Bubble Play: An Interactive Learning Medium for Young Children

This paper describes the creation of a game-based, bio-inspired, and interactive learning medium for 7-8 year-old children, called Bubble Play, which runs on a typical PC. In this experimental medium, four tasks, namely Color Combination, Arithmetic Operation, Word Formation, and Object Creation can be understood and modeled as a sophisticated translation of the spatial production systems of bubbles. Although Bubble Play has not yet been formally evaluated, its objective is that basic knowledge and skills are acquired by a player through systematic interaction with simulated spatial objects. Bubble Play promotes systems thinking by requiring players´ use of visual concepts and is designed to support instruction in basic mathematics and language skills.