Caillou: Magic Playhouse

"...I'm just a kid who's four

Each day I grow some more

I like exploring

I'm Caillou..." - from Caillou's theme song

Caillou: Magic Playhouse is based on the animated television series starring bald-headed little Caillou, a 4-yr-old boy, and his adventures with family and friends. In this game, you follow Caillou as he visits each room in his house and the backyard searching for treasures (from a themed group - sports, music, sun & sand, or nature - that you pre-select) and playing games. Choose a skill level - 1 to 3, which can be changed mid-game if a given activity is too easy. Use the mouse to click on items in each room to discover mini-animations and "hidden" objects. You will also make use of the click-to-pick-up/click-to-release feature in some of the games, as opposed to click-and-drag, which may make the interface easier for the toddler to use.

• Silly Stories - Choose people, places & things and they will be included in a silly story that is read aloud to you (MadLibs!)
• Block Puzzles - Build a toy with blocks to match a picture, then spell it's name
• Butterfly Hunt - Catch the colors/quantities of butterflies Leo asks for
• Matching Socks - Concentration: match the pairs of socks in Caillou's dresser
• Tap That Tune - Listen and watch as Caillou's Mom plays the xylophone, then repeat her notes
• Cloud Pictures - Look for hidden shapes in the clouds before they pass you by
• Song & Dance - Choose a song, then set up tiny dancing Caillous on the musical bars; click play, and watch the dance production!

Between games there are video-clips from the television show. Each game has it's own instructions page, read aloud by Caillou's Mom and repeatable at will; most games are fairly self-explanatory, but some (like Song & Dance) will probably require a parent's assistance to play. There are 4 separate printable activities, each one branching out into several different parts, giving the child lots to do offline and reinforcing concepts introduced by the game. Among the early-learning skills covered are: phonics, memory skills, listening, musical sequences, colors, pattern recognition, counting, and early reading/spelling.