Game Review: The Boohbah Zone
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What Parents Should Know
Some kids respond well to this open-ended environment, while
others find it boring. Parents may need to encourage children
to get up and copy the movements of the Boohbahs, because
otherwise some of the activities are just passive watching.
Common Sense Media Review
Boohbah is a new TV program in the PBS Kids lineup for
preschoolers. Developed by the creators of the
Teletubbies, it stars five animated blobs of energy
that thrive on the laughter of children. The focus of the show
is to encourage children to move, dance, and explore.
The Boohbah Zone is software that extends the world of the television program to your computer. It offers nine activities in which kids interact with the Boohbah characters to explore spatial relationships, matching, patterns, art, music, and exercise.
This is not your typical children's software. Most children's software is goal-driven. Here, many of the activities are open-ended. Kids paint with the Boohball energy trails (rainbow-colored puffy lines), influence the way the Boohbahs exercise, or play with patterns to create wrapping paper. There is very little talking in this software -- kids explore and experience instead of being directed how to play.
Kids can play The Boohbah Zone in English, Spanish, and French, and it comes with a 28-inch round play mat that mimics the one used on TV. The software also comes with two sets of cards that teach movement games away from the computer.
Some children respond well to this open-ended environment, while others find it boring. Parents may need to encourage kids to get up and copy the movements of the Boohbahs, because otherwise some of the activities are passive watching. If your children like the Boohbah television show, then they will probably be interested in this software. Similar open-ended interactive activities can be found free on the Boohbah website at http://www.pbskids.org/boohbah.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
