Production
ERAC created an agreement with IBM Canada's K-12 Division, with support from the British Columbia Ministry of Education, to provide The Edmark House Series software to British Canadian schools and districts for free. Enhanced versions of the products were announced on September 25, 1995, which included new activities, added difficulty levels, and a Dear Parents Video Presentation.Games
The purpose of the series is to "provide students with a positive environment to explore early learning concepts". ''Millie's Math House'' was released on June 19, 1992 (Enhanced in August 1995) and stars the cow Millie. It primarily focuses on counting, quantities and simple figures divided into nine different activities (seven in earlier versions and six in first version). ''Bailey's Book House'' was released on March 26, 1993, and stars the cat Bailey. It primarily focuses on reading, playing with words and phonics divided into nine different activities (seven in earlier versions and five in first version). ''Sammy's Science House'' was released on May 22, 1994, and stars the snake Sammy. It primarily focuses on biology, experiments and matter divided into seven different activities (five in earlier versions). The Windows 95 version of the game was shipped July 31, 1995. ''Trudy's Time and Place House'' was released on August 6, 1995, and stars the crocodile Trudy. It primarily focuses on geography, simulation and time divided into seven different activities (five in earlier versions). Edmark also released software with two house series combined together which included half of the respective software's activities: ''Millie & Bailey Preschool'' and ''Millie & Bailey Kindergarten''. ''Millie & Bailey'' is a two-part edutainment video game series featuring the titles ''Millie & Bailey Kindergarten'' and ''Millie & Bailey Preschool''. Edmark repurposed activities from its Early Learning House titles ''Millie's Math House'', ''Bailey's Book House'', and ''Sammy's Science House'' into the two multisubject ''Millie & Bailey'' games."IBM Consumer Software Group Unveils Stellar Fall Line Up." ''Business Wire'', 15 Sept. 1997, p. 9151135. ''Gale General OneFile'', link.gale.com/apps/doc/A19751126/ITOF?u=wikipedia&sid=ebsco&xid=f38b8b43. Accessed 2022-01-20. The former three games could still be purchased individually. Edmark Singles were added to the titles' main menus. These grade-specific school versions contained teacher's guides and toll-free technical support. Both titles were shipped for the 1997 holiday season.Reception
Critical 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. A reviewer from SuperKids said ''Bailey's Book House'' was a "classic" and a "must-have" within the early learning genre. Charles Law of ''PC Alamode'' ''Magazine'' said the game was "multifaceted", and thought it would help young learners "catch up and keep up". In Jill Fain Lehman's article ''A Review of Kids' Software for Children with ASD'', she deemed the activity Sorting Station from ''Sammy's Science House'' a "very good classification game". Ellen Adams wrote that the title offered an "excellent" introduction to science for young children, and thought that the game's entertainment was heightened due to the "constant encouragement". Childhood Education said the game was an "inviting exploration program" and "excellent introduction" to the subject matter. '' MacUser'' gave ''Trudy's Time and Place House'' a perfect 5 out of 5 score, and named it one of 1996's top 50 CD-ROMs. Referring to ''Millie & Bailey Kindergarten'', ''Emergency Librarian felt'' "Edmark has truly picked the best of the best to include on this CD ompilation. ''Visual Literacy'' singled out the storyboarding minigame 'Make a Move' in ''Kindergarten.'' ''Young Kids and Computers'' deemed it an "excellent variety pack" and felt the activities were "well designed". Consumer reports home computer buying guide 2000 noted it as a prime example of “early-learning” software alongside theAwards
The Early Learning House games had earned 40 awards around the time of their creation. , - , 1992 , ''Millie's Math House'' , MacUser Magazine Editors' Choice Award for Best Children's Program , , - , 1993 , ''Millie's Math House'' , Software Publishers Association Excellence in Software Award for Best Early Education Program , , - , 1993 , ''Millie's Math House'' ,References
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