Foundation tools
When Xemplar moved out of the PC market to concentrate on Apple it looked as though its handy PC Toolbox had come to the end of the road. But then Lynx Education, set up by a former Xemplar employee, acquired the rights and so this useful package lives on both in its original format, The Primary Toolbox, for children aged five to 11, and in a newer Foundation Stage version. This new Lynx Early Years Toolbox is designed for children aged three to five. It consists of a bundle of eight software programs to support the foundation curriculum, plus a headset or speakers - whichever is more appropriate for your setting, a minimouse (ideal for smaller hands), a mousemat and 12 months' helpline support, all for 215 plus VAT. The Toolbox can either be loaded on to your existing PC, or comes pre-installed on a Fujitsu Siemens computer -an excellent option if you are setting up ICT provision from scratch. The company is happy to discuss which hardware is most suitable for individual requirements, but as a rough guide an entry level machine pre-loaded with a PC Toolbox and with three years' support would cost 800 - 900. On-site demonstrations are available.
For further information and advice contact Linda Pickering at Lynx Education on 01908 633844 or e-mail to linda-pickering@lynx-it.com.
Out of school admin
NOOSI, the Northumberland Out of School Initiative, was established in June 1997 as an umbrella organisation providing out of school clubs in the north east with support. Now, in response to the growing need for an accessible accounting and registration system in out of school clubs, NOOSI has developed Childcare Office Solutions, a management and administration program which went on sale in March. Although it stemmed from NOOSI's out-of-school expertise, the program is also relevant to daycare facilities - NOOSI staff benefit from a day nursery at their offices and so were able to see at first hand what IT support was most helpful. The program, which costs 499 plus VAT, aims to be as simple as possible - at start-up level it can generate invoices after only a couple of hours. Consent forms, data requirements and parent/partner details are all included. The program is also designed to provide support to staff setting up and running a facility. Included are a mock business plan, documents covering policies and procedure, draft job specs and contracts. The basic financial information will allow a senior member of staff with authorisation (there are three levels of security) to check if the facility is viable and see why expenditure is fluctuating. Training courses (250 plus VAT per delegate) are available around the country to maximise use of the package and to to learn how to run a managed childcare facility. NOOSI will provide free upgrades whenever the program is updated.
For further information ring Loraine Graham or Carmen Andrita at NOOSI on 01670 518600.
Software round-up
* Leaps and Bounds, new from Brilliant Computing, is an enjoyable introduction to ICT skills. Using no screen text or audio instructions, the program is designed to develop pre-reading skills in a fun way, while teaching basic mouse skills, tracking and left/right orientation. Using the mouse to click on different parts of the screen (or indeed touching direct on a touch screen) makes different things happen - it's as simple as that. But there are some fine targeting options - selecting eyes, for example, rather than a whole body - and the responses vary each time. The colours are bright, the characters' shapes bold and there is plenty of scope to develop language in a fun context. Windows compatible, a single user licence costs 29. Leaps and Bounds 2 is also available.
Telephone 0161 827 2927
* More early IT skills, this time from Lego Duplo. The software arm of Lego, Media International, has launched the first two products in its Playful Learning range: My World First Steps - for pre-school children - and School Skills, for Key Stage 1. In First Steps children join familiar Duplo characters in a playground, with farm, play area, tree fort and jungle as themes. There are hotspots, active areas and different activities to complete and they can also reinforce the skills they have developed by teaching an activity to two Duplo characters. The Playful Learning programs each cost 24.99 in PC or Mac format from toy shops and software stores.
* Make your own big books for the classroom - and individual versions to take home - with the help of Book Spinner from Widgit Software. The program includes over 1000 graphics (and relevant wordlists) but it is easy to import your own graphics and photos, then to mix and match them, building composite illustrations. Best of all, the program automatically paginates your book so that you can print it double sided, ready to fold and staple in A5, A4 or A3 sizes, depending on the capability of your printer. Widgit has a number of symbols programs, such as Writing with Symbols 2000 or Inclusive Writer and these can be incorporated into Book Spinner, which already comes with 50 books ready to print - Welsh books can be downloaded free. A single machine licence costs 80.
Telephone 01926 885303 for details of this and other Widgit software
