The KIDS' TOUR was designed by the Michigan State University Comm Tech Lab and the MICHIGAN 4-H CHILDREN'S GARDEN.

Our mission is to create a parallel virtual experience that in its own virtual way is as rich in exploration, surprises, learning, and fun as the real children's garden. The kids' tour is an ever expanding project which links to 9 years of professional and student software development. The interface is incredibly dense with a single screen acting as a portal to myriad panoramas, QTVRs garden eCards, garden videos, interactive games and stories, garden vocabulary in American Sign Language, and information for teachers and parents. The project embodies elegant, natural integration of virtual and real worlds.

This project was partially supported by a grant from the Dow Foundation.  

Director of Software Development: Carrie Heeter
Content Director and Virtual Curator: "Dr. Norm" Lownds

Lead Programmer and Artist: Ben Rhodes
Lead Developer and Artist: Mihai Peteu
QTVR and Flash Panoramas: Mihai Peteu, Sulakshana Gopal, Pete Maziak, Brian Winn, Ben Rhodes
Videographer: Pete Maziak
eCard Programming: Brian Winn, Ben Rhodes
Production Assistant: Laura Portwood-Stacer

Awards:  

The Webmaster Award the teachers corner award

The project involved six months of intensive programming (and years of content development) to develop this flexible, expandable interface. We wrote a series of detailed tutorials for anyone interested in creating a similar project.

Research is underway to understand how kids and grownups as well as boys and girls of different ages explore the real and virtual gardens, and how these parallel explorations impact (and hopefully enhance) each other.

Many of the interactive games were created by students as class projects. Here is a list of the games that pop up, and the people who developed them (working with Heeter and Lownds).

Character Activity Developers

click here to open

Shakey The Caterpillar Game
(Butterfly Garden)

by Christy King, Jason Freevol, and David Fueling with additions by Pete Maziak


click here to open

Dance Chimes Game
(Dance Chimes)

by Paul Kurf

click here to open

Water Me Game
(Sunflower Garden)

 

by Mihai Peteu

click here to open

Sundial Game
(Sundial Garden)

 

by Pete Maziak

click here to open

The Bear Who Wanted to Be a Bear Story
(Teddy Bears and Animal Garden)

Listen to "The Bear who Wanted to be a Bear" by Jorg Steiner, Jorg Muller. (From our summer "Stories in the Garden" program)

video by Pete Maziak

click here to open

Train Video
(Small Train)

by Pete Maziak

click here to open

Go Buggy Game
(Feathered Friends Garden)

 

by Sulakshana Gopal

click here to open

Pizza Garden Game
(Pizza Garden)

by Jiatyan Chen, Jill Hallden, and Barry Carr

click here to open

Bullfrog Story
(Magic Bubble Fountains)

Listen to "Bullfrog Story" (From our summer "Stories in the Garden" program)

video by Pete Maziak

click here to open

Froggy Gets Dressed Story
(Pond and Water Garden)

Listen to the story "Froggy Gets Dressed" by Jonathan London, Frank Remkiewicz(Illustrator). (From our summer "Stories in the Garden" program)

video by Pete Maziak

click here to open

Question of the Week: Curley Leaves
(Science Discovery Garden)

by Norm Lownds and Pete Maziak

click here to open

Question of the Week: Spring
(Monet Bridge)

 

by Norm Lownds and Liz Monroe

click here to open

Question of the Week: Mystery Bulge
(Imagination Grows Garden)

 

by Norm Lownds and Pete Maziak

click here to open

Question of the Week: Dormancy
(Enchanted Garden)

 

by Norm Lownds and Liz Monroe

click here to open

Plant Builder Game
(Creation Station)

 

by Mike Lownds

click here to open

Running Walking Flying Seeds of the Desert Interactive Story
(Amphitheater)

 

story by Norm Lownds, software by Malini Rao and Jin Kim with Carrie Heeter

click here to open

Magic Typewriter Game
(ABC Garden)

 

by Yiran Lin and Carrie Heeter

click here to open

ABC Game
(ABC Garden)

 

by Katherine Hicks and Brad Dixon

click here to open

Little Boo! Story
(Storybook Garden)

Listen to the story "Little Boo!" by Colin McNaughton. (From our summer "Stories in the Garden" program)

video by Pete Maziak

click here to open

Zoo Story
(Storybook Garden)

Listen to the story "Zoo" (From our summer "Stories in the Garden" program)

video by Pete Maziak

click here to open

Let's Go Visiting
(Storybook Garden)

Listen to the story "Let's Go Visiting" by Sue williams, Julie Viras (Illustrator). (From our summer "Stories in the Garden" program)

video by Pete Maziak

click here to open

Alice In Wonderland Maze
(Maze Entrance)

Explore this virtual maze from child or adult view, encountering alice in wonderland characters. The overhead view can help if you feel lost. (Note: this is a very large file. It works fine with fast internet connections or on CD-ROM but it takes a long time to download over dialup connections.)

created by Tory Sawyer with voices by Marcia Witt

 

click here to open

ASL Signs
(all)

You will also see one or more hand characters in every panoramic scene. Click on the hand to see the ASL sign for the word written on the hand, along with a description of how the sign is formed. (Signs are part of the National Department of Education-Funded Personal Communicator and ASL Browser project).

the ASL Browser was developed by David Steward, Carrie Heeter, and Brian Winn

to visit the complete site on the Internet click here


click here to open

Compost Pile Microbes
(Creation Station)

See images of microbes and read about how microbes process waste in compost piles (part of the NSF-funded Microbe Zoo project with the Center for Microbial Ecology).

creators of the microbe zoo are described on the zoo site

click here to open

Ag Acres Microbes
(Science Discovery)

See images of microbes and read about how microbes are used in agriculture (part of the NSF-funded Microbe Zoo project with the Center for Microbial Ecology).

creators of the microbe zoo are described on the zoo site

click here to open

Root Cellar Microbes
(Special Child's Garden)

See images of microbes and read about how microbes live inside of soil and help plants grow (part of the NSF-funded Microbe Zoo project with the Center for Microbial Ecology).

creators of the microbe zoo are described on the zoo site

click here to open

Pond Microbes
(Pond and Water)

See images of microbes and read about microbes who live in ponds (part of the NSF-funded Microbe Zoo project with the Center for Microbial Ecology).

creators of the microbe zoo are described on the zoo site

click here to open

Cow Rumen Microbes
(meat, milk, and wool)

See images of microbes and read about how microbes live inside of cow's stomachs and help them digest their food (part of the NSF-funded Microbe Zoo project with the Center for Microbial Ecology).

creators of the microbe zoo are described on the zoo site

click here to open

Poo Corner Microbes
(Teddy Bear and animal)

See images of microbes and read about how microbes live inside of human and animal poo and help recycle it into fertilizer (part of the NSF-funded Microbe Zoo project with the Center for Microbial Ecology).

creators of the microbe zoo are described on the zoo site