Bert's Whales and Dolphins

Bert's Coloring Programs are enjoyable coloring programs for children of all ages, but are especially useful for introducing young children to the computer. Bert's Coloring Programs were designed by educators to be used by young children with a minimum of assistance by adults. Bert's Coloring Program series is superior to many other children's coloring programs in that it allows the user to place the various images, all in four different sizes, on a variety of backgrounds. This allows children to easily create their own picture before coloring. The opportunity to create their own picture will allow children to take pride in their unique creation. Bert's Coloring Programs also have a voice feature, which can be turned on or off, allowing the images to speak their names, much to the delight of children.
When first started Bert's Coloring Programs display a title screen and then the drawing surface with eight buttons on the left. Children can operate the program with the mouse alone. A window is provided which allows children to write a short story about their picture using the keyboard. The fact that they created the picture will help provide the motivation to write about it. One of the best ways for children to learn to read is to write, even if their initial attempts include phonetic spelling which is not always correct. If your child is not ready to attempt writing his/her story, then another good strategy is for you to type in your child's story as he/she dictates it to you. Then have your child read back the story he/she created. This is another very effective beginning reading strategy. They will love creating a setting, writing or dictating their own story and printing out a copy.
When beginning a new picture six small backgrounds are displayed.
The user clicks with the mouse on the selected scene to have it drawn on the screen full size.
Next, a group of six sample images are displayed. If the stop sign is clicked on, no image will be selected and you are returned to the drawing surface.
Clicking the mouse on the box between the stop sign and the green arrows, sets the voice status. Voice can be set to on, off or voice only - meaning the images only say their name through the sound card.
If the down green arrow is selected the next group of images will be displayed for possible selection. The up arrow returns to the previous group of images. Clicking the mouse on any one of the images will select it.
The selected image appears in four different sizes. After the image of the desired size is chosen, a rectangle outlining its size will appear in the upper left.
When the left mouse button is held down on the rectangle it can be dragged into its desired position.
When the left mouse button is released, the image will be drawn and any previously drawn lines under it will be erased. This allows you to place one image in front of the next. It is best to first place all the desired images on the drawing surface before filling with color, as some colors cannot be drawn over with an image outline. An additional feature is that the image figures can also be drawn in reverse. To reverse a figure simply hold down the right mouse button as you release the left one when you position the image on the drawing surface.

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