We were lucky to get a sneak preview of a newly launched Tickety Toc website – based on the popular Nick Jr tv show which H enjoys watching.
I’ve found that when we do things online we tend to do them on the iPad rather than the laptop, however, I do know that from September H is going to be learning on a computer so needs those skills – but here we are on a laptop… so not exactly what she’ll be taught and I’m pleased to say she found scrolling around the Tickety Toc website really straightforward – I could leave her to get on with it, without needing to help which is good for her computer confidence and means I get a coffee!
The site is set up so that wherever you are in the world it will recognise the time – and as we’re trying to get the concept of time to H it all helps with learning.
You have several video options to choose from, watching random video clips from the show, as well as some games. We’ve started on the games (there’s one where you have to find objects around the house within a certain time) and are going to try those on the iPad as the site is built in HTML5 and CSS3 (rather than flash-based), so compatible across mobile devices.
The Tickety Toc website has a built-in feature which you can set which allows your child to play for a set time before Tommy and Tallulah pop up – so after ten minutes up they popped, and H promptly moved away from the computer as she knew her time was up! It’s done really nicely so your child doesn’t feel like something is being taken away from them.
As a parent, what I like is the lack of adverts – it’s just Tickety Toc, and if your child is a fan of the show then they’ll like the site. One minor criticism, as H can’t yet read (but does recognise some letters and words) it would be handy to have a voice tell you which option you’re choosing – but as I was sat with her I was able to tell her.
As far as computer skills go, it was good to get H using the touchpad on the laptop, which she picked up quickly (one finger to move the cursor, two to scroll down) – I’ll post a follow-up once we’ve had a try on the iPad.