior knowledge of, each game is structured around several levels of difficulty in order to guarantee gradually progressive learning. A limited number of tries and a countdown contribute to increasing motivation and enjoyment in young players.

THE BOOK
The book introduces and describes the VIDEO-PLAY-CARE formula, where the criteria inspiring the project is briefly presented: the word video reminds us of technology, playing and the importance of the recreational dimension in development, playing at taking care of and holding the educational sphere close to one’s heart. The first section is dedicated to the ever-closer relationship between play and learning in the digital age, whilst the second part presents the educational use of multimedia games. The third part, in addition to a software user’s guide, contains a series of practical suggestions for setting up activities, organising games and creating teaching and recreational materials at home too, in order to integrate the multimedia experience with concrete proposals that pursue the same learning goals but that also engage other important dimensions of a child’s development like the body, emotions and relationships… because one game leads to another…