Parents Information
Getting the most out of the Glub the Sub CD-ROM
Main Menu
After watching the animated introduction, Glub the Sub will appear in the Main Menu. As you move the mouse, Glub will turn and look at the options on the screen. Move the pointer over the options to make Glub's light shine. Click the mouse button when the option you want is lit up.
When asked, "Have you played with Glub before?" answering "No" will give you instructions when you enter a section for the first time. Answering "Yes" will turn the instructions off in all sections.
"1 to 10" & "A to Z" Sections
In these two sections clicking on the row of letters or numbers moves them across the top of the screen. When the one you want is in the flashing box, click on it.
To return to the main menu, click on the "123" or "abc" in the sand.
Tip: Some of the characters have secrets to show, click on them to find out which ones!
Colouring and Dot-to-Dot
To select the picture to colour or the dot-to-dot to complete, use the yellow arrows. Glub's periscope is not present in this section. To return to the main menu click on the Puzzles text. If you wish to print out the pictures click on the print icon.
ABC
Young children will enjoy building up their confidence with this activity. Each letter is named for the child and then the child can explore the letter sound and find the picture that corresponds with each letter. The alphabet is reinforced in a lively, animated way that young children readily respond to.
1,2,3
This activity helps to develop recognition of numbers 1 to 10. The pictures are lively and colourful, children will happily return to them again and again.
Jigsaws & Colouring
When children choose this section they will find a wide range of activities with a clear progression. The child can begin by matching pictures, which allow them to build up their confidence with the computer controls.
The puzzles progress on to pictures, which involve children in using their recognition of 2-D shapes.
As children become more confident with the computer, they will be challenged to complete quite complex puzzles. The wide range of activities means that children will enjoy returning over and over to complete the puzzles.
The above activities, while developing hand and eye co-ordination, also develop visual discrimination - an important pre-reading skill. Children will learn how to correctly position shapes on the computer screen and so develop spatial awareness, important in mathematical understanding.
Dot-to-Dot
Numbers are introduced gradually to allow children to build up their recognition and understanding of number sequence. Having successfully completed each dot-to-dot children are rewarded with the excitement of the pictures coming to life.
Numbers
This section allows children to gradually build up their numbers skills and understanding of numbers. Children can begin with simple matching activities. They will learn to count and recognise numbers 1 to 10. For very young children this activity strongly reinforces an understanding of one-to-one correspondence. All the activities involve lively visual and sound effects to motivate children.
Letters
This activity helps children to confidently recognise individual letters. Children are then challenged to match a picture to the correct initial letter. Children can listen to and read whole words by clicking on each letter. This reinforces an understanding of the direction of print from left to right. Children are then challenged to choose from a range of letters to complete a word.
Finally, now full of confidence, children can try spelling out whole words.
Story telling
Children will love to explore the underwater world with Glub.
This section can be used not only to encourage children to listen to and read, but also to create stories of their own.
In the classroom, before watching 'Glub the Sub and the Treasure chest', the children could discuss:
"What will happen next?"
"Does he find a forgotten city?"
"What was it like?"
"What did he find?"
"Who does he meet on his underwater journey?"
"How does the story end?"
Children could then draw and write their own stories and compare these to the one on the computer.
Back to top of info section
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What will my child learn?
A. As well as picking up invaluable computer skills with the Glub the Sub Puzzle-ROM your child will learn:
- A-Z letter recognition
- 1-10 number skills
- 2D Shape recognition
- Hand & eye co-ordination
- Spatial Awareness.
Q. What are the minimum system requirements?
A. Most new computers purchased since 1996 can run the Glub CD-ROM
PC
Processor: Pentium 90Mhz
Memory: 16mb (32mb recommend)
Operating System: Windows '95 (or later)
Display: 640 x 480 in 256 colours (8-bit)
CD-ROM: Quad-speed or faster
Audio: Any SoundBlaster™ compatible soundcard
Macintosh
Processor: PowerPC
Memory: 16mb (32mb recommend)
Operating System: MacOS 7.5 or later
Display: 640 x 480 in 256 colours (8-bit)
CD-ROM: Quad-speed or faster
Q. I can't find the quit/exit button. How do I quit from the game?
A. There isn't a quit/exit button in the game, but you can quit at any time by pressing the "Escape" key.
Q. Why is everything moving so slowly?
A. You may be running the game with your screen set to thousands or millions of colours which, on slower computers, can cause a drop in performance. Set your monitor to 256 colours (8-bit) using the Display/Monitors control panel. Also check that you have no other programs running at the same time as Glub.
Q. Why can't I hear any sound or music?
A. Check the system volume on your computer, it may be turned off.
The number keys on your computer keyboard (0-7) adjust the in-game volume accordingly.
Q. My hearing is impaired, do you have any written instructions for each screen?
A. Not at present, but if you are unable to get someone to help or this is important to you, please write to us and we’ll put something together.
|
