Swinging Safari Explore and Print

Age Range: 8-12 yrs
Platforms: Mac and Windows
Medium: CD-ROM
Cost: $29.95 (Teacher's Edition and Lab Packs are also available)

Company: Mindscape
Phone: (800) 231-3088

Description:

Swinging Safari Explore and Print sends kids on a journey through Africa, where they take photographs and notes. When they return to base camp, they create magazine articles, postcards, newspapers, comic strips, and more. Young explorers will be able to share their National Geographic adventures through print creativity projects or through the exclusive Swinging Safari Explore and Print Web site, where they can send electronic postcards and participate in additional activities.

Combining wildlife exploration with print creativity, Swinging Safari Explore and Print is being published through a worldwide partnership between National Geographic Interactive and Mindscape. The host is Spin (TM), the animated globe-on-the-go, who is best known as the host of the Really Wild Animals television and video series. Featuring the voice of actor Dudley Moore, Spin starts young explorers off at base camp, where they are given a safari mission. The next stop is the resource center, where the explorers research National Geographic World magazine articles, an explorer's guide, and an atlas.

Armed with their research and a reporter's notebook, kids head into the bush to explore habitats and animals. A collection of movies, photographs, and audio narration provides an up close experience of the African wildlife. Throughout the safari, kids take notes and photographs for use in articles and other print projects related to their journey.

When young explorers arrive at their base camp, Spin encourages them to get an assignment from National Geographic headquarters. This assignment takes them to one of the many locations ­ such as the savanna, the wetlands, or the forest ­ where they immediately start exploring. By using the tools on their desktop, kids gather materials for their articles. With Swinging Safari's virtual camera, kids can take photographs of the animals. By clicking on an animal, they can watch videos, collect data on the animal's health and habits, and easily store information in their notebooks. Back at base camp, kids can use their on-screen computer to access World magazine articles and the National Geographic Online Web site: www.nationalgeographic.com.

Once the field research is complete, kids click on Swinging Safari's Publishing Center to design and print their own magazine features, newspaper articles, comic strips, postcards, or greeting cards. With the click of a mouse, they can import photographs and data collected on safari and edit them into a National Geographic project. Swinging Safari Explore and Print projects can be printed in color or black and white.

For further information, click here

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Howard J. Bender, Ph.D.
President
The Education Process Improvement Center, Inc.
P.O. Box 186
Riverdale, Maryland 20738
hjbender@epicent.com