Description:
The phrase "teaches early math skills" can translate into "steer clear" for a numbers hater. But as Blue, the dog, accompanies your youngster through this backyard carnival, visiting snack booths, pattern parades, and souvenir stands, she (and her inimitable squeak) turns the dread phrase into a series of enjoyable activities. The seven activities in Blue's 123 Time are all designed to encourage counting, pattern recognition, and deduction. Real-world applications abound here: kids can put objects on a scale and weigh them in Bell's Souvenir Stand; save, spend, and count money in the Prize Tent; and develop card-sharking capabilities playing Baby Bear's Card Game. In fact, since successful completion of each activity pays off in Blue Dollars to spend in the Prize Tent, parents who frown on gambling may raise an eyebrow at the little felt bear dealing a deck. But there's nothing like a good game of cards for fostering pattern recognition and counting skills! Fear not, Blue won't lead your preschooler down a path of vice. Everyone here is benign, encouraging, and comfortably two-dimensional, just like the television show. The games subtly increase in difficulty as they're played, easing kids into fairly complex concepts like sets, subsets, and estimation. The activities teach on an almost subliminal level, with enough counting out loud and positive reinforcement to make numbers friendly to any child. --Anne Erickson
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