Learn About Earth Science: Astronomy

PC version requires:
Win 95+, 486/66, 8MB RAM, 8MB HD, 2x CD-ROM, sound card, 256-color monitor

Mac version requires:
: OS 7.5+, 68040, 8MB RAM, 8MB HD, 2x CD-ROM, sound card, 256-color monito

Description:

Learn About Earth Science: Astronomy provides entry-level information about our solar system to students from kindergarten through the second grade. Professor Labcoat and his star assistant Stella are guides for lessons ranging from "The Sun," "The Moon," and "The Stars" to "Investigations" and "Space Travel."

Pre-readers may click on an icon of Stella to hear her read the lessons and quizzes. For more advanced students there is a journal feature to take notes, capture ideas or write stories. A trio of games (matching, sorting, and connect-the-stars) plus three original songs round out the title.

Features:

• Nine lessons about the solar system
• Read-aloud option
• Multiple choice quizzes
• Three games
• Three original songs
• Journal function
• Teacher's Guide with away-from-computer activities

Technical Aspects:

The initial overview is verbal, but the same information is printed out in help screens opened by clicking a "?" icon. Lessons and quizzes are printed on-screen; all activities (except for jukebox songs) are accessible to hearing-impaired users if they have already learned to read.

Report and Conclusions:

The lessons are presented in an easily understood format and the quiz questions are age-appropriate. The games are standard matching, sorting, and connect-the-dots (or in this case, stars). The matching game has an interesting twist -- in the second level, the user matches two different aspects of a theme, such as the space shuttle launching and landing, or a man looking through a telescope and the view through the scope.

The jukebox songs incorporate catchy tunes with cute videos. My favorite is "One Small Step," about Neil Armstrong's famous moonwalk. Its video combines animation with newsclips from the 1960s.

I like the title and I appreciate that Sunburst keeps providing software for older computer systems. I just wish their programs were more affordable for families and homeschoolers.