Sheppard Software Preschool Computer Game - Farm

Technology can be tricky with toddlers and preschoolers.  Parents worry about too much "screen time" but I really feel that there is a space for well selected, educational shows and games in a child's education.

When I taught kindergarten, we went to the computer lab once a 6 day cycle.  We also had rotating centers where each child would visit the computers in our classroom again once per 6 day cycle.  It was difficult to monitor 20 students using the internet, so we stuck with Starfall.  It was hard to navigate away from the page since there were no ads.  Children could be divided by their reading level (letters or beginning to read).  The directions were straight forward.  If a child didn't know what to click, the item would "sparkle" then  after a minute an arrow would highlight it.  This cut down on the time I had to assist the kids so I could assess students individually while they were all occupied with meaningful literacy games.  I also really liked the design and graphics.

E's daddy is a web developer, so she was interested in using technology early.  My husband got a home theater PC for our living room with a wireless mouse and keyboard.  This is wonderful for supporting E as she is working on computer games.  I can clearly see where she is clicking without hovering over her shoulder.  She likes to stand at the coffee table to use the mouse at her level.

I was planning resources for our first homeschool preschool unit: farms.  I'm not quite sure how exactly I stumbled upon Sheppard Software, but it involved searching for farm animal sorting games.  I had a paper or file folder game in mind, but was pleased with what I found instead!

The preschool section has games and short clips about colors, letters, numbers, shapes, and animals.  We started with the count and find game, but there is also a farm movie, a game with farm animal sounds, flashcards, and create a farm scene.  The game's levels were divided into animals, so first you had to click the increased in difficulty as the levels progressed.  By that, I mean the animals were more difficult to find and click.  E has pretty good fine motor control when using a mouse for her age, but at level 3, she handed it to me and asked me to keep playing.  Her attention was definitely captivated and remember, she is 2 1/2, so not quite the preschool age the game is targeted toward.

We loved when you clicked on the pigs and they went into the mud making a squishy sound!