Bear's Imagine That!

Reviewed by Ronda Scantlin
Published by Knowledge Adventure/Jim Henson Interactive

Age Group: Age 2 to 5, Age 4 to 8
Type: Art/Creativity
Price: $30

Description:

Ojo is pretending to be Ojo-angelo, a famous artist, but she needs ideas on what to draw. You can help! Bear's Imagine That! combines kids' favorite characters from the popular TV series Bear in the Big Blue House with creative activities. You can create your own stories, help make up song lyrics, build objects, and print out Ojo's sketches. There are many opportunities to use your imagination so let's get started!

    There are five creative activities:
  • Story Maker - Treelo is using his imagination to create stories. You can help Treelo and Ojo or you can make up your own story. Choose the characters, the places, and even make up your own narration for your stories.
  • Bear Crafts - Bear is in the attic building crafts with many objects you can find around the house (like a coffee can, spools, pipe cleaners, a tennis ball, and many others.) Bear will help you decide what to make or create your own designs. If you have a printer, print out your crafts!
  • Sundae Bar - Have you ever seen scoops of ice cream fly across the kitchen? Well, Tutter has invented the MOUSEAPULT. Catch the scoops of ice cream in your dish and then decorate them with your favorite toppings to make ice cream sundaes.
  • Pip & Pop Jam - Help Pip and Pop finish their songs. Choose words to each song, and then listen to Pip and Pop sing the songs. These are two very cool otters!
  • Puppet Theatre - In this activity, you and Ojo can help Tutter put on a puppet show. Pick the fairy tale and then decide what you want the characters to do. Will Bear live next to Little Red Riding Hood or will Treelo find his way into the Three Bears' house? You decide!

Features:

  • Familiar characters including Bear, Ojo, Treelo, Tutter, and Pip & Pop
  • Encourages creating, building, designing
  • 5 creative activities located in different rooms of the house
  • Printable activities and sketches

Technical Aspects:

Bear's Imagine That! installed without any problems. The program incorporates colorful, fun graphics and audio. The only problem encountered was with the audio. On occasion, the audio would have to "catch up" to the graphics on screen. This of course will depend on the specific computer you are using to run the program.

Report and Conclusions:

Imagine, create, design! Bear's Imagine That! is an interactive environment that encourages young children to use their imaginations and creative abilities. Whether you enjoy creating and listening to fairy tales, making up songs, or building crafts, there is something fun for you. The materials available to print from Ojo's Sketch Pad, Bear's Attic Crafts, and the Story Maker Puppet Show may spark other creative behaviors. You can use crayons or markers to color Ojo's sketches, or print out the characters from the puppet show to make your own puppets.

Children who enjoy the Bear in the Big Blue House television series will also like exploring the interactive Big Blue House and using their imaginations to help their favorite characters.




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