Sammy’s Science House is an interactive software program that promotes children’s curiosity and wonderment pertaining to the world of science. The program provides five activities that teach sorting, observing, predicting, sequencing, and constructing skills. The five activities are taught using animated pictures, colorful characters, warm voices, and engaging music. At the "Sorting Station," students discriminate among attributes and classify according to similarities and differences. In "Acorn Pond," students observe seasonal changes, investigate animal habitats, and infer that animals have unique needs and habits. The "Weather Machine" lets students manipulate and control different weather variables to change weather conditions and observe weather influences. In "Make-A-Movie," students use logic to order pictures, observe differences in related pictures, examine sequences both forward and backward, and explore how things in nature change over time. The "Workshop" is where students construct inventive objects using blueprints and parts on a pegboard, or create their own design. The program implements multiple modes of operation that include "Explore and Discover," "Question and Answer" and "Adult Options." These modes support self-directed and teacher-directed learning experiences. One noteworthy feature of the program is its multiple skill levels that cater to individual student’s abilities. Another positive aspect is that the program provides positive feedback when students accomplish the task at hand.

The content of the program addresses the science curriculum of the PreK – 2^nd grade level. Pictorial clues on the start-up screen depict the program’s content; however, the inclusion of labels as well might ease understanding the program’s content. The software is free of gender and cultural biases and stereotypes.

The program should be pre-installed by the teacher; students could then use the program easily. As novice computer users, we are happy to find that the program is simple to access and that it is apparently "bug-free" and runs quite smoothly. While previewing the program and its activities, the navigation system (maps and icons) was easy to use and understand. The animated pictures, colorful characters, warm voices and enchanting music make the program aesthetically pleasing. The graphics, sound and animation serve as functional elements of the program. The only video component including quick-time is in a section entitled "About Early Learning," where the authors offer their philosophy on learning preferences.

Sammy’s Science House makes excellent use of the computer. The program uses graphics, sound, and animation. The "Workshop" activity offers an opportunity for constructing a product. The program does not allow teachers to make any modification and does not contain any means to track student progress. One idea we suggest that would enhance the ability for student tracking would be to add a section where the student could test and record his/her own hypotheses.

Overall, the students are empowered by the program, which encourages exploratory learning. For example, in "Acorn Pond," children explore how animals such as a field mouse are affected by seasonal changes. Under the direction of a teacher, students can use the "Field Notes" option to get an even better understanding of life changes.

The program is mostly self-contained with the exception of "Acorn Pond," in which we suggest that the teacher sit with the student and review the information in the "Field Notes." Unfortunately, the teacher cannot make any modifications to the program, limiting the teacher’s ability to monitor student progress. Student-teacher interaction is promoted through the use of the teacher materials package and through a learning- center approach. As kindergarten teachers, we would implement this program into our science curriculum by making use of the activities, reproducibles, and any Internet suggestions found pertaining to the subject matter.

In a classroom setting, we would initially implement the program as a whole-group overview using a large-screen projection device. The software can be used effectively by one student or a pair of students to reinforce basic science concepts. Our suggestion for first-time users would be to preview the software and teacher materials before introducing the software to a class.

Sammy’s Science House is an excellent and informative piece of software that extends and reinforces the primary-level science curriculum. The aesthetical and technical qualities are appealing, and program is user-friendly. The content supports the PreK-2^nd grade science curriculum.

OVERALL RATING: 9 out of 10

We found this program to be a valuable asset to our science curriculum. Sammy’s Science House goes above and beyond our science curriculum requirements by offering in-depth coverage of topics not typically covered in a classroom setting. It is a plus to the curriculum.