Home » Free Play - Ooka Island

Where young learners explore, discover, and experience new surprises on Ooka Island!

Free Play is a reward session that occurs each time the learning flow cycle is completed. In Free Play, a player can choose wherever they want to go in the Ooka Island environment. It lasts for eight minutes and is signified by a beach ball timer. Once Free Play expires, the player follows Zobot back to the guided activities and the learning cycle continues! Sneak Peek: Kindergarteners exploring Free Play together!

Players can exit the Ooka Island Learning Flow Cycle at any time as progress is saved!

Learn more about the Guided Program or the Leveled e-Reader components

Need help deciding what to do in Free Play?

Your Three Free Play Options:

Video Tutorials

1. From Main Map, click on the Mist Mart

Video Tutorial: The Mist Mart and Pencil Playground

Mist Mart Button As players progress through the reading activities, they earn “Ooka Mist”, the island’s currency. Ooka Mist can be spent during Free Play at the Mist Mart!

What can you buy at the Mist Mart?

Clothing and Costumes: Players can dress up their avatar in a number of crazy clothes and costumes. Once a purchase is made, players can find their new clothes and costumes in the big yellow wardrobe located in the Pencil Playground.

: Sample of Avatar Costumes Available in the Mist Mart!

Pencil Playground Materials: New playground equipment, wallpaper and flooring purchases can be found already setup and ready to go in the Pencil Playground.
Ooka Tunes Music: Ooka Island has a whole soundtrack of fun, original songs that encourages reading. Once purchased in the Mist Mart, players can find their new Tunes at the giant radio in the Pencil Playground. *Also available as an app!

Zopet: When players reach the top of Alphabet Mountain in the learning flow cycle, they unlock “Zopet”, their fun-loving Ooka pet! After this accomplishment, players can visit the Mist Mart during Free Play and buy Zopet. Players can purchase additional items including food and tricks for their Zopet. Zopet and all related items will appear after purchase by clicking on the doghouse in the Pencil Playground.

When Players Reach the Top of Alphabet Mountain, Zopet is Unlocked!

Mist Mart Helpful Hints:

For the first few Free Play sessions, we encourage players to visit the Mist Mart before traveling to the Pencil Playground to get used to buying and then finding items.
Since there are hundreds of items in the Mist Mart, it can take up to 20 seconds to load when a player clicks on the Mist Mart button.
Items at the Mist Mart are only available to purchase if they have first been unlocked during the learning flow cycle.
A padlock on an item in the Mist Mart indicates that the item has not yet been unlocked and the learning flow must continued in order to do so.

Sample of Locked and Unlocked Items in the Mist Mart

2. From Main Map, click on Treetop Castle and then Pencil Playground

Video Tutorial: The Mist Mart and Pencil Playground

Tree Top Castle

Pencil Playground button

*Before entering the Pencil Playground, players receive an overview of what to expect in a narrated mini slide show*

The following features are found in the Pencil Playground:

Playground Rides: Click on the slide, see-saw, or trampoline, and then on the pop-up check mark to ride. Ride upgrades can be purchased at the Mist Mart. Once purchased they are placed in the Pencil Playground.

*Fun Fact - If an Ooka Elf is near the ride a player chooses, the elf will join them!

Avatar Customization: Click on the big yellow wardrobe with the star to make changes to the avatar’s appearance, clothing, accessories, and costumes. Once the player is satisfied with the changes, they can click the green check mark to go back to the Pencil Playground.

: Modify Your Avatar in the Big Yellow Wardobe in the Pencil Playground!

Ooka Tunes Music: Ooka Island has a whole soundtrack of fun, original songs that encourages reading. Once purchased in the Mist Mart, players can find their new Tunes at the giant radio in the Pencil Playground. *Also available as an app!

Teddy Bear Collection: Purchase Teddy Bears in the Mist Mart to have them placed on the shelf in the Pencil Playground. Fifteen bears complete the collection.
Snack Shack: Click on the Snack Shack to feed an elf a healthy Ooka snack.
Zopet’s Dog House: When players reach the top of Alphabet Mountain, they unlock Zopet in the Mist Mart. Once Zopet has been purchased, click on the doghouse in the Pencil Playground to bring Zopet out to play. Tricks and food can also be purchased in the Mist Mart and played with in the Pencil Playground.

Zopet's Doghouse in the Pencil Playground

Floor and Wallpaper: Change the floor and wallpaper inside the Pencil Playground by purchasing new designs at the Mist Mart. Once purchased, these items instantly change the décor of the Pencil Playground.
Wall Paintings: Purchase paintings in the Mist Mart to have them randomly placed on the walls inside the Pencil Playground. These wacky paintings change each time the player enters!

Pencil Playground Helpful Hints:

Each time five new books have been read by the player, a rescued Ooka Elf is placed in the Pencil Playground to play and interact with the player.
Once inside the playground, players walk around the environment by clicking on the floor in the desired direction.
Changing the avatar’s hair in the wardrobe is what really gives the avatar a more “boy” or “girl” appearance.

3. Free Choice of Unlocked Activities

Players can venture out into other areas of Ooka Island such as the Trophy Room, where they can view their award charts, the Popcorn Library, where they can read unlocked books, or to any of the open activities shown below, where they can practice levels already accessed and reinforce their reading skills!