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I like to find fun and interesting apps for my iPad that both educate and entertain my son (4 years old). But it's getting more and more difficult to sift through the growing library that is the Apple App Store. I love downloading the Lite versions -- aka free/trial versions -- to see how Decker responds. Even with most apps floating around $0.99, if you try out 30 or 40 apps (or more) per month, it can get a bit pricey if you don't have a trial version to test. After downloading a trial version of an app, I can usually tell within minutes if it's something that engages Decker. He is, after all, the best judge of what he likes and dislikes in food, TV shows, clothing... and apps.
After posting some bedtime story app reviews a few weeks back, I took a break from the hunt for apps for Decker. I had a sufficient number of trial versions (some provided by the app developers and a few others purchased directly from The App Store on my own) for Decker to keep himself entertained for a while, so I've held off until now to report back on a handful of apps that have received Decker's Seal of Approval.
A number of apps didn't make the cut -- these were simply apps that Decker opened, poked around in for a few minutes, and then went elsewhere. This doesn't mean an app stinks -- it means Decker didn't find it of interest. I got the same response from him when I tried to introduce him to fried okra (my favorite), so I'm going to hold off on reviewing the apps he didn't take to right away... he may return to them (and okra) when his tastes mature.
So, without further ado, here are some really great little apps (in no particular order) for which Decker gives a big thumbs up:
Hickory Dickory Dock -- this is one of those apps that surprised me greatly. When I first took it for a spin, I was immediately blown away by the beautiful artwork and animation. When you tap the screen to open the clock, the glass door opens with an amazing visual. That was my first hint as to the quality of this app.
The app teaches numbers and telling time (hours only, not half hour or quarter hour). Twelve mini-games are available, one per hour, and each mini-game has some little secret or special feature that must be discovered. I am so proud of Decker who discovered a few of the secrets all on his own without my help. One of them was extremely frustrating to me, but he figured it out in about two minutes of play. Kids just have a natural ability to uncover Easter eggs embedded in apps, and Decker continues to reach for this one. He especially loves two mini-games that involve launching the mouse through a tunnel and another that has you catching falling cupcakes as the mouse rides a skate.
The artwork, again, is top-notch, and the glass, wood grain, and metal elements that make up the clock are beautiful to look at... well, at least to me. Decker is all about the mini-games. My only complaint is that the sound (including the singing of the twelve very creative rhymes) is a bit low -- the developers need to raise the volume a bit (if possible) because even at full volume, the songs are difficult to hear in a non-quiet room.
The Pirate's Treasure-- memory games abound on The App Store, and Decker already has two or three that he's played over the last year. I didn't know how he'd react to this new one but I had hopes given his interest in pirates and the fact that he loves to whip me in a game. He's good. Very good.
*The Pirate's Treasure *has some really fun elements that distinguish it from other memory games -- first, it's a two player game that requires a human opponent. Again, my wife and I get trounced quite often when we play him. Each player gets to choose their character from a group of 8 cartoonish (and cute) pirates. Each of them have a laugh or phrase that they like to issue when you swipe your finger on screen to cycle through the characters.
After both players choose a character, you press the play button and a collection of 30 coins are displayed. A compass near the bottom spins randomly at first to select the player who will go first... then it spins after each turn to remind the players who has the next turn. Finding a match gets you an extra turn. When you uncover two non-matching images, you get a hearty pirates Argh! When you uncover two matching images, a relevant sound is heard such as a BOOM for the cannons or a squawk for the parrot.
When the game is over, the winner's character is displayed doing a pirates dance next to a chest of gold. Decker has since begun doing his own victory dance after he wins... which reminds me that it's probably time to have a talk to him again about good sportsmanship.
Ultimate Dinopedia -- Decker absolutely loves this app, but it does require some assistance from me as the app has a lot of information stuffed into it in text form. Decker likes me to read the information sheets about the various dinosaurs, but he's figured out on his own how to launch the cool animated videos of dinosaurs eating, walking, running, and fighting. Some of the background information does come with a small button that, when pressed, narrates the item being viewed, but the Dino Stats and Fun Facts have some complicated wording for a 4 year old.
Other features of the app include a Family Tree, a really cool interactive screen that allows you to view Meat Eaters, Plant Eaters, or All Dinosaurs on a touch-sensitive map. Touch a dinosaur on the map and you're taken to a dedicated page that has the previously mentioned Dino Stats and Fun Facts as well as The Story (narration and text provided) and details about the image provided.
click on the Dino Profiles tab at the top of the screen and you'll be taken to a scrollable list of what has to be hundreds of dinosaurs -- it could be well over a thousand but I gave up counting in the Bs. The list is alphabetical, and a click on the name of a dinosaur provides a small window to the right where you can learn how to pronounce it (text pronunciation as well as a button to push to hear it pronounced). You learn what period the dinosaur flourished, where it as located, and it's average size (in feet and meters).
Decker loves the Video tab at top -- there's not a video for every dinosaur found in the Profiles tab, but the 14 animations are still plenty entertaining to both a 4 year old and his dad. I thought Decker might get a bit scared watching the Tyrannosaurus stalk and attack a smaller dinosaur, but nope... all I got was Play it again!
The app's subtitle is The Most Complete Dinosaur Reference Ever -- and from what I've seen, I can believe it. There is probably still a lot more information that Decker and I have not yet uncovered... there's so much that I sometimes lose track of what I have and have not viewed! I have to give National Geographic credit for putting together one very large reference app that will be a huge hit for any dinosaur fans in your household.
World Wall HD -- this is a pure educational app, so I wasn't certain how Decker would respond. He headed into PreK this year knowing his letters and sounds, so I was curious to see how he might do with an introduction to putting sounds together to make words.
The app has numerous options, and I'm impressed with both the Writing ABCs and Writing Words. When Decker clicks on Writing ABCs, he can pick any letter from the screen. After selecting a letter, he is told to drag and drop it onto the writing area and then the app speaks the letter, the sound, and gives a word (and image) that starts with that letter. I actually catch Decker every now and then following along exactly -- I hear him repeat the word when the narrator says Say Lion (for L), for example. And he figured out quickly how to cycle through all the letters.
The Writing Words is interesting to me -- Decker is given 12 word families (am, an, at, ar, etc.) and he taps on one. He is told to drag and drop the letters to make the sound formed by two letters. After he drops them, he hears the individual sounds (aaaa, nnnn.... an) before being given four or five consonants that can be dragged in front of the word family to make new words. He loves it! He'll call me over and show me how he learned to spell fan... and man... then tan...
Again, I thought the app might not appeal to him because of its lack of explosions and flashy artwork... but what I'm finding is that his natural curiosity about how words are formed and pronounced keeps him moving forward. He loses track of the time and the next thing I know he's spent 20 or 30 minutes learning to spell more words.
In addition to these two exercises, there are four more games along the bottom.
1. See and Find, a matching game where he has to find a hidden word (spelled out) and its matching picture. Finding a match gets you the word pronounced by the narrator. You can also switch between Easy and Hard difficulty levels.
2. Hide (his favorite so far -- including a screenshot) , a game where the screen is blacked out and you drag a spotlight around the screen to find hidden words. Find 10 and you win the game. Again, reinforcement is seen with the spelled out word (duck) and the big graphic that is displayed along with the word's pronunciation when the word is discovered.
3. Bubble Words, a game where letters float around the screen over an image of an item (wall, for example). Decker has to sound out the word and grab the appropriate letters to drop into the spaces below the image. He's not turned on to this one yet, but I can already see him figuring out how to identify the object and then break the word into component sounds...
4. Jigsaw Words, a game where the image (a pig, for example) is broken into 3 or 4 puzzle pieces. When the pieces are dropped into their correct location, the image becomes solid and the word is repeated by the narrator.
In addition to these six activities, there's also a sticker wall where you (the parent) can drop stickers on screen of items and have your child find the text word (a sticker as well) underneath it... or vice versa. I'm finding that Decker is figuring it out better when I place the text sticker on screen and ask him to put the matching image sticker above it -- he has to sound out the word's letters and I think spelling is really clicking for him.
All in all, I am so impressed with this app -- Word Wall is one of those surprise apps that I want to share with every parent of a child learning to spell.
SpongeBob Squarepants: Marbles & Slides HD-- not every game I get Decker has to be educational. And while I am most definitely not a fan of SpongeBob, I will say that Decker loves this app over Angry Birds and Kicking Momma. And trust me -- that's saying something.
It's a bit pricey for a game app ($3.99 for all levels or you can pay $1.99 for individual collections of levels -- trust me, get the bundle), but Decker has figured out the game mechanics on his own (mostly) and I rarely have to step in and help him solve a level like I did with Angry Birds.
The game involves getting marbles to the exits -- you draw lines to represent curves or barriers that the marbles can roll over or down or that will block them from hazards. Achievements are funny and easy to obtain, and the background music is, thankfully, a nice Hawaiian ditty that's not annoying after five minutes. Instead of Angry Birds' stars, you get hamburger patties as scoring. The game also uses the iPad's accelerometer heavily, requiring you to tilt the tablet left and right to get the marbles to go where you want them.
My favorite feature, however, and one that Decker is starting to enjoy is the ability to switch the game from 2D to 3D -- throw on a pair of Red/Blue glasses and you get a slightly modified version of the levels in 3D that actually look good! It's not headache inducing (and I get them from 3D) at all, but it's just enough of a change to make a level fun again.
I'll only say this to my fellow geek dads -- I do love playing this game. It's fun... not aggravating at all like the higher levels in Angry Birds. The levels have humorous hazards and tasks to perform, and you rarely have to spend long amounts of time trying to figure a level out. And, from what I can see, the developers are planning on adding more and more levels down the line.
If you're looking for a really fun game for your young child that won't require you playing with them (or solving levels for them) you might want to try this one out -- the 3D element alone is worth playing it yourself.
Magic School Bus: Oceans -- This is a narrated storybook that is easy for a child to navigate with a single swipe to turn the page. Interactive elements on a page are easy to spot (look for the animation) and clicking on them pulls down a screen that interrupts the story and provides more detail. Some of these have videos embedded, and Decker loved watching the Sea Urchin crawl along the bottom of the ocean. (Did you know that their teeth are sharp enough to drill into rock? I didn't either, but I do now... and so does Decker.)
If you see a sign or book on the screen with text, a simple tap of the finger will have it read to you... and you can always click the narration text again to have the page re-read to you.
Some page have no interactive elements... others have a lot. Decker loved moving his fingers on screen in different ways to simulate how different animals swim in the ocean...
The story follows Ms. Frizzle and her class' trip to the ocean. The kids think they're going to the beach, but the school bus has a special ability that your child will discover quickly. Decker has learned that he has to keep his eyes open to catch the interactive elements embedded in the story -- I think that's what has kept him coming back to me to sit down and go through the app again and again.
I am very impressed with the large amounts of information that this story provides about the sea life. The developers have managed to cram in a lot of information that will give readers hours of listening and exploring time. I've enjoyed it too, as I enjoy spending time with my son where we both learn new things together.
If you just turn the pages and let the narrator tell the story, the entire app storybook will take about 12 to 15 minutes... but if you want to stop and click on every interactive item you encounter, plan on a few hours at least spread over a few days.
In addition to the story, the app also provides directly access to a few of the built-in games that can also be found in the story -- just tap the Bus to open the menu and click on the Games button. The menu also has a Go to a Page button so you can jump to a section of the story that interests you.
Decker has not yet discovered all the interactive items -- we typically make it through 5 or 6 pages of the story before he wants to do something else. But he always returns to the story to see what he's missed. We usually vacation at the beach each year, so Decker has developed a strong interest in the ocean... but a bad jelly fish sting this past summer has him skipping over the interactive jellyfish swimming! Other than that, however, he's fascinated with fish and sharks and whales. (He got to touch a shark at the Georgia Aquarium a few weeks ago.)
As with the Ultimate Dinopedia, if you've got a young fan of the ocean, this story and all its hidden surprises are a good value.
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I'm app-ed out. (Is that grammatically correct?)
I'm going to take a break from kids' apps for a while and go dive into a hobby or two. And Decker and I want to thank all the companies who provided us with review copies of their apps.
