Alphabet Blocks is an interactive multimedia teaching experience that will assist your child in learning the English alphabet sounds and names. Alphabet Blocks offers the highest quality in animation, speech, and sound effects to take full advantage of your multimedia personal computer.
In Alphabet Blocks, your child learns the English alphabet by advancing through progressively challenging skill levels. Your child will learn to distinguish letter styles (block and cursive), match phonetic sounds to letters, and know the names of the letters and the order of the letters in the alphabet. Your child will also learn to match letters and to associate, recognize, and pronounce words based upon the letter names and sounds he or she is mastering. The activities in Alphabet Blocks expand your child's vocabulary and introduce reading skills.
The environment in which your child will learn is a child's playroom - soft, warm, and inviting. Within the rooms in Alphabet Blocks are many enjoyable learning experiences... a stack of alphabet blocks, a cuddly monkey, an adorable jack-in-the-box, a bright red toy soldier, a traditional chalkboard, and over 50 animated surprises. Your child will quickly learn to click on the monkey or the jack-in-the-box to make them talk and giggle. As children interact with these playful coaches, they learn their new letter skills.
Correct answers are rewarded. There is no negative reinforcement for incorrect responses. Instead, the coach helps your child select the correct letter by reducing the number of available choices. Alphabet Blocks detects which letters your child is having difficulty with and steps in to assist the child.
All correct answers are rewarded with smiles and verbal encouragement. In addition, whenever your child makes a correct response on the first attempt, a delightful animated object move across the bottom of the screen. the child quickly learns that the more correct answers, the more surprises.
The Playroom - Play with the toys and choose a coach
When you load Alphabet Blocks, your child enters the playroom. The child can explore the playroom while learning how to use the mouse. Each element in the playroom is a toy for children to play with. Following are the elements in the playroom and a description of what happens when you click on each of them.
Chalkboard: The Alphabet Blocks theme song plays.
ABC block: The alphabet song plays.
Stop sign: You exit Alphabet Blocks and return to your system.
Grown-up's keypad: A window with customization options appears (see below)
Picture above Coach Bananas: A different picture appears. When you click on the monkey to start a game, the monkey starts the session with the game corresponding to the picture. The picture with the chalkboard is a challenging word game. The picture of the stack of blocks is an easier letter sound game.
Picture above Coach Jack: A different picture appears. When you click on the jack-in-the-box to start a game, the jack-in-the-box starts the session with the game corresponding to the picture. The picture with the stack of blocks is a more challenging game than that with the three blocks.
Coach Bananas: You go to Banana's classroom to play letter sound games.
Coach Jack: You go to a classroom to play letter name games with Jack.
The Classroom - Play a game
After you select a coach in the playroom, you enter a colorful classroom. The coach sets up the classroom for the game by introducing letters and placing them on the chalkboard or the alphabet blocks, depending on the game. To play the game, click on the coach. As you play, you can interact with the coach in two ways: question mode and explore mode. The child can move between these two modes at will.
Answer questions about letters - Question Mode
Any time you click on the monkey or the jack-in-the-box, the coach asks your child to find the letter on the screen matching a sound (Coach Bananas' classroom) or letter name (Coach Jack's classroom). Your child the clicks on the corresponding alphabet block or presses the correct key on the keyboard.
When playing phonetic letter sounds with Coach Bananas, there might be more than one correct answer to a question. If Bananas pronounces a K or hard C sound, for example, then either the K or the C response would be correct.
The coach always wants the child to get the correct answer and will help out if your child is having difficulty. The coach offers a hint by removing some of the letters so that the child can choose from a smaller group of letters. In addition, the coach remembers which letters the child is having trouble with and will repeat those letters during the game and in future games.
Note that when the child is rewarded with a visual surprise, the banner on the classroom wall changes. In Jack's classroom, a jack-in-the-box jumps out of one of the boxes on the banner. In Bananas' classroom, the skin peels off a banana.
Ask questions about letters - Explore Mode
Your child can ask the coach about a particular letter. If the child clicks on an alphabet block, a picture and a word starting with the letter on the alphabet block appear on the chalkboard. For example, click on the alphabet block showing a P. The chalkboard shows a picture of a pig, the letter P in both uppercase and lowercase, and the word "pig" spelled out. The coach then says "P... Pig."
If the coach has asked the child to identify a letter (question mode), Alphabet Blocks assumes that when the child clicks on a block that he or she is searching for the correct response and does not go into explore mode. After responding correctly to the question, the child can click on an alphabet block and use explore mode.
Animated surprises
In all four games, the coach rewards all correct responses with a smile, words of encouragement, and either a peeled banana or popped-up jack-in-the-box at the top of the screen. If your child selects the correct choice on the first try, a special reward appears. A ball might bounce across the screen or the child might be treated to a flying saucer dipping and swooping across the classroom. Check out the eggs with little feet racing through trying to outrun an eggbeater! Over 50 Alphabet Blocks surprises are waiting to delight your child.
The game ends
When your child has made eight correct responses, the game is over. If your child has played the game without a mistake, a marching band struts across the screen, the chalkboard explodes with fireworks, and the coach smiles and exclaims joyfully, "You won!" The coach will also invite your child to try a new way to learn letters.
If your child made mistakes during the game, the coach says "good job" and invites your child to play again. The sounds missed during the previous game will be repeated in the next game.
Nap Time
If your child does not enter any keyboard or mouse activity for a while, the coach will try to entice its playmate back to play. After a bit, if the child does not show any interest, the coach's eyes grow heavy and eventually close as the coach yawns and falls asleep. After a short nap, Jack or Bananas will wake up, play music, talk, or otherwise try to capture the attention of the child, falling asleep again until these attempts do not elicit a response. If the child initiates keyboard or mouse activity again, the coach will immediately wake up and jump into the game again.
FOUR GAMES THAT TEACH LETTERS
Game 1: Coach Jack: Match Letters
In the Match Letters game, a different letter is placed on each of the three large blocks in the classroom. One of the three letters also appears on the chalkboard behind Coach Jack. Jacks tells your child the name of the letter and asks your child to click on the block that matches the letter on the chalkboard. To answer, the child uses the mouse as a pointing device and clicks on the matching block. This game is ideal for very early learners.
The following is a list of clickable items and their results
Coach or blank chalkboard (keyboard: ?): Jack asks your child to find a specific letter from the stack of three blocks.
Large block (keyboard: a letter key): Coach Jack pronounces the letter name of the letter displayed on the large block.
Popped-up jack-in-the-box: Quick animation occurs
Animation surprise: If you click or press a key while an animation surprise is in the room, the surprise moves more quickly across the room.
Light switch: The game ends and your child returns to the playroom.
Game 2: Coach Jack: Identify letters by name
In the Letters by Name game, a stack of 26 blocks appears in the classroom. As the game begins, a letter is placed on each block. Jack names each letter as it appears on the block (as this happens, you can click anywhere on the screen for all the letters to immediately appear without Jack pronouncing them). After all of the letters have been placed, Jack turns and asks your child to find a specific letter by name. To answer, the child chooses a letter on the screen using either the mouse or the keyboard. If the child is successful at identifying a series of letters, Jack increases the difficulty by displaying the alphabet blocks in random order.
The following is a list of clickable items and their results
Coach or blank chalkboard (keyboard: ?): Jack asks your child to find an alphabet block with the letter matching a particular letter name. If the child has just won the game, clicking on one of these objects starts a new game, possibly at higher difficulty.
Alphabet block (keyboard: a letter key): Coach Jack pronounces the letter name of the letter displayed on the alphabet block. In the more advanced game, the chalkboard also shows a picture of a word starting with that letter and the coach pronounces the word.
Picture on chalkboard: Jack-in-the-box repeats the word on the board.
Sitting/standing toy soldier: the soldier stands up or sits, displaying the letters in uppercase or lowercase respectively.
Popped-up jack-in-the-box: Quick animation occurs
Animation surprise: If you click or press a key while an animation surprise is in the room, the surprise moves more quickly across the room.
Light switch: The game ends and your child returns to the playroom.
Game 3: Coach Bananas: Identify letters by sound
In this game, a stack of 26 blocks is in the classroom with Coach Bananas. To start, the game, Bananas pronounces each letter sound as the corresponding letter is placed on one of the blocks (as this happens, you can click anywhere on the screen for all the letters to immediately appear without Bananas pronouncing them). When all of the letters have been placed, Bananas turns and asks your child to find a specific letter by sound. To answer, the child chooses a letter on the screen using either the mouse or the keyboard. If the child is successful at identifying a series of letters, Bananas increases the difficulty by displaying the alphabet blocks in random order.
The following is a list of clickable items and their results
Coach or blank chalkboard (keyboard: ?): Bananas asks your child to find an alphabet block with the letter matching a particular sound. If the child has just won the game, clicking on one of these objects starts a new game, possibly at higher difficulty.
Alphabet block (keyboard: a letter key): Bananas pronounces the sound corresponding to the letter displayed on the block. The chalkboard shows a picture of a word starting with that letter and the coach pronounces the word.
Picture on chalkboard: Coach Bananas repeats the word on the board.
Sitting/standing toy soldier: the soldier stands up or sits, displaying the letters in uppercase or lowercase respectively.
Peeled banana: Quick animation occurs
Animation surprise: If you click or press a key while an animation surprise is in the room, the surprise moves more quickly across the room.
Light switch: The game ends and your child returns to the playroom.
Game 4: Coach Bananas: Identify words by sound
In the Words by Sound game. there are three chalkboards. As the game begins, a picture is drawn on each chalkboard as Bananas recites the word represented by the picture. Bananas then asks the child to find the word that begins with a specific letter sound. To answer, the child uses the mouse as a pointing device and clicks on the chalkboard with the matching word.
The following is a list of clickable items and their results
Coach or blank chalkboard (keyboard: ?): Bananas asks your child to find the word/picture that begins with a particular letter sound.
Chalkboard: Bananas will repeat the word that appears on the chalkboard.
Peeled banana: Quick animation occurs
Animation surprise: If you click or press a key while an animation surprise is in the room, the surprise moves more quickly across the room.
Light switch: The game ends and your child returns to the playroom.
Customizing Alphabet Blocks - Grown-ups options
You can customize Alphabet Blocks' environment to best suit the needs of your child. To access these options, click any number on the numeric keypad located at the top right corner of the playroom. To set an option, click on the check box or button next to the option.
Child has access to: Select Letter Sounds if you want to child to exclusively practice the alphabet by learning sounds associated with letters. Only Coach Bananas then appears in the playroom, teaching the alphabet by pronouncing letter sounds. Select Letter Names if you want to child to work on learning letter names only. Only Coach Jack then appears in the playroom, teaching the alphabet by saying the name of the letter. Select both for your child to both learn letters by sound and name. Your child can then choose which coach to play with.
Check or uncheck the Quit check box for the Stop sign to be available or not available in the playroom. Disallowing your child to exit the game prevents him or her from possibly playing with other files on your computer. Only adults can then quit the game by pressing the Quit button in the Grown-up's choices menu.
Letter style: Mark either Block or Cursive, depending on which alphabet style you want your child to learn.
Pronunciation: The letter "z" is pronounced zee or zed depending upon culture. Set to the correct pronunciation in your area. Default is zee.
Start with scrambled letters: If you mark this option, the coach places letters on the stack of alphabetic blocks in random order only. Once your child can quickly locate letters because of familiarity with the order of the alphabet, you might want to start the game at a more challenging level.
Play music: To turn off the music, mark this option.
Set Security Code: This option prevents the child from accessing the Grown-Up's choices. If you set a security code, you must click the number combination of the code at the Grown-Up's keypad in the playroom to access the options screen. To set a code, click up to four numbers. Choose a number that is easy to remember, such as your child's birth year and make sure to remember the code or write it down somewhere.
Quit: to exit Alphabet Blocks (in the event you disabled the Quit button in the playroom).
Defaults: Click this button to set the Grown-Ups options to their default settings. This also removes the security code if you applied one.
Cancel: return to the playroom without saving any changes you may have made to the settings.
Ok: return to the playroom and save any changes you may have made to the settings.
