Rainy Days: A Stella and Sam Adventure is an iPad app, part of the Stella and Sam series of apps by the developers at zinc Roe, which is a charming and wonderful storybook app which also contains three mini-games, each working seamlessly within this delightful story. A pull-down menu is included allowing one to find specific chapters of this book or a specific mini-game if one chooses, a nice touch.

This app, which is viewed much like a video, is based on the Stella and Sam series of books by Canadian author Marie-Louise Gay. Here, sister and brother friends, Stella and Sam, spend a rainy afternoon together exploring the wonders of the outside. I love how these characters come across like real children, and I am smitten by how Stella answers Sam’s various inquisitive questions, as well as her take on rainy days in general as she speaks with authority, the way a nine year old who fancies herself older would as she takes care of her younger brother. We as adults can see that Stella really views the world the way only a child would, something I found super-cute and endearing.

The characters of Sam and Stella are utterly relatable to kids, with distinct personalities that nicely differ from each other, as Stella is happy it is raining – Sam not so much. I see a lot of my son in Sam as this app opens up with Sam lying on the floor of the living room, using paints and is unprepared for the mess their dog Fred makes as he walks through this art project. Sam, at a loss for how to deal with Fred’s messy paws, asks Stella for help and she takes both Sam and Fred outside to clean Fred’s paws and romp around a bit in the rain.

Their relationship is so very tender and sweet, and I appreciate how no adults take part in this story, reminding me of The Peanuts, but in many ways kinder and gentler as Stella is always nice to her younger brother, if not a wee bit bossy. It is also nice to see these kids use classic activities to entertain themselves, first with a set of paints and then by exploring things found in nature, like a pile of leaves and a pine cone floating in a puddle.

The mini-games included are based on these activities, including the ability to paint with both both dog footprints and kids’ handprints in many colors across the screen as well as digging through a pile of leaves to see what treasures one may find, and helping the pine cone from the story navigate sticks and rocks as it moves across a small body of water. It is a lot of fun seeing these kids get their hands dirty, especially when it is not practical for my son to get down and dirty himself, whether it be on days where it is too cold to realistically go outside, right before bed or a few minutes before dinner time when I don’t want to deal with a large cleanup.

My boy simply loves searching the pile of leaves looking for a frog that jumps around when found. I appreciate how seamlessly these fit into the story with the same quality animation as is the rest of this app, also including cute voice-over prompts from these kids explaining what to do during these mini-games, really making my son feel as if he were taking part in what is going on. Stella and Sam are definitely kids that I would want my son to be friends with, and this app creates such an immersive experience that I am sure my son feels very much a part of this story as he watches it and plays these games.

There will always be critics of children’s use of iPads for stories, especially books that are turned into videos that one can watch like a TV show, but the quality of this app is so remarkable that it will win over the greatest skeptics. I love the voices used for the children, bringing more life to this story than I could if I were just reading this book to my son and the rainy sounds and other subtle sound effects bring a lot of life to this charming app. The illustrations are to be marveled at, with beautiful color choices and lovely details, especially the rainbow that these kids see at the end of this story. My son loves the mini-games a great deal, they engage him nicely and they are wonderful additions to this story.

These Stella and Sam apps are based not only on the series of books, but also on a cable TV show of the same name. We have not been able to see any of these shows yet, but I will keep my eyes open for them as I am happy for my son to watch small amounts of quality programming.

Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Language, Nature, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Social, Stories

The Strange and Wonderful World of Ants is a marvelous app for iPad that brings a lot information about ants in a way that is beautifully crafted.

My son and I enjoy this science app very much, as it is loaded with very interesting ant information that I was very impressed with, as I have never spent much time thinking abut ants except for how to avoid any possible infestation. This app taught us about many different types of ants and how they serve the larger goals of the group, be it feeding, protection, or sleeping. I can say that although I would still not a fan of ants if I ever found them in my house, I have a new-found respect for them as a hard working group of creatures that work for the common good. I am very happy for my son to learn this information as it is both fascinating and educational. Non-fiction science apps are not commonplace in the iTunes store; this is a lovely change of pace from our usual storybook apps.

I am impressed with the inclusion of 3 reading levels that will be appropriate for a large range of age groups, as the vocabulary and number of words increase in these sections, making this appropriate for preschool and up to adulthood. The intermediate and advanced sections go into more specifics, which is something older kids and adults will enjoy, but I also admire the quality of writing in the beginner section for its simple prose and almost poetic style of writing.

Narration is included in the beginner section, which is excellent. I really enjoy the narrator’s voice which has a sincere quality and is very well recorded. Music plays throughout this app, which is equally well-done, relaxing and transcends simple background music to something I truly enjoy listening to.

It is nice that one can change the reading level during the use of this app without having to start over from the beginning, an interesting touch that is fun to experiment with while reading this book. The lack of narration in the two more detailed sections encourages older children to read more difficult sections by themselves, but I think narration would be a nice option as well, especially since children may benefit from hearing the more advanced vocabulary like “bivouac” spoken.

What I appreciate the most about this app for my son is how it explains in great detail how wonderfully ants get along and work with each other, a great example in cooperation and socialization that my son, a soon-to-be preschooler can learn from.

The illustrations of this app are simply wonderful, black and white drawings that lush with tremendous detail. I really like how these pages are also filled with a lovely palette of colors like mustard yellows and earthy greens that create large graphic shapes that move and envelope these pages when the pages turn, adding to the beauty of this app.

An interactive feature is also added where one can tap an extremely realistic black ant as he crawls across each page. Here, one gets to read first-person commentary from this ant named E.O. hearing his point of view on what is being covered in each page. I like how even E.O.’s comments are specific to the reading level, I am very happy to read the speech bubbles of E.O. for my son, as I think my reading these short sentences nicely complemented the narration in the beginner section. It would be nice however, if EO’s words were also narrated, they would be understood by pre-readers when they listen to this section alone.

The one thing I don’t understand is why this book states early on that “Ants aren’t very strong. Ant’s are not very very smart” when they, as it is my understanding, are very strong for their size, routinely being able to pick up or move objects that are larger and heaver than their own bodies. To call ants “not very smart” may send the wrong message as this app goes into detail about how sophisticated they are in many ways. In further pages, E.O. also says that ants are smart, leading to more confusion for myself, but not my child who is unfazed by these issues.

Except for the line of the book which gives me momentary pause, I think this is a very special science app. The narration, drawings, and other elements are top-notch in terms of quality. I really appreciate the added glossary and thoughtful questions that parents or teachers can use to lead discussions about lessons learned from this application. Other resources about ants are also included, something very nice for both home and classroom settings. I would love to see more apps from this developer as I would love to hear more about science from their point-of-view.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Health, Just For Fun, Language, Middle School, Nature, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Science, Social, Special Needs, Toddlers

iLearn With The Mighty Jungle: Animals! is a lovely and highly educational app for iPad that teaches about animals, their appearances, habitat and living habits.

Allow Babu, a friendly meerkat, to guide you through this app as you help Babu find a missing animal friend in each level. These games begin with a map that one uses to help track Babu’s buddy. Correct answers will fill in the map with animals that the player follows as one looks for Babu’s friend.

I really like how this app teaches interesting animal facts. In the first level involving animal appearances, one question must be answered such as “which animal has fur,” to move forward on the map, but the number of questions one needs to answer in order to move forward goes up in levels two and three. I find it interesting how these questions start out general and become more specific until the correct animal is uncovered, allowing the player not just to learn facts, but to have a chance to compare and contrast the info learned about various animals.

Although it may seem simple to create a talking animal that will educate by asking questions to the players at hand, I see a great deal of sophistication in this meerkat’s effortless way of explaining the rules of this game, as well as his delivery of this infomation in a way that is direct, engaging, and encouraging. It is nice that one can answer keep answering until the correct answer is found, as many times as it may take, as one may learn more from mistakes made than just knowing the correct answer. I think this app would be an excellent choice not just for those in pre-school and kindergarten, but for children who are learning English as a second language and those with special needs, as this animal’s communication skills are educational in and of itself.

I especially appreciate that all of this game’s instructions are explained verbally by Babu, making this a great game for pre-readers. It is nice that one can tap a question mark to hear the question again or tap Babu himself for a hint.

The information used in this app, designed by educators, meets the National Standards for Life Science teaching in pre-K and kindergarten. I found it to be very educational and surely thought-provoking for this age group and beyond, as I learned some new things as well, and I like how this app made me think about which fish has smooth skin – a shark or a piranha – something I never thought about before.

Although this app would be wonderful for children to play by themselves, this is an app so rich with information that kids will get the most out of it by playing with an adult who can go into further details about this interesting animal information, creating some excellent open-ended conversations as well.

Another interesting aspect of this app is that the questions within each level are tailored to the needs of each player, and I did notice that the questions zeroed in on the few questions I answered wrong. This is something that kids will benefit from, also adding greatly to the replay value of this app. This app is colorful, nice looking and simply a lot of fun. Kids will learn a lot from this app, as did I, and I am looking forward to see what new learning apps come from the developers at Tribal Nova, who also created PBS Kids Play! and CBC Wonderworld online learning programs.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Nature, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Science, Social, Special Needs, Toddlers

Aquarium Coloring ~Ocean Life~ is an iPad coloring book application that lets you color with the use of a finger and also teaches the names of aquatic life. There are many drawings and colors to choose from, as well as many options to make the coloring in of these pages user friendly. Drawing can be saved on your iPad, used as wall paper, or Facebooked.

I enjoy this application. There are 17 pages to choose from, and I really like that the names of these aquatic animals are given as page titles. The drawings here are very nicely done, simple but realistic looking and not childish or cartoony, and I like how many of these pages include some nice oceanic details like coral, plant life, or rolling waves. The color choices are bright and numerous, and I appreciate that four brush stroke sizes as well as zooming in are options in the aid of coloring in details. An undo function, as well as erase feature are also included – something I always look for in a good coloring book, especially important when you use your finger as a crayon or paintbrush.

Children will appreciate being able to save their completed work on the device which can then be used as wall paper or Facebooked to friends, but I did have a problem saving work in progress in order to continue coloring at a later time. When doing so, the application closes unexpectedly without the drawing being saved. I hope this can be worked out, as the ability to save drawings to finish later is a nice touch. I also don’t understand how to use the colors to create the effect shown in this app’s icon in iTunes and title image, that of a jellyfish, with the water around it looking as if it has a hazy, marbled coloration of some sort. I tried to recreate this look with no luck, which is unfortunate because this soft coloring effect is what drew me to this app in the first place. I hope the kinks can be worked out because the drawings are quite nice for adults as well as for children.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Nature, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Toddlers

Crazy Weather is an interactive storybook for iPad app told in rhyme about the dangers of global warming and of the crazy counter-intuitive weather that can result. Designed to read to oneself, there is an option to make a recording of this book as well. An iPhone version is also available.

The first thing I noticed about this app is how delightful it is to look at. All the pages are decorated with bright and bold objects, sounds and interactions in a multimedia and collage fashion, with objects including recycled paper with tactile grains, bits of materials like satins and silk with great shine to them, animals knitted from colorful yarns with interesting textures, as well as many pieces of natural materials such as leaves and straw as well as wires and pieces of metal. Each page has interesting interactions to find, and I give the developers great credit for telling the reader exactly what interactions they are looking for – page by page – in the help area of the settings, something I wish every developer of an interactive app did. Pleasant music accompanies one as the story is read. Recently, three holiday and ecology themes postcards have been added that one can email or Facebook as well.

The story itself is about how more and more often, the seasons seem confused, with snow in summer, leaves and plants beginning to bloom in fall, and other crazy, confusing weather anomalies. The story is told in a rhyming tone which is pleasant to read, and I agree that the weather changes one may experience now are alarming – to say the least. As an adult, I find the message of this poetic book to be very clear, but I don’t have a keen understanding of how to translate these concerns to my son, almost three years old in a way that he can comprehend past a lovely rhyming story. I would encourage these developers to write a parents’ section on how to talk to their children in a way that they can understand, specifically how taking care of the planet will keep these crazy weather occurrences from happening and why something as simple as warm weather in winter or cold weather in summer can be in reality ominous signs for the future. My son does enjoy the bright colors and all the interactions, but without help explaining the story, I worry that he may be missing the bigger picture.

Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Nature, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Social, Stories

Do you want a pond in your pocket? First reaction would be, well nooo, however you might change your mind. The graphics for “Pocket Pond HD” are picture perfect and watching the fish swim around will relax just about anyone. The “real nature” sound effects are great and best heard in stereo with headphones. What I like most about this app is touching the water, the sound effects are very realistic and my finger is not even wet! If you tap twice on the screen, a little piece of fish food will appear and the fish will swim by and eat it. The fish can be played with, you can scare them or watch their schooling behavior. The fish pond can be customized simply by adding Lilly Pads and Dragon Flies. My middle child (10) was all worked up by her brother and I sat her down and handed her my iPhone with “Pocket Pond”; I asked her to look at this app and play with the fish while I deal with her brother. She huffed and puffed and complained. Magically, a little fish pond and the sounds of nature put her in a calm state. She was a different person in such a short time! She really enjoyed playing with the fish, feeding them and swirling the water around. The “Pocket Pond HD” app is very refreshing and is a great escape for everyone from a toddler to a parent. There is an upgrade option in the app for iFish Pond where you can catch fish, play with frogs, and hear a thunderstorm for $1.99. See ya… gone fishin’!

By Age Range, For Parents, High School +, Just For Fun, Middle School, Nature, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Science, Toddlers

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss, The Lorax (1971)

Tomorrow is Earth Day – a day to reflect upon our relationship with the environment and to think about what we can do to help our planet survive and thrive. It’s only fitting that I review “The Lorax” ebook application which was adapted from the Dr. Seuss classic. “The Lorax” is a children’s story with a very adult message: respect and conserve our natural resources or we’ll find our world an unhealthy and unhappy place to be. The application contains original illustrations and text with Seuss’ lyrical meter and rhyme, and it’s beautifully-scaled to the iPhone screen. I enjoy the movement and interactive features of this app; as you read the story (or have it read to you), you pan around the page to have a more detailed look at the illustrations, and you can tap on some of the images to see the identifying words. “The Lorax” is an engaging and entertaining storybook, but it also provides a valuable opportunity for parents and children to discuss conservation and environmental concerns in our world today.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Nature, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Toddlers

“Star Walk” is a pocket planetarium lesson and astronomy guide for the iPhone/iTouch. This sophisticated application is chocked full of features including moon phases, bookmarks, and a time machine (which allows you to view planetary and star movement in the days to come). It is easy-to-use, nicely formatted, and offers a wealth of learning opportunities. My favorite feature is the “star spotter” option that uses the digital compass to orient your location/position and charts the constellations over head (available for the 3GS only). I also like the option to learn more about what you see through links to planetary information on Wikipedia. This application is a superb tool for parents/caregivers who want to teach their young ones about the sky above. It’s the best of its kind, and an excellent way to discover and explore the universe from wherever you stand.

By Age Range, By App Feature, For Parents, High School +, Middle School, Nature, Primary School, Reviews, Science

Poke, tap, and slide the colorful illustrations and the world of the Itsy Bitsy Spider comes alive. This skillfully-crafted application is made by Duck Duck Moose, the award-winning production company who brought us two other preschool songs-apps, “The Wheels on the Bus,” and “Old MacDonald.” This particular rendition seems to top the others with its endless critters and even more interaction to rouse a toddler’s curiosity. It promotes exploration and can facilitate as a learning tool when caregivers and children experience and talk about it together. My favorite feature is the chatty fly Chloe who buzzes around the periphery of each scene offering helpful tidbits of information about nature and the environment. I also like that my son and I can record ourselves singing. What a find! The Itsy Bitsy Spider is epic entertainment!

Animals, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Music, Nature, Preschool, Reviews, Toddlers