GB2227872A

GB2227872A - Audio-visual educational apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2227872A
Application number: GB8902655A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Hazlewood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-02-07
Filing date: 1989-02-07
Publication date: 1990-08-08
Also published as: GB8902655D0

Abstract

Educational apparatus comprises a picture book, a plurality of stickers, each bearing a representation adapted to match at least one of the pictures in the book so that, when a given sticker is appropriately positioned on a matching picture, that picture is enhanced. An audio cassette is also provided for playing back messages relating to the pictures and/or the representations.

Description

EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS This invention relates to educational apparatus, and in particular to apparatus for teaching young children a foreign language.

The present invention provides educational apparatus comprising a picture book containing a plurality of pictures, a plurality of add-on members each of which bears a representation, each of the representations being adapted to match at least one of the pictures so that, when a given add-on member is appropriately positoned on a matching picture, that picture is enhanced, and pre-recorded means for playing back messages relating to the pictures and/or the representations.

Advantageously, the add-on members are stickers made of thin plastics material, and the representations are small pictures that complement/enhance the pictures of the picture book.

Preferably, the pre-recorded means is an audio cassette containing songs relating to the pictures and representatations.

A teacher/parent guide book may also be provided, the guide book containing instructions for using the apparatus and for playing a plurality of games associated with the pictures and representations.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus is intended to teach young children a foreign language. In this case, the cassette contains songs which include vocabulary pertinent to the pictures and representations; and the games in the guide book are word/action games.

One form of apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows one page of a pupil's book forming part of the apparatus; Figure 2 shows a sticker for use with the page shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows the page of Figure 1 with the sticker of Figure 2 positioned thereon.

The educational apparatus of the invention comprises a teacher/parent guide book (not shown), an audio cassette (not shown), and three picture books, each having sixteen pages 1 (one of which is shown in Figure 1). The apparatus is used to help teach young children a foreign language such as French. The guide book contains lesson plans, vocabulary for developing the lessons, and twelve word/action games relating to the lessons. The cassette contains twelve short songs associated with pictures 2 (one of which is shown in Figure 1) shown on the pages 1. The apparatus is completed by a plurality of stickers 3 (one of which is shown in Figure 2), which can be placed on the pictures 2. Each of the stickers 3 is made of thin plastics material which can adhere by surface tension anywhere on any of the pages 1 of the picture books.Each sticker 3, however, bears a picture which is suitable for positioning on a given page 1 in a preferred position to transform or enhance the picture 2 shown on that page. For example, the picture shown on the sticker 3 of Figure 2 is chosen to match the picture shown in Figure 1 by being positioned as shown in Figure 3. Thus, the sticker 3 bears a representation of a koala bear in a boat, and this matches or enhances the river scene of the picture 2 on the page shown in Figure 1 when properly positioned on the river.

The aim of the apparatus is to teach young children a foreign language through the use of "action" words, the words being used in familiar situations such as the home, school, holidays etc (for example the river scene shown in Figure 1). The pictures 2 of the picture books can be transformed by the surface tension stickers 3 depicting familiar objects, thereby allowing the children to act out actions as they describe them in the foreign language being learnt. The songs on the cassette include vocabulary appropriate to different ones of the pictures 2 and the stickers 3 associated therewith.

Similarly, the games in the guide book relate to different ones of the pictures 2 shown in the picture books. The guide book also shows a teacher or parent how to use the apparatus for a thirty week course for young children. Moreover, the apparatus can be used by teachers, such as university students, who are just beginning to teach a foreign language, or by parents who have only a limited or basic knowledge of the foreign language.

Claims

1. Educational apparatus comprising a picture book containing a plurality of pictures, a plurality of add-on members each of which bears a representation, each of the representations being adapted to match at least one of the pictures so that, when a given add-on member is appropriately positoned on a matching picture, that picture is enhanced, and pre-recorded means for playing back messages relating to the pictures and/or the representations.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherin the add-on members are stickers made of thin plastics material, and the representations are small pictures that complement/enhance the Pictures of the picture book.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the pre-recorded means is an audio cassette containing songs relating to the pictures and representatations.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a teacher/parent guide book, the guide book containing instructions for using the apparatus and for playing a plurality of games associated with the pictures and representations.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, the apparatus being intended to teach young children a foreign language, wherein the cassette contains songs which include vocabulary pertinent to the pictures and representations, and the games in the guide book are word/action games.

6. Educational apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.