IMAGINATIVE EARLY LEARNING SERIES HELPS KIDS ADVANCE BY

LEAPS AND BOUNDS

East Dorset, VT.  May 7, 2002-  The computer screen becomes a carnival of fun when first-time computer users jump into the Leaps and Bounds software series.  Silly monsters, panting dogs, and other endearing characters invite you to follow their antics and make new discoveries along the way.  Catchy music, bright colors, and surprises around every corner reward young learners as they practice mouse-clicking and pre-reading skills.  Simple, text-free interfaces make the 4 CD-ROMs in the Leaps and Bounds series easy for young learners of all abilities to use. 

Leaps and Bounds 1

As soon as the curtain goes up in this program, you know it is going to be a success.  A Ferris wheel full of unusual characters serves as the menu, and kids simply click on a character to try out an activity.  A blue elephant, a dog, a sleepy little guy, and a variety of fanciful creatures host activities that are sure to capture any child’s attention.  They won’t even realize they are practicing vital skills like left-to-right tracking, visual and auditory discrimination, and fine motor skills as they click their way around the program.   The Pairs activity helps kids sharpen their memory as they peek at hidden characters and try to match them in pairs.  Other activities include: Animal Train, Dog’s Day Out, Look What I Can Do!, Monster Choir, and Sleepyhead. 

Leaps and Bounds 2

Click off the light switch, and a mischievous dog will try to devour all the objects on the kitchen table, including a watering can, a teddy bear, and a plate!  When kids turn the light back on, the dog’s bulging cheeks will make them giggle, and then they can try to guess which object he has eaten.  Bad Dog! is only one of six activities in this second program in the Leaps and Bounds series.  In Catch Me If You Can, a parade of fanciful characters and objects pass by a big orange fellow, and kids must click on the moving objects to make them perform.  For example, clicking on the ball makes the orange guy kick it far into the distance.  This activity rewards quick and accurate motor skills.  My Scene lets kids create lively outdoor scenes by clicking on a variety of shapes.  Auditory discrimination is the skill focus in Singing on the Sofa, where a group of little hovering creatures poke a monster sitting on a sofa to make him sing.  Kids click on the little creatures, and soon discover that each one represents a different note.  Who’s Got the Frog? and Close Encounters round out this whimsical and highly stimulating program. 

Leaps and Bounds 3

Six more imaginative activities are bound to please Leaps and Bounds fans.  Parents will love the many opportunities for experimentation, problem-solving, language development, fine-motor skills and more.  Kids won’t be able to resist keeping a garden alive in Watering the Flowers.  Clicking on a wilting flower makes a man with a watering can scurry over to sprinkle it with nourishing water, but kids have to be quick with their fingers to keep all the flowers healthy!  Taking the dog for a walk is an entertaining adventure in another activity, where clicking on control arrows sends a dog swimming across a pond, scratching through a bush, and even bouncing on a trampoline.  Noisy Painting unleashes creativity in children as they click on a variety of drawings to fill them in with the colors of their choice.  Perhaps the silliest and most adored activity of all is Sausage Machine.  The goal is to manipulate the machine to make it spit out sausages into the hungry monster’s bowl, but angling the spout too high or low will send sausages into the monster’s ear or nose!  Make a Body and Monster Band are two more activities that put kids in control of their creations.  Have you ever seen an orchestra composed of creatures who use their own big feet, twanging tongues, horn-shaped noses, bellies, and everyday objects to make music?

Musical Leaps and Bounds

Following the success of the Monster Band activity, the Leaps and Bounds creators decided to design a whole program devoted to helping young children develop listening skills and auditory memory.  Musical concepts such as dynamics, pitch, and mood are introduced in this new CD-ROM.  In My Band, kids learn about timbre, dynamics, and texture as they listen to instruments ranging from a guitar to tubular bells.  The concept of pitch is introduced in Up and Down, as a series of monsters of varying heights represent higher and lower sounds.  Kids move characters closer or further away to experiment with dynamics in Mixing Desk.  The Moody Jukebox lets young musicians create happy, scary, serene, and other moody songs.  With Let’s Dance and The Singing Blobs, choreographing dance routines and directing a choir couldn’t be any more fun for budding young artists.

Minimum System Requirements

Leaps and Bounds 1: Win: Win. 95+, P-133, 32 Mb RAM, 640x480, 256 colors. Mac: System 7.1, 68040, 8 Mb RAM

Leaps and Bounds 2: Win: Same as above. No Mac version. 

Leaps and Bounds 3: Win: P133, 32 Mb RAM, Win. 95+, 800x600, 16 bit, sound card.  Mac: OS 8.5, 68040, 2x CD-ROM, 800x600, sound manager 3.1

Musical Leaps and Bounds: Win: Win. 95+, P133, 32 Mb RAM, 800x600, 16 bit, sound card.  Mac: OS 8.5, 68040, 2x CD-ROM, 800x600, sound manager 3.1

To Order

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About Tool Factory

Tool Factory conducted an exhaustive search for unique educational software in various markets around the globe. Their flagship product line consists of 26 educational software tools, which were hand-picked for their innovative contribution to computer-based learning. To complement the tools and applications, Tool Factory is also distributing an extensive range of curriculum titles throughout North America. Their second catalog launches with 127 CD-ROM products, many of which are new releases in North America.

For press inquiries, please call Kendra Ericson at (802) 375-6549 or email kendra@toolfactory.com