Ludography
Early Learning House cover

1993 · Edmark · Educational

Early Learning House

An educational game created by the Edmark Corporation targeted at younger audiences.

Released
1 June 1993
Platforms
WindowsmacOS
Genres
Educational
Developers
Edmark
Publishers
Edmark
Themes
EducationalKids
Country
United States

About

Early Learning House or simply the House Series is a collection of four main educational video games and two compilations for Windows and Classic Mac OS, developed by Theatrix Interactive and published by Edmark software. Each game focuses on a particular learning category with selectable skill settings for preschooler, kindergarten and elementary learners. Millie's Math House (1992) on mathematics, Bailey's Book House (1993) on language, Sammy's Science House (1994) on science, and Trudy's Time and Place House (1995) on history and geography. A spin-off, Stanley's Sticker Stories (1996), sees players create animated storybooks with the series' characters.

Millie & Bailey Preschool and Millie & Bailey Kindergarten each contain the combined activities from two of the four software products. In addition the programs can be configured by an adult mode to suit students with special needs. Most of the activities in every game have two modes, one to allow learners to explore and try it out for themselves and the other for learners to follow specific tasks set by the game characters. Learners also have the option to print pictures of creative activities and record sounds in phonics activities.

Keywords

  • edutainment
  • kid friendly

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Development

ERAC created an agreement with IBM Canada's K-12 Division, with support from the British Columbia Ministry of Education, to provide the House Series software to British Columbia schools and districts for free. Enhanced versions of the products were announced in September 1995, which included new activities, added difficulty levels, and a Dear Parents Video Presentation.

Reception

The New York Times deemed Edmark an "impressive series", adding that "all four programs are a lot of fun".

A reviewer from SuperKids said Millie's Math House was an "excellent introductory math program for pre-schoolers" that was both educational and fun, while adding that the sound and graphics were adequate. A reviewer from TechWithKids thought the title was "well thought out" and offered a "supportive" environment within which the player could learn, noting that it was suitable for both the classroom and home. The game was reviewed in the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Guide Book where the authors described the "six quality math games" as appropriate for children aged three to six.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
macOS1 June 1993North America · North America 31 December 1993
Windows1 June 1993North America · North America 31 December 1993

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Collections1 collection

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.