I was both the designer and project manager for Reader Rabbit 1st Grade, working with a fantastic team at The Learning Company.
We created an adventure game integrated with activities that focused on spelling, math, counting money, matching, pattern completion, and other 1st Grade curriculum skills.
When it starts raining raingear down in Wordville, Reader Rabbit and Sam the Lion journey to the clouds to investigate and stop the problem.
Players collected colored marbles throughout the adventure, and then used them in this machine to complete musical patterns that unlocked a door.
To get a certain item needed for the adventure, players had to transform objects using these magic flowerpots. They could change a BAG into a RAG, for example.
To build a silly sandwich, players had to pay for each topping by using the right coins. Toppings included everything from pickles to stinky sneakers.
The adventure even involved balancing a few equations along the way.
Players used simple painting tools and stamps to create animations that appear on the wall of the art gallery scene.
One of the best parts of working on this project was conducting play testing with kids! Our little testers showed us which parts of the game were confusing, helping us make it as intuitive as possible.