About Mr Bloom's Nursery: Get Set, Grow!
There are twenty games in Mr Bloom's "Get Set, Grow!" Most need one or two of the arrow keys to operate, with one game (Veggie Chorus) using all four of the arrow keys.
The games vary in difficulty and place different demands on the player. Each child will have their own favourites and find some harder than others, but here's a general guide to difficulty for parents.
ONE KEY GAMES:
As a rule, the one key games are the easiest. They are intended to get your child used to using the keyboard and responding to the cues on screen. The one key games are:
Raspberry Squash and Hello Potato
Press the arrow key repeatedly and see what happens. These are useful games in helping your child make the connection between pressing a button on the keyboard and something happening on screen.
Although the instructions indicate that the arrow key should be pressed, the game will work with any key being pressed repeatedly. Little fingers might find the space bar easier to use.
Rainy Day Bean
Press the up arrow key to make Colin jump over the worms.
Compo's Hat Catcher
This is a simple reaction game. When Joan's hat flies off, press the key to catch her hat. This is a more difficult game than it might seem - wait for the right moment to press the button!
Thirsty Sunflowers and Rocketing Radishes
These games have a dial on screen with an arrow that moves up and down. When the arrow is in the green zone, hit the key to make something happen.
These are slightly more difficult games - using the dial on screen to gauge when to press the button, then pressing the keyboard at the right moment can be a lot to process. Help your child by playing with them - let them operate the keyboard and shout "Go!" when the arrow hits the green area.
TWO KEY GAMES - MOVING:
These games are a little more difficult - when first learning to use the keyboard, children often have to concentrate on using more than one key. These games involve moving a character using the left and right or up and down arrow keys, and will help your child to learn simple keyboard controls. They are:
Joan's Blossom Trees
Compo's Clean Up
TWO KEY GAMES - BALANCE:
Use the left and right arrow keys to keep the characters balanced:
Tower of MacGregors
Tony's Marrow Barrow
FOUR KEY GAME:
Using all the arrow keys. Copy the sequence of arrows which appear on the screen to make the Veggies sing: