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- ===APPENDIX A: LEARNING GUIDE============================================
-
- This section is especially for parents, or for any adult who wants to
- help a child learn and grow as much as possible from playing with 3-D
- Dinosaur Adventure.
-
- PLAYING AND LEARNING
-
- Having fun and learning are two of the most natural things in the world
- to a child. Your child is learning in some way when he does the things
- that are most fun to him. When he plays a video game in which the object
- is to shoot down the most aliens in the least amount of time, he enjoys
- himself while improving his hand-eye coordination and dexterity. In
- virtually every activity kids enjoy, there is at least the potential for
- learning. Want a simple formula for getting kids to learn? Make it fun!
-
- But what are they learning? How do we help them to learn the really
- important things? How do we teach them to take initiative in learning
- about themselves and their world? After all, there won't always be a
- game to play that will teach them what they need to know.
-
- The theory behind Knowledge Adventure Interactive Books is that the way
- to ignite a child's intellect is to introduce him or her to the fun of
- learning. If we truly achieve this, we no longer have to come up with
- sneaky ways to get kids to learn; once they recognize the inherent joy
- of learning, nothing will stop them from finding out everything they
- want to know!
-
- 3-D Dinosaur Adventure is designed to provide your child with many
- possible directions to explore according to her own interests. As a
- parent, you are the best possible assistant in this process because you
- know your child, her level, and her interests. Most importantly, she
- craves one-on-one time with you.
-
- ENHANCING YOUR CHILD'S PLAY
-
- When you sit down with your child to play with 3-D Dinosaur Adventure, or
- any other program, you may want to keep the following suggestions in
- mind.
-
- 1. Let your child take the lead.
-
- If your child is old enough to read and follow the instructions in
- this manual, let him try to install and start 3-D Dinosaur Adventure
- himself. If you set up the software for him, let him take over as
- soon as it is ready to play with. Simply observing and making
- interested comments about what your child is doing are good ways to
- encourage his learning without imposing your own agenda.
-
- 2. Be a learner yourself.
-
- Aim to be a student of your child more than of the software. What can
- you find out about your child's learning style, interests, attention
- span, and thought processes? If there is something neither of you can
- figure out about the software, find out the answer together by looking
- it up in this guide. Set an example by talking through this process:
- "Why don't we look up `sound' in the manual?"
-
- 3. Ask appropriate questions.
-
- An excellent way to assist your child's learning while following the
- first two guidelines is to ask questions that are appropriate for
- her age and interests and that challenge her to go a step further
- in her play: "I wonder what would happen if you clicked on those
- little symbols?" Go slowly and sparingly with these questions,
- challenging your child only as she seems ready. Rather than
- interrupting her play, you might wait a few minutes for her to
- discover something on her own. That way you'll both learn something!
-
- 4. Have fun together!
-
- The fact that you have purchased a Knowledge Adventure product for
- your child and you are taking the time to read this guide says
- something about you as a parent. You recognize the importance of both
- fun and learning. Your own enjoyment of the learning process and the
- fun you have spending time with your child will enhance your play
- together more than anything specific you do or say.
-
-