 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
ItzaZoo
- Windows
- Price: $19.99
- Genre: Edutainment
Common Sense Media says
Exciting learn-to-read game incorporates your drawings.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that ItzaZoo software is a great way to get kids interested in reading. By playing with charming zoo animals who communicate with you via talk bubbles that can be read aloud, kids join in adventures by creating their own artwork for the animals. The drawings get incorporated into the game and animate via a revolutionary technology called "Living Ink." The technology behind this game is truly amazing to behold.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn skills for reading comprehension and problem solving as they add free-form artwork to colorful kid-themed landscapes in ItzaZoo. Kids read or hear questions that prompt them to draw in objects. Objects are then brought to life in the story. Maybe they sketch in a snowflake that then falls from the sky. The story line helps kids associate words with objects and action in a fun and fanciful way. Questions also challenge kids to think logically and experiment to find answers. Learning to read is a magical experience as kids' art comes alive within the game.
Subjects
- Language & Readingfollowing directions, reading comprehension, vocabulary
- Math
- Science
- Social Studies
- Artsdrawing
- Hobbies
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoningdeduction, investigation, solving puzzles
- Creativitymaking new creations, producing new content
- Self-Direction
- Emotional Development
- Communicationmultiple forms of expression
- Collaboration
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Tech Skills
- Health & Fitness
What's it about?
In ItzaZoo, a downloadable PC game, elephants, lions, turtles, polar bears, and monkeys invite your child to come inside their enclosures for silly adventures that teach your child to read. When kids click on the animals, they talk to them via word bubbles. By mousing over the words, kids can have them highlighted and read aloud. The animals ask kids to help in their adventures by drawing objects. Using crinkly translucent paper that magically appears on the screen, kids can draw objects that then come alive and get incorporated into the ongoing story. Kids will also have to be creative in helping the animals, because sometimes the animals' requests aren't obvious. For example, when you need to find 10 penguins and you only see one, you learn by experimenting that if you click on the one, it will lay an egg to produce more.
Is it any good?
ItzaZoo is truly a remarkable piece of software. It brilliantly uses funny, silly characters to attract kids to the game, and then delivers a story in a way that motivates kids to read. By asking kids to contribute to the story by drawing things and then animating their drawings and incorporating them into the story, kids commit to this game. They are motivated to read the questions asked by the animals so that they can figure out what to draw next. This amazing "Living Ink" technology anticipates what the child might draw and then takes what is drawn and makes it fit within the story. It fills in the child's drawings with appropriate color and detail and then resizes them to fit the situation. For example, when you are playing with the turtle, he asks you to draw him a new shell. Whatever you draw, the game resizes it to magically fit on his back.
Another great aspect of this game is its replayability. Every time you play, you have a different experience because your drawings will always change. This game is appropriate for kids ages 4 to 8; and perfect for those just starting to read. It helps them to decode words by associating highlighted words with objects that they draw. This is children's software at its best – don't miss this one.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about how fun it is to talk with the animals. Do you wish you could do this is real life?
Did the software make learning to read fun?
What kids can learn
Kids can learn skills for reading comprehension and problem solving as they add free-form artwork to colorful kid-themed landscapes in ItzaZoo. Kids read or hear questions that prompt them to draw in objects. Objects are then brought to life in the story. Maybe they sketch in a snowflake that then falls from the sky. The story line helps kids associate words with objects and action in a fun and fanciful way. Questions also challenge kids to think logically and experiment to find answers. Learning to read is a magical experience as kids' art comes alive within the game.
Subjects
- Language & Reading: following directions, reading comprehension, vocabulary
- Math:
- Science:
- Social Studies:
- Arts: drawing
- Hobbies:
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning: deduction, investigation, solving puzzles
- Creativity: making new creations, producing new content
- Self-Direction:
- Emotional Development:
- Communication: multiple forms of expression
- Collaboration:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Tech Skills:
- Health & Fitness:
How kids will learn
Kids are likely to feel in command of their own learning as they take physical actions to connect objects with new vocabulary words. What’s more, play adjusts; kids get to level up as their reading improves. With each new environment, kids get to experiment –- clicking on different items and responding accordingly. The experience feels rewarding when kids receive stars for tasks they complete.
How parents can help
- Invite kids to take photos within the game. Ask them what they've created and what purpose it served.
- Take a real trip to the zoo as a family and ask kids to name animals and objects.
- Encourage kids to draw pictures and tell you stories about them as they go.
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- Teens & kids
Parent
September 5, 2010
AGE
My 4-yr-old's fave computer game -- and MINE too!
Thanks to the unique mouse-over reading function, my four-year-old daughter picked up on the concept quickly. Where she would normally employ me to help her figure out the instructions to other computer games she plays, ItzaZoo's interactive reading tool empowers her to teach herself. The quick "reward system" seems to help too. ItzaZoo rewards the child with gold stars when they complete a short task. Other games my daughter has played tend to make her finish a lengthy trial (albeit with character encouragement throughout) before she receives her reward.
What other families should know:
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Kid, 4 years old
June 18, 2010
AGE
good
love it
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Parent of an infant, 2, and 5 year old
December 27, 2009
AGE
What other families should know:
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| Platforms: | Windows |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Edutainment |
| Developer: | Sabi Games |
| Release date: | November 1, 2009 |
| Price: | $19.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E for (No Descriptors) (Windows) |
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