Interactive Minds Solar System

by Vosonos LLC

Price: 2.99$

May contain `more apps` links

iPad

Overall Score: 86/100

version reviewed: 1.1

reviewed: 19/01/2013

Best for: Education, Interaction, Understanding of the world

What it is: an interactive book (40 pages) introducing kids to the Solar System.

What you do with it: read the book (there is no narration), use the interactive features to compare planet sizes, , compare gravity or orbital speeds of the planets etc.

The book also contains videos illustrating some of the topics.

What we liked: the concept, good educational value (the information is very well presented), interesting interactive features illustrating the topics, easy navigation, no distracting elements.

What we didn't like: we wish there were more photos and videos (and the existing videos cannot be viewed full screen). Some sections/topics could contain more information (e.g. space exploration). No narration (for younger kids parental assistance is necessary).

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

iPad

Grandma Loves Bugs

by Fairlady Media, Inc.

Price: 2.99$

iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 84/100

version reviewed: 1.5

reviewed: 26/03/2015

Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Early math, Eye-hand coordination, Thinking & problem solving

What it is/what you do with it: a set of 10 educational mini-games (spot the difference, coloring, letter match, spelling, counting, number groups, bug identification and matching and an arcade game).

What we liked: the concept. Good variety of simple activities. Simple illustrations and animations. Narration/spoken instructions. The option to choose the activities to be included in the gameplay. Short educational videos as rewards.

What we didn't like: some of the activities offer more variety and engagement than others. Only linear navigation.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

iPhone

iPad

Butterfly HD

by Sprout Labs

Price: 1.99$

iPad

Overall Score: 82/100

version reviewed: 1.1

reviewed: 20/07/2012

Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Language, Understanding of the world

What it is: an app teaching about butterflies and their lifecycle.

What you do with it: start by 'arranging' the lifecycle of a butterfly. Explore the available sections (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly): view diagrams, photos and related videos, read the text (or have it read out to you by the narrator). You can also take the quiz (answer questions related to the subjects, 3 levels of difficulty) to test your knowledge of the subject.

What we liked: the concept, good educational content with many small 'extras' (e.g. all photos are captioned, there are some short interesting 'facts' thrown in etc.) , simple operation.

What we didn't like: little interactivity, especially in 'diagrams' (think of the app as a more sophisticated 'viewer' for texts, photos and videos). Navigation could be more consistent. The 'quiz' activity is very simple. No narration in videos.
For younger (or poorly reading) kids this app should be considered as a 'teacher/parent tool', not an app your child will engage in by himself/herself.

Bottom line: a simple but well put together educational app with lots of interesting content.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

iPhone

iPad

Seasons and Weather ! Science educational games and activities for kids in Preschool and Kindergarten by i Learn With

by i Learn With

Price: free

May contain `more apps` links

iPhone

Overall Score: 64/100

version reviewed: 1.1.2

reviewed: 24/11/2011

Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Language, Personal & social, Thinking & problem solving, Understanding of the world

What it is: set of 3 minigames teaching weather related topics.

What you do with it: please see our video preview.

What we liked: theme (teaching about the weather), spoken and visual instructions and clues, illustrations.

What we didn't like: the concept (could have been implemented easier), this app adresses only a few weather related subjects, it's difficult to fit this app into a particular age bracket, price is too high for what the app delivers.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

iPhone

iPad

Thomas Edison's Secret Lab - Android Version

by FatRedCouch

Price: 0.99$

Android

Overall Score: 61/100

version reviewed: 1.0.2

reviewed: 23/12/2015

Best for: Education, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Understanding of the world

What it is and what you do with it: interactive app based on the Thomas Edison's Secret Lab television show.

Activities include: a gallery of famous scientists and inventors with bios, facts and quotes, 3 arcade games, 6 episodes, 6 video clips and the Secret Lab where you can discover experiments and projects you can do at home.

What we liked: the concept. Characters, illustrations and animations based on the TV show. Quality educational content. Professional narration. Sound backgrounds and sounds. No ads or other distracting features.

What we didn't like: navigation could be more intuitive. No index/reference screen. We wish there was more content in the Library in the Inventions and Discoveries section.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Leo's Pad 2: Educational app for preschoolers

by Kidaptive, Inc.

Price: free (was 1.99$)

May contain in-app purchases

iPad

Overall Score: 60/100

version reviewed: 1.0

reviewed: 15/01/2013

Best for: Interactive play, Interaction, Personal & social, Thinking & problem solving, Understanding of the world

What it is: an interactive movie (about 20 minutes long) about a pair of young 'scientists' trying to build and fly a space rocket. Contains three simple educational activities: tracing, color mixing and sorting + extra information about planets and stars.

What you do with it: at the end of each segment of the movie listen to the instructions and complete the task: trace the parts of the space rocket, mix colors to obtain 'rocket fuel, sort the rocket pieces (the difficulty level increases with each 'play'). After the rocket is complete, try to navigate it through space and learn 'facts' about the objects you pass along the way.

What we liked: the concept, simple storyline, the characters, professional 3D animation, sounds/sound backgrounds/voice acting, overall quality of the app. The child is 'immersed' in the movie ('turn taking', narration, the activities complement the storyline).

What we didn't like: the last activity (flying the rocket through space: the rocket is difficult to control, the 'journey' is a bit chaotic). The other activities range from very good and engaging (color mixing) to rather basic (the sorting activity). Some parts of the app couldn't be evaluated in this version (the Parents Section).

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

iPad

I'm a Creepy Crawly - Android

by Monster Entertainment

Price: free

Android

Overall Score: 57/100

version reviewed: 1.1

reviewed: 23/06/2014

Best for: Interactive play, Attention & concentration, Eye-hand coordination, Thinking & problem solving

What it is/what you do with it: a set of 40 mini games (arcade/puzzles) based on the I'm a Creepy Crawly cartoon series.

5 'worlds': Sand & Scrub, Field & Forest, Garden, House and Water.

What we liked: the concept. Good number and variety of mini-games. Professional illustrations and animations. Fun animated intro before each game. Sounds and sound backgrounds. Ease of use. Overall quality of the app.

What we didn't like: limited education value. No spoken instructions (the games may require extra introduction by a parent). The games must be unlocked one by one. Some games offer more variety and engagement than others. The app could be more responsive.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

Android

Explorium: Ocean for Kids Free - Android Version

by Applied Systems Ltd

Price: free

Android

Overall Score: 56/100

version reviewed: 1.2.3

reviewed: 05/11/2014

Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Thinking & problem solving

What is it and what do you do with it: interactive play app with about 15 facts about marine life and 1 mini games.

Follow the treasure map to find the lost city of Atlantis, play educational mini-games and tap marked items to learn facts about the ocean and its inhabitants.

What we liked: the concept. Fun visuals and animations. Professional narration. Sounds and sound backgrounds. Good educational value.

Please note: this is a free (lite) version of the Explorium app with limited content.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

Android

Max & Ruby! Science educational games for kids in Preschool and Kindergarten

by Tribal Nova

Price: free

May contain in-app purchases

iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 54/100

version reviewed: 1.1.1

reviewed: 01/04/2015

Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Early math, Interaction, Thinking & problem solving, Understanding of the world

What it is/what you do with it: 2 educational mini games based on the popular animated series:

Water Blast - connect the pipes correctly to make the water flow.

Ball-O-Rama - pull and adjust the force and trajectory of the balls to direct them into holes.

The app also contains a sticker scene editor with animated stickers.

What we liked: the concept. Simple games introducing kids to basic science concepts. Simple illustrations and animations. Spoken instructions. Sound backgrounds and sounds. Self-adjusting difficulty levels. Progress tracking feature. Great for Max & Ruby fans.

What we didn't like: could have more features. The sticker scene editor is very basic.

Note about in-app purchases: the app contains 5 free levels in each game. Remaining levels (over 40 levels in both games) require extra purchase.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

iPhone

iPad

Color Hunt for Kids

by GraafICT

Price: free (was 0.99$)

May contain `more apps` links

iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 51/100

version reviewed: 1.0

reviewed: 27/11/2012

Best for: Interactive play, Attention & concentration, Creativity, Understanding of the world

What it is: an app for exploring and playing with real life colors.

What you do with it: choose one of the 4 scenes, read the short introduction of the featured character and the instructions then using the device's camera and an on-screen color picker find suitable colors on real objects and 'transfer' them to the app and complete the pictures.

What we liked: the concept, ease of use, fun factor.

What we didn't like: only 4 scenes. No narration for the intros/instructions. The 'introduction stories' could be a bit more inspiring.

Bottom line: we wish there were more scenes to play with.

Appysmarts

Graphic quality:

Length of play:

Educational value:

2
4
6
8
10
13
(years)

Show Screenshots »

iPhone

iPad

Best apps for kids: Early science.

Interactive Minds Solar System

Show Screenshots »

Hide Screenshots »

Grandma Loves Bugs

Show Screenshots »

Hide Screenshots »

Butterfly HD

Show Screenshots »

Hide Screenshots »

Seasons and Weather ! Science educational games and activities for kids in Preschool and Kindergarten by i Learn With

Show Screenshots »

Hide Screenshots »

Thomas Edison's Secret Lab - Android Version

Leo's Pad 2: Educational app for preschoolers

Show Screenshots »

Hide Screenshots »

I'm a Creepy Crawly - Android

Show Screenshots »

Hide Screenshots »

Explorium: Ocean for Kids Free - Android Version

Show Screenshots »

Hide Screenshots »

Max & Ruby! Science educational games for kids in Preschool and Kindergarten

Show Screenshots »

Hide Screenshots »

Color Hunt for Kids

Show Screenshots »

Hide Screenshots »