Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook Talking technology, computers, and the Internet… for the average computer user

Outstanding. Incredible. Spectacular!

I’m talking about the lists of free educational software to be found at Owl & Mouse. We have downloaded all their programs and my kids have benefitted from it in innumerable ways.

We really enjoy their geography programs. I have the children go over them from time to time, even when we are not doing geography lessons. The programs are so simple, yet so customizable. You can have the child practice his skills locating continents, countries, states, capitals, landmarks, physical features, and more. The game is played like a jigsaw puzzle, and the child drags and drops the puzzle piece on the map where it belongs. There are different settings where you can make the game harder (for example, by eliminating borders) which makes it great for older kids. I can’t rave enough about the geography programs.

Owl & Mouse also have other programs for little learners, and some are online games. There are letter-learning games, reading games, build a medieval castle game, build a town or village game. These are great for very young children. Hey, grandparents, these are great for when your little grandkid comes over and laments that he or she is “bored.”

We’ve enjoyed Owl & Mouse programs for years. I think your kids will pick up a lot with them, too. What have you got to lose, anyway? It’s free!