Hot Deal Wanted: School Software (Edutainment)

siliconjon · 08-21-2009, 12:36 PM

I'm looking for some software to buy for my kids' schools. One I came across that had fantastic reviews, when it worked, was Zoombinis Logical Journey. However, the title is ancient and recent reviews show a severe issue with compatibility. I've ordered two to try at each school as their systems are pretty standard so if it works I may buy more.

However, in the meantime I'm seeking a way to buy either 25 copies, or licenses, of something that kids in 3rd & 5th grade can enjoy while also teaching them something valuable. One thing I checked out that was more educational than entertaining was Starry Night (Middle School), but that package is $200 + an additional $300 for a classroom license (as if a single user license copy of an educational package were any good?). I can't swing that.

Some other titles I found were "I Spy Fantasy Deluxe Edition" and "Mia's Science Adventure : Romaine's New Hat". They have great reviews and reputations, however at $20 each (or more when hitting volume license sites), we're hitting the $500 mark again.

Anyone know of any great kid titles that have at least some educational value to them that I could provide to an entire lab/classroom for a good price? My budget is $100 (x2), though should a great deal be found for more I could work on a pooled donation.

RobRich · 08-26-2009, 07:46 PM

Celestia, a space simulator on a desktop. Learn about astronomy. Open source. Available for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.

Celestia: Home

GCompris, a suite of educational software for geography, math, reading, science, and even games. Designed for children ages 2 to 10 years old. Open source. Available for Linux and Windows.

[Free Education Software GCompris]

jMemorize, a Java-based flash card application using the Leitner system. Features categories, stats, and more. Open source. Available for Linux and Windows.

Free Educational Software

Little Wizard, a software development platform designed for elementary school children. Learn the basic principles of programming. Open source. Available for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.

Little Wizard's Home Page

Multiplication Station, a grid-themed mathematic education application. Open source. Available for Linux, vMac OS X, and Windows.

Multiplication Station

Stellarium, a virtual space observatory. Open source. Available for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.

Stellarium

Tuxmath, a sort of "Missile Command"-style game played by solving math problems. Features Tux!

Open source. Available for Linux and Windows.

Tux4kids » Tuxmath » Home

Tux Math Scrabble, a "Scrabble"-style game involving mathematics. Open source. Available for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.

Tux Math Scrabble | Get Tux Math Scrabble at SourceForge.net

Tuxtyping, a game-style typing tutor. Open source. Available for Linux and Windows.

Tux4kids » Tuxtype » Home

Check out the SchoolForge.net site. It provides information on open source applications for students and teachers. In addition to learning apps, there are also applications for administration, course management, development, planning, and more.

Education Software for Schools: Free Software, Open Source | School Forge