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Science Software

The Big Picture

SuperKids looked at four science software packages for young students (8 - 14) in this month's featured comparison. Science, of course, is a much broader category than, say "Reading Software," and we tried to capture some of that breadth in our title selection. In addition to touching on subjects from biology to logic, these four titles cover the full spectrum of educational design philosophies, ranging from the completely interactive Widget Workshop, to the textbook approach of SuperStar Science CD.

Which is best for your child? That depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Most of our teacher reviewers favor software that is highly interactive, and that requires the child to learn and think, rather than passively absorb a flow of information. Two of the reviewed titles, Widget Workshop and Odell Down Under, did an impressive job of stimulating their users in just that way.

Read below for cameo descriptions, then click on the titles that interest you to see what our parent, teacher, and kid reviewers had to say.

• Widget Workshop [for ages 8 and above] from Maxis, is an interactive foray into the logic of how things work. Users combine widgets from a toolkit to produce products from calculators to musical instruments, and solve problems like "how many seconds in a year?" Older children, especially those with an interest in real-world problem solving and object building, will love this program.
• Odell Down Under [for ages 8 - 14] from MECC, is an educational program that kids think of as a game! In this "game" kids take on the roles of various fish species, and learn what that fish needs to know to survive in the ocean. Odell was popular with a wide range of our kids reviewers.
• SuperStar Science CD [for ages 8 - 12] from New Media Schoolhouse, is a textbook style CD. Science facts covering a wide range of physical sciences are presented, along with a number of potentially valuable experiments. Although duplicative of what kids should be taught in school, SuperStar may be interesting for those inquiring minds who want a head start.
• Microscope Nature Explorer [for ages 9 and up] from New Media Schoolhouse, provides a textbook-like introduction to what a beginning nature explorer could see under a microscope. Unfortunately, most of the microscope images are simulated rather than actual, and they offer little opportunity for interaction or discovery.

Take a look at the ratings tables here, then click on the titles of the software you are interested in to see the complete review, or check out market prices in our monthly Buyers Guide.

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