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Juba
By Sarah McPherson
Juba is a Web-based program created by Six Red Marbles that encourages children age 3–6
to explore, create, share, and learn
about their world through photographs and activities. The program
connects inquiry-based questions to
pictures that allow kids to stop, think,
and reflect—a process that develops
critical thinking and language skills.
Explore Space
In Juba’s Explore Space, kids make
connections with the real world
through exploration of images,
sounds, and facts. Students will find
2,000 photos of places, things, people,
and animals from around the world.
Each picture includes a label, a category, and an auditory button to hear the
word spoken. A toggle button translates the words and text into Spanish.
Children can freely explore the
pictures within a category or change
categories just by clicking on the pictures. This allows open-ended exploration, which taps into inquiry-based
learning.
Teachers and parents can discuss
the pictures with the children or have
students engage in more than 700 activities aligned to national and Common Core standards.
Juba’s Explore Space is designed to encourage young learners’ natural desire to explore.
Teachers and parents can check a students’ progress and review how the program’s many
activities align to a variety of standards, including ISTE’s NETS.
Appropriate Feedback
Juba is an animated alien-like char-
acter who guides students through
the program. He asks questions when
students click on a star in the picture,
and he gives clear instructions for the
interactive activities. When students
answer a question, Juba offers appro-
priate feedback, such as “Good job!”
“Fantastic!” “Not quite,” or “Try again.”
He may ask the students questions
about a picture to check their under-
standing of colors, sizes, shapes, or
positions. After a student has correctly
answered the question, the star on the
activity moves to a stack, giving stu-
dents a way to track progress.
