Achieve! Math & Science Grades 1-3

The activities progress in difficulty for each user from level A to level Z. Each user moves through the levels automatically. Level A is very easy with things like counting and sorting by color, identifying shapes. These beginning level activities were suitable for my 5 year old, and might be suitable for a 4 year old, but they were too easy for my 6 year old. However, just change the level manually, and the activities are challenging -- my 6 year old started with the intermediate activities and finds the activities challenging. Neither child wants to stop playing.

The activities are obviously educational. Fractions, sorting by multiple characteristics, adding, subtraction, etc. There is very little downtime like with most other kids software. It is just one activity after another. Rewards are not long winded. There is some variety within each type of activity to make it interesting.

So, I would disagree with many of the low reviews given by other reviewers. That said, I would not recommend this software if you're child is already in grade 3 -- most of the activities would be too easy.


Wonderful resource for the serious homeschooler!!   June 15, 2004
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

We have been proud owners of this package for two years and have used it diligently to supplement skills and concepts introduced throughout the year for first and second grade. It has been a WONDERFUL supplemental resource. Unlike a lot other educational software packages that claim to cover a wide range of ages, this one means it when they say "First through Third grade". It is simple to use: After a concept (example: 2 digit addition) has been introduced to the student, you specifically set up games to reinforce those particular skills. After those skills have been mastered you then go back in (with a simple click of the mouse and check-mark skills you want to reinforce from a large pre-set list) It is honestly very simple to do. Explaining the process actually takes far more time that it does to actually do it. Although the games are very "friendly", with engaging characters and settings, the software is not meant to "entertain" as much as it is to teach. I would not at all be surprised to find this package in a lot of school computer rooms for kids to reinforce their skills on. If you are looking for a true educational software package that would be appropriate for (no younger than)first through third grade, this would be perfect for you and your child.


Four award winning games, newly repackaged.   February 27, 2003
26 out of 28 found this review helpful

This is a great value! The package contains four highly rated games -- Let's Go Read 1: An Island Adventure, Lets Go Read 2:An Ocean Adventure, Bailey's Bookhouse, and Stories and More:Time and Place. The games individually earned an average of 4.3 stars from the Children's Software Revue. The Learning Company must have bought the rights to these games and repackaged them, but they changed the age recommendations. Bailey's Bookhouse was originally marketed for ages 2-5, and I think it it is probably best for 4-5 year olds . The graphics aren't as flashy as those of newer games, but it is engaging and fun without a lot of high-tech animation. My four year old also enjoyed the first Lets Go Read Title (originally marketed for ages 4-6) which has well sequenced phonics activities that include use of a microphone. Stories and more is still above her head. It requires reading, and was originally marketed by Edmark as a game for grades 2-3.

This is a great buy. Get it when your kids are pre-K or K age to get full use out of the games in the package.


Achieve! Math and Science Grades 3-6   September 4, 2005
B. Gerken
2 out of 8 found this review helpful

My kids really love the game style of learning.


Not at all age appropriate!   May 20, 2003
71 out of 84 found this review helpful

Admittedly, my Kindergartner is an advanced reader (reading at an early 2nd grade level). Nonetheless, I figured that a product that was supposed to cover 1st - 3rd grades would be beneficial over the summer. I was way wrong.

First of all, the Learning Company has pulled a fast one. They market this as appropriate for ages 5 - 8, and have stamped each disc in the set with that age range. However, when you look closely at the box you will see that one of the titles shows an age range of 3 - 5; another 4 - 7; and the other two 5 - 8. So right off the bat, one of the products (Baily's Book House) is aimed at preK - K. The next one (Lets Go Read: Island Adventure) is a letter by letter phonics program. I don't think that our school standards overly high -- this is definitely a skill they should have before finishing Kindergarten! So not appropriate for rising 1st graders...much less 3rd graders. In addition, it moves at a snail's pace. I can see that kids would get frustrated because you cannot move at your own pace or even choose which letter you want to learn. It starts with T, then A, then H (so far). And you cannot choose to move to a different letter until you have completed the one it has assigned to you. Oh - and you should have a microphone (I don't). It'll progress without it, but try explaining that to your 3 year old ("he says to say 'tuh' into the microphone!")

The next disc (LGR II: Ocean Adventure) is slightly more complex than the LGR I. But it does revisit the pre-K and K, skills explored so deeply in LGR I. Finally - the last disc - is a reading comprehension program. Finally, one that my son can use -- except, in order to really progress, he has to know how to type on the keyboard. So it doesn't matter that he can read the story himself, or express the main ideas and characters in detail -- he has to type them (or I should say I have to type them). Fortunately, there are other games that don't require typing.

My last complaint is that there was NO documentation included with this -- not even a "read me" file. These games are not very "intuitive", so I have had to go through them on my own to see how to tell my children to use them.

FORTUNATELY - I have a 3 year old at home. She definately can use the first two discs - and will probably have started Disc 3 well before Kindergarten. So at least it wasn't a total waste of money. Really, for her - it is perfect -- and that's the only reason it got 3 stars.