There are several titles in the Thinkin' Things range. The programs are generally known as Thinkin' Things 1, Thinkin' Things 2 and Thinkin' Things 3. You can purchase them seperately or you can now get the Thinkin' Things Gold collection which includes all three programs. I have to confess to really only knowing the first program in the series well, but I have seen a little of the other two.
In each of the programs users can access adult controls to set the ability level for students. These ability levels can also be accessed by a 'slider bar' button in each of the activities. Some of the activities in the first program are expanded upon in the later programs, for example the Fripple activity and some of the music activities. All of the programs encourage thinking skills such as problem solving and creative thinking. Even though they don't have numbers or letters, don't let people write them off as being non-educational as they do cover quite a variety of mathematical and language concepts.
Fripple Place - You can't help but love the Fripples. They are fuzzy little things that have all sorts of attributes, for example colour, patterns, glasses, hats, hair etc. Children manage the Fripple shop and try to fill orders placed by people who come to the door, phone or fax them. Customers may demand Fripples with certain charactersitics and will ask for them in several ways. One request may have a student finding a red fripple with curly hair and stripes. Another request might be for a fripple with dark glasses, small eyes but no stripes. The criteria gradually become more complicated. This is a great activity for looking at sorting with different attributes. You could try a similar activity using your students as fripples or by making your own fripples. Attribute blocks are also handy.
Oranga Banga and Tooney Loon - These characters actually operate two activities. Oranga Banga is a cool drummer and Tooney is a bird who makes tunes on a xylophone. You can have fun with them by making different tunes and beats in the play mode. In the Question and Answer Mode they will ask you to listen and play back their tunes and beats. Along with musical concepts, and memory, you could also explore patterns.
Flying Spheres and Blocks - In these two activiteis studetns can make their own moving creations while exploring patterns, perspectives, shape and directions. This is one activity that is impossible to get wrong as it is purely creativity. Edmark have provided some ideas for various creations and you can access these by clicking on the lightbulb button.
Bird Factory - I've forgotten the actual title of this activity but I'll look it up shortly. In this activity students make up birds using the attributes of colour and pattern, as well as different hats and boots. In the Question and Answer mode the students must complete the pattern by creating a bird. This involves determining what the pattern is and what attributes the bird will need to complete the pattern.
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