Guide To Computers Illuminates The Path
If you are considering buying a home computer for your family this Christmas, a buyer’s guide is available to make you a more educated shopper and perhaps save you money in the long run.
“The Multimedia Home Companion for Parents and Kids” (Warner Books, $19.99), edited by Christine Olson, is a comprehensive guide for parents who want to get the most out of today’s technology for their family, but who need helping navigating through the array of multimedia options on the market.
Each chapter gives straightforward information including shopping for a computer, taking your family on-line and choosing worthwhile software titles for each family member.
The guide provides a current look at Macs versus PCs and tells you whether it is worth upgrading your current system. It also gives the pros and cons of catalog shopping, computer boutiques and superstores when making purchases.
Children’s software - the fastest growing segment of the computer market - range from brilliant to mediocre to ridiculous. The guide reviews more than 250 of the best software titles, giving parents a point of departure for choosing software that fits their child’s age and interests.
Additionally, the guide discusses which multimedia programs educators recommend and what programs may complement your child’s school curriculum.
With full color illustrations and a simple format, this user-friendly resource will set you on the path to multimedia mastery. Available in larger area bookstores.
Clay creativity
Make a rainy day into a Play Clay Day! The makers of Argo cornstarch offer a free booklet, “Play Clay - Zillions of Fun Crafts for Kids to Make,” that features the easy Play Clay recipe plus craft ideas for kids of all ages.
Play Clay is a homemade modeling clay that becomes permanent after drying, making it ideal for gifts.
The booklet has instructions for picture frames, jewelry, pumpkin pins for Halloween and holiday ornaments for Christmas.
Order the free booklet by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Argo Play Clay, Dept. PC, P.O. Box 307, Coventry, CT 06238 or call (800) 338-8831.
Develop a young scientist
Whether for homeschooling or supplementing your child’s classroom experience, “The Kids’ Science Book,” by Robert Hirschfeld and Nancy White (Williamson Publishing, $12.95), turns exploration and discovery into loads of fun for kids ages 4 to 10.
Another KIDS CAN! book, “The Kids’ Science Book” is packed with more than 100 hands-on experiences that teach children to observe, question and predict.
Learn how salt affects frozen water or what convex lenses do. Observe the night sky or make an erupting volcano.
To order, call (800) 234-8791.
Silly storytelling
Why did the chicken cross the road? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Actor and storyteller Phyllis Silver weaves a performance of stories, tales, riddles and fables at 1 p.m. Saturday at The Children’s Corner Bookshop on the skywalk between Nordstrom and The Bon.
Silver is known throughout the Inland Northwest for her one-woman shows which she writes, produces and performs. All ages are invited. For more information, call 624-4820.
MEMO: The Family Track is a weekly column of notes and information for families. Send items to Lynn Gibson, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615, or fax (509) 459-5098.