Sparkle, Sleuth, and Help Reading Skills Shine Help Barbie catch the culprits responsible for missing shoes, shiny sparkly items, and cupcakes in this reading-fueled, dazzling detective story. Designed for children ages 4 to 7, Barbie Malibu Mysteries inspires players to use reading, spelling, and problem-solving skills to collect all the clues and solve three mysteries. Barbie Malibu Mysteries can be customized to offer practice with school spelling lists and works with all LeapPad tablets, as well as LeapsterGS Leapster Explorer* (systems sold separately). Use reading and sleuthing skills to help Barbie and friends solve three mysteries. Create a custom spelling list for your child to practice as she silkscreens pet t-shirts. Curriculum That Goes Beyond Core Skills Learning is always in fashion with Barbie Malibu Mysteries—and essential to solving crimes. After helping Barbie find hidden letters and objects throughout Malibu, players are asked to sort letters and words into word families that share common spelling patterns. This helps children read and spell new words they encounter. (For example, if children can read or spell “wig,” they can use analogy to read or spell “big” and “fig. ”) Players build phonological awareness by identifying items that share the same beginning, middle, or ending sounds. They also use word recognition and listening skills to choose fabulous accessories for Barbie, and get practice with spelling as they silkscreen adorable t-shirts in the Pet Paws Boutique. To successfully find the culprits, children must assimilate all the clues they’ve discovered using free association. For example, players help Barbie’s friends remember potential clues to the mysteries by choosing words related to characters’ thoughts and dragging them to Barbie’s journal. Then, they put together puzzle pieces to show the crime scene and display the culprits. Puzzles are replayable and become more complex as players progress through the story. Personalized for Every Child In Barbie Malibu Mysteries, children can practice their own spelling lists for school while having fun with Barbie. Parents can choose from a list of thousands of words to create a unique list for their child to practice, and update the words as often as they like. If parents opt to let the game select the words, Barbie Malibu Mysteries will adjust the level automatically based the child’s age and performance, keeping kids challenged at just the right level. Players are asked to spell one word to fill the machine with ink, and then spell another word to fill it with glitter. The machine will screen more words onto pet t-shirts for players to spell, too, offering them practice with the words they need to learn. Barbie Malibu Mysteries is also packed with ways for children to express their personal style. Players get to dress Barbie in clothes, shoes, and accessories they find, and they can decorate photos they take on their LeapPad or LeapsterGS systems with Barbie masks and stickers, then save and share them.* Fun with Their Favorite Characters In Barbie Malibu Mysteries, building reading skills is part of the excitement as children help Barbie crack three cases and find missing shoes, shiny sparkly items, and cupcakes. Players get to join Barbie and her friends in Malibu to silk-screen glitter-rific t-shirts for pets, decorate photos, and search for fabulous accessories for Barbie—so she can sparkle, shine, and sleuth. Learning Experts Create or Approve Every Experience Barbie Malibu Mysteries is created by educational experts and designed using innovative game play to help children build foundational literacy skills linked to future reading success. In one game, players are asked to identify items that rhyme or share the same beginning, middle, or ending sounds. These key phonological awareness skills help children understand that words are made of sounds and boost their ability to predict how to read and spell new words they encounter. Players are also prompted to find hidden letters and objects, and then sort letters and words into word families based on shared word endings. When children recognize how some words share common spelling patterns, they can use words with similar spellings to help them figure out new words they come across. Another game helps build listening and reading vocabulary and word recognition skills as players identify words to dress Barbie in a full range of mix-and-match outfits. In the Pet Paws Boutique, players get to silkscreen t-shirts as they practice spelling words from customized lists that can match the words they are learning in school. Alternatively, players can practice words with spelling patterns that get increasingly more sophisticated as they successfully move through the levels. Compatible with all LeapPad Kids’ Learning Tablets and LeapsterGS. Key Features In Barbie Malibu Mysteries, children ages 4 to 7 can use their reading and problem-solving skills to help Barbie and friends solve three mysteries. Players search Malibu for the missing goods and other stylish accessories, collect clues, and sort out the evidence to catch the culprits. Using the glitter-rific silk-screen machine, players can get practice spelling words from inside the game or from unique custom spelling lists their parents create. Learning fun and mystery abound. *In-game photo feature is not compatible with Leapster Explorer. Teaches: PhonicsReading and ListeningLetter and Sight Word Identification