ABSTRACT
The past 10 to 15 years have seen an explosion in the availability of commercially produced informal education materials for preschool and school-age children. Pioneering educational television series such as Sesame Street and The Electric Company have been followed by television programs on subjects such as mathematics, science, literacy, and history. At the same time, the children's magazine business has expanded. For example, by the late 1990s, children interested in science could choose among magazines such as Contact Kids, Owl, Discovery Kids, and National Geographic for Kids on a monthly basis. Dozens of educational CD-ROMs and electronic toys are now available for a broad range of age groups, including product lines such as Jump Start, Reader Rabbit, and Leap Frog that include materials for both preschool and school-age children. The rapid growth of the World Wide Web provides immediate access to an even greater pool of resources.
