Toca Boca has done it again by developing a new digital toy that kids will love. Toca Kitchen, as the name implies, is a creative, fun and open-ended cooking toy for kids.

Here, players can choose one of four characters to cook for and feed. Male and female characters are included, as well as a cat and a cow.

To the left of the screen one finds the refrigerator full of 12 different food choices. Once a choice is made, place on the plate in front of the character that one is looking to feed.

From here, children can start feeding the chosen food in raw form or move to the right of the screen where the cooking implements are kept on a shelf. Options include a knife for cutting, food processor, pot for boiling, pan for frying and a microwave.

It is quite tempting to write about the players and their favorite foods, as each character wonderfully has unique likes and dislikes that make this game so fun and utterly Toca Boca. However, I will resist this temptation as I would not want to spoil the chance to allow one to find these preferences by oneself. I do love that both animal and people are included, and thoroughly enjoy the cow becoming disgruntled by being fed steak – something he is unwilling to try for obvious reasons.

I have often been impressed by the ability of special needs children to learn from Toca Boca’s apps in terms of social awareness. This too is a digital toy that can be used by children who would benefit from learning about social cues.

In this app, the characters express their personal feelings with regard to what they are being fed, and children can then try their best to find foods that these characters like.

I appreciate that these characters have strong feelings expressed, such as the cat either salivating with pleasure, or hissing with distain, as well as more subtle feelings of “it’s…ok” or “ummm…no” that kids will also need to interpret, as these reactions are expressed in a language-neutral way that children from all backgrounds can understand, and I love how it is both fun and realistic how these characters will prefer foods cooked a certain way such as potatoes fried vs. served raw, having been macerated in the food processor.

Since receiving a review copy of this app, my son has spent a great deal of time playing Toca Kitchen. My boy has played with play food and his kitchen and has fed his dolls and animals daily for almost two solid years now, so I was not surprised by his reaction as he loves to cook and feed these characters – especially the cat.

I enjoy how he can have some basic experiences, be it simulated, with boiling food, as the look down into the pot with a rolling bottle, or with an up close view of food in a pan frying – are both things he has never really gotten a good view at as I still worry about him being around the stove as I cook.

I do wish, however, that one could cut the food into more pieces than just four, and I would love to see one be able to flip over what is being fried in order to cook both sides the way I can with my more adult-oriented simulated cooking apps.

Anyone who knows me well knows that food safety issues are a huge pet peeve of mine, and for this reason, I would very much like to see the raw meat, sausage and fish placed on the bottom shelf of the fridge in order to not drip onto the other food on the shelves below, something my son and other children will never be too young to learn about.

I also have the urge to cook food way too long, burning the steak and other foods. As a result, these characters could refuse to eat their favorite foods if cooked too long, bringing some other educational aspects to this game as kids will need to learn when to remove the foods from the heat based on color to serve something worth eating.

It is great how characters here will give cooking tips if offered food raw, an element I would love to see more of, and I am confused as to if the eggs offered are raw or hard boiled as the eggs can be fried or boiled, yet can be cut or mashed up like a boiled egg as well, a discrepancy I have mixed feelings about.

More discerning characters would also be interesting, as sometimes as my son often fries or boils eggs previously pulverized in the food processor, shell and all, to be served with no issue from the eater.

Basic extras, such as sugar, salt or pepper and maybe condiments like ketchup, mustard or hot sauce could be interesting additions as well.

As of now, some characters enjoy eating lemons if ground up – a food I wish could be made even more palatable with some sweetness, also allowing characters to like foods less if they become too sweet, salty, or spicy, making it possible to teach the concept of how much is too much and that sometimes less can be more.

Other foods would be wonderful as well, and although one can have multiple foods on a plate, players can’t cook more than one food at a time – something I would love to see. Being able to sauté broccoli along with potatoes or to blend multiple fruits together to make smoothies would make the possibilities here truly endless.

I enjoy the kitchen tools available, but it would love to see more methods of preparation, such as stirring, peeling, grating or whisking, and it would be terrific if one could scroll down the kitchenette section to find a working oven to bake in as well. Desserts would also be a welcome inclusion, as my son has a play food cookie baking obsession – something that I encourage as I don’t really want to bake sweets for him too often.

Having said this, I have seen a dramatic shift in my son asking again for the iPad when he has alone time after Toca Kitchen was downloaded, as the iPad is an item that sometimes wanes as my son gets involved with other toys, as much as he still enjoys apps when we are in the car, shopping or when I make a special point of sharing an app with him for review purposes.

I do find the physics engine used to make the food move and bounce with a touch a bit sensitive for my taste, as these foods react as if they were in more of a zero gravity situation than earth-bound, bouncing around in a way that is kind of unnatural and even at times distracting. I have heard no complaints, however, from my son about any aspect of this app – something he is not shy about sharing.

It is also worth mentioning that my son enjoys playing other Toca apps as an extension of Toca Kitchen, his idea that I am enamored by. I would love to see even more crossovers included through out Toca Kitchen, such as foods one can buy from Toca Store available to cook, or deserts from Toca Tea Party available to bake as well.

Not only is the gameplay enjoyable, but the subtle ambient sounds and fun details Toca Boca is so good at are also included here including the hum of the fridge which can be heard when opened, Toca magnets lovingly displayed, and the words “Love” and “open” found intersected crossword style found on the door briefly seen when opened, as well as the basic restaurant sounds used within, but it would be nice if the fun jazzy music included – very Toca sounding – were louder in comparison to the other sounds included, just something to think about for a future update.

I hope I do not come across as overly critical of my son’s favorite new app, as this application as it is has kept my son quite busy with no end in sight, as I am happy to say that Toca Boca is a developer that takes the comments and criticisms of their fans very seriously, encouraging me to give notes that could make this great app even better.

I give Toca Boca credit for keeping their fans in the loop regarding their new apps, as well as asking followers what kinds of apps their children would like to see, as well as keeping their digital toys affordable by most. So far Toca Boca has created applications that my son is super-engaged by, based on his favorite toys and activities, and this app is no different. We greatly look forward to hearing about more Toca Boca apps in the future.

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

Let’s Learn How to Draw is an interesting universal drawing app – a little different from other apps out there like this.

Here, one can choose to draw a series of trains or monsters – interesting choices that may appeal to adults and children looking to broaden their drawing choices past the simplistic cat or dog selections typical of apps like this that lead themselves invariably to images that may seem “babyish” to some.

What makes this app unique is that after drawing over the template that one traces piece by piece used to ultimately form the complete image, the tracings that a player creates are not actually used, as a prefab, corrected image takes the place of the drawing one has just completed.

This may not seem like fun to some, but as a non-drawer, I actually appreciate this approach. For whatever reason, my drawing abilities are so lacking that even after tracing over a template, my image never looks like what I have tried to create and even as an adult, this frustrates me, leaving me with nothing I would bother coloring in beyond doing so for review purposes.

Because of this, I like how in this app, the focus is on the process of drawing these elements, with less emphasis on the finished product that was truly drawn by the user.

I enjoy how although I am severely lacking in the ability to draw realistically even the most basic of children’s drawings, I had fun and success at adding the details to these finished images – be it train details or monster expressions, more so than I have had in other drawing apps where my completed image is delivered to me at end.

This Assist Mode can be turned off as well to allow one to copy freehand the chosen image, and a blank “Scratch Pad” page is also included, and one can save one’s work to an iPad. Players can choose to just color in these images as well, bypassing the drawing section altogether, using this app more like a coloring book.

Five choices for both trains and monsters exist, increasing in difficulty. I like how the purpose of each train is introduced, such as the freight train being the workhorse of the train, capable of carrying almost anything, while the tankers carry liquids or the cargo train being able to carry oddly shaped cargo that does not easily fit into the other cars. The monster’s personalities are also introduced and include a wonderful sense of fantasy and whimsy.

Without narration, these fun notes will be lost on kids who can’t read and enjoy this app on their own, and being entirely without sound, this app’s silence, although making this application a nice quiet app, is disconcerting. I do wish that music, sound effects of some sort, or narration can at some point be included.

Although these images can only be colored in using “paint brush mode,” using one’s finger to color in the area of the drawing and lacking the paint bucket mode (my favorite way to color), a variety of point sizes in both brush and eraser tips are available.

It is impressive how the colors can be laid down overlapping each other with a nice translucence that allows combined colors to show through, as well as having the option to make these colors opaque as well – more akin to really painting and something not commonly seen in these types of applications

I do wish the brush strokes themselves could be a little smoother, as drawing curvy lines or circles can amount to a line with many micro corners akin to creating a curve or circle on an etch-a-sketch, something that caught my attention as an adult, but would probably not be noticed by children while enjoying this creative app.

There have also been some issues using the erase function, as a series of dots is often delivered instead of a smooth erasing line, making it sometimes hard to erase sections, as a drag of a finger may create a dotted line of erasing – a nice effect, maybe, and useful in spot correcting, but not what most have in mind when they are looking for an erase function, especially while using the smaller erasing points where these dots are most obvious.

Even with these limitations, I do enjoy what this app has to offer, especially look of this application. The color palette of black, white, and gray along with some interesting textures and distressed elements create an indie feel that I have not yet seen among drawing apps.

Although I will never begrudge an application designed for young children to include the most basic drawing to copy, with a very unrefined, slightly better than a stick figure-like quality as a common outcome, the sophistication and the basic look of this app as well as the interesting drawing choices make this app very appealing to me, as I do not feel condescended to when engaged with these drawings.

For this reason, I think some adults interested in drawing apps may choose this application over others like it, and it may fit the special needs of older children or adults who may have fine motor difficulties but want something less beginner to draw.

Ultimately, I have enjoyed this application very much, but it would be nice if in the future, more content can be added. I do enjoy their trains and monsters, and I would love to see what else developers could think up next.

I am happy to announce that recently, a section of dogs has been added to this application. This makes me happy as these dogs are more sophisticated and interesting to look at than the dogs found in other drawing apps as is the style of Let’s Learn How to Draw. I hope these developers continue to add more choices in the future.

Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Special Needs

Kids Food Adventure is a very nice universal app that is geared towards encouraging children to try new foods.

The foods included in the application can be searched by season, as one can look at a calendar where each month of the year has seven foods that are in season, and I like how one can pre-select an area of the world – be it North America or Europe – to make the food selections offered, which are accurate in terms of seasonal availability.

This is very helpful as the main goal of this app is to get kids interested in trying new foods that presumably parents will provide for their children. It is also nice that the kids get credit for each new food they try, but liking the food is not necessary as one can mark each new food as “yummy,” “yucky,” or just “so-so,” as tasting these new foods ultimately leads to earning stickers. Children can go back and edit how they feel about these foods as their tastes change as they get used to new and different foods.

One can also choose to discover new foods by type, be it desserts, cheeses, seeds and nuts, or regional cuisine such as Greek or foods found in the Far East. These themed groups of foods are explored as one chooses a sticker that represents these food groupings – a nice way to get kids interested in new foods.

A well-shot photo of each of these foods is included that will enlarge to show detail with a tap, as well as thoughtfully written information which offers insight into nutritional benefits and other fun facts that kids and adults will enjoy.

Note that no narration is included – not an issue really as this app is one that is best shared between adults and children. Foods children may be familiar with, such as strawberries or cherries, are included, as well as some less common foods such as a large selection of fancy cheeses like camembert, or gruyere, or produce such as quinces or physalis.

Each food group is represented here, with a variety of fish being the only meat of any kind within this application. Some families will appreciate this choice, and it is nice that gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan choices are included, but I can imagine that other families may find this app lacking in other animal proteins, as well as possibly be concerned at the expense or availability of some of these foods that are meant to be bought and tasted.

I enjoy the look of this app, with a subtle vintage flair adults may enjoy, as here the background used is a close up of the grain of a wood travel trunk, which is intended to be decorated with the stickers one earns by trying these new foods. The look of this warm-toned stain and tactile wood grain is pleasing to the eye, but this is an item most children today may know nothing about, while parents may appreciate this element. The stickers also have a period feel to them, as they are akin to stickers one may find on a guitar case or as an iron-on patch found on a vintage pair of jeans, a fun detail that I enjoy.

All in all, this is an educational app that adults and children will enjoy sharing together. I have found the fun facts informative, the included photographs lovely to look at, and the month-to-month food choices helpful in coming up with new food ideas.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Health, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Social, Toddlers

Buildo Rescue Sticker Book is a fun creative universal app that certain kids will enjoy.

In the past, I have come across many a sticker app consisting of a princess or dress-up theme. I enjoy these apps and have no issues sharing these applications with my son, even though they may seem “girly” to some by their nature.

Because of this, it is a nice change to be reviewing this app as it contains rescue-related stickers, some with a lot of implied action, because in preschool my son always passes over the fairy dress-up area at school for the construction and fireman dress-up gear every time, and this app offers something different among sticker apps.

This application consists of four scenes: fire and water rescue, as well as police and medical motifs each including a lot of fun characters, rescue vehicles and other nice details that add to the richness of each section.

These sticker choices are cartoony in nature and a lot of fun to look at. I like how some stickers are created to make characters seem like they are hanging from windows in a burning building or boats sinking into the ocean, and each scene has an abundance of choices to choose from, giving players many options to fill their screens with.

Intuitive to use, simply drag stickers from the top scroll bar, adding them to the scene’s background. Do note that one can scroll the backdrop as well, giving players a lot of space to create elaborate scenes.

It is especially nice that one can drag these stickers around the screen with a moving effect that is rather smooth, and it is wonderful that multiple fingers can be moving objects or characters at once, allowing children to really interact with the scenes they create, making this a nice choice for multiple players without any little pieces to loose as would be the case with a couple of kids playing this action figures.

Double clicking on these stickers will flip them, creating the mirror image of these stickers to work with, and one can re-size by pinching or spreading fingers. Rotating these stickers is also an option. These stickers can be used an infinite number of times – good for making an army out of a single character sticker or a fleet of sail boats if one wishes.

For many, the best part about this app is the sounds used throughout, from the ambient sounds used in the backgrounds, such as the beeping of medical machinery and distant talking found in hospital settings, to the waves and wind or city street sounds found throughout the sea, fire, and police rescue sections.

Each of these stickers has individual sounds of their own as well that can be heard each time one drags a selection and again with every tap. This includes all the vehicles found within as well as the tools used, such as walkie-talkies, fire extinguishers, bull horns and even the medical equipment found in the hospital setting.

Even small, yet important details are also included, such as the crackling of flames that one can add to burning buildings or boats on fire – an element my husband especially enjoyed.

It is also fun and interesting how each character found within this app “talks” as this app is language neutral, allowing children who speak any language to understand what is being uttered in an emotional sense, much like the way the Swedish Chef communicates on the Muppet Show.

Unfortunately, my son finds many of these sirens, loud vehicle noises and other sounds overwhelming and did not enjoy this application as much as my husband does because of how loud this app can get.

The opening music is rather overwhelming at times as well, incorporating these emergency vehicle sounds for effect – something that did turn off my son who had to be coaxed into exploring this app the first time. My boy did have a lot of fun watching daddy enjoy this app but still complains about the aggressive sounds when I have this app opened up for review purposes.

I do not find the loud, highly stimulating sounds that my son did not enjoy to be a flaw in this application, as I can imagine other children will really enjoy these bells and whistles a great deal. For the right child, this app could be a great, creative choice that may aid children in storytelling or role-playing.

The simple choice would be to mute the volume on our iPad for my son so he could enjoy these stickers without feeling uncomfortable or overwhelmed. Although this would solve the problem, my son enjoys the fun sounds of the characters and the quitter, ambient sounds used throughout, so muting is not the perfect solution.

Included is a parent’s section thoughtfully written about how to help children get the most out of this app. It would be wonderful if one could control the volume of each sticker as well, giving parents the choice to silence some sounds or allow them to play at only half volume without interfering with other noises.

As of now, this is an app that our son is a little weary of. For what it is worth, my husband got a real kick out of this application. My son does not like to play with loud toys either, so this is a purely personal preference on his part. I am sure that the right child will really appreciate this application just the way it is and will greatly enjoy all the loud sounds this app has to offer.

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

Santa’s World is a fun Christmas app for iPad with some nice sections which kids will enjoy.

Children will have fun dressing Santa with choices that include hat, mustache color, jacket style and color as well as shoes. To change clothing, tap the clothing selection that one would like to choose and then tap the selection offered at the bottom of the screen, making clothing changes easy for kids to do themselves as Santa is styled center screen.

A fun puzzle section is included where kids take pre-fab parts of toys and arrange them into a puzzle outline, be it a house, rocket ship or guitar, each including some fun animated moments to reward players for a job well done. These puzzles have a lot of “grab” to them, as these pieces are dawn to the correct area of these puzzles, nicely aiding in young children who made need some help.

In this app’s matching section, children are asked to match the ornaments on a Christmas tree to a given color, as one taps the colored ball decorations until their colors correspond to the color in question.

The Workshop section teaches the basics like numbers or colors in a way kids will enjoy, as toys labeled with numbers, colors or items such as musical instruments are offered on a toy shelf, as the player is asked to pack a specific item in the bag. I really enjoy that because here, as in the rest of this app, spoken prompts are offered as well as visual cues – a nice touch.

Basic letter recognition is also taught as letter balloons sail through the sky, with items or animals being carried along as well. Tap each letter to hear the name of the object being transported with the balloon, such as “duck” for the letter “d” or a block of cheese for the letter “c.” This is a cute section, but I would like to hear the name of the letter as well when tapped – not just the object in question.

Young children will enjoy what this app has to offer, possibly even after Christmas has come and gone. Fun and upbeat seasonal music is included kids will also have fun with, but it would be nice in a future update, one could also mute the music if they wish.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Matching, Preschool, Puzzle, Reviews, Toddlers

Elly Book 10, as the name may imply, is the 10th book in the wonderful series of interactive storybooks starring Elly, a most endearing and relatable reindeer – now a good friend of my son’s as well.

Like the other titles in this series by UK author and illustrator, Jon Higham, this story consists of Elly and gang helping a new friend who needs to find his way back home.

One has the option of listening to included narration or reading this book by oneself. Both options here are delightful, as the narration by Rose Higham is lovely as usual, including the creation of different voices used for each of these characters, each cute and charming.

Although the included narration will be a favorite element to other children, reading these books out loud to my son has long been my family’s favorite way to spend app time that we really enjoy. These simple books flow really well, are easy to read and will make lovely first readers when my son is ready.

Here, a new character to this series is introduced, Lumi, a lost polar bear who is in need of help in finding his way back to the North Pole. Elly is at a loss as to what to do, so she asks her friends to lend a hand, helping Lumi make his way home, as well as gathering food and building shelter until he is able to make this trip.

Typically, adult humans are not found among these stories that revolve around Elly the reindeer, her animal friends, and her human friend Aapo. I think that it is a nice to include Aapo’s uncle, an explorer who is able to help Lumi go back home, as sometimes adults need to help children with problems that they may face. I am also very fond of how cooperation in general is a theme among these titles as Elly often needs to ask for help from her friends – great lessons for children to learn.

My son loves this story, as he does the other Elly apps. The mild drama of a lost creature in need of a helping hand is very captivating to my son, as his favorite game at the park is saving me – his “baby” – from alligators or hot lava, and now I am sure he will create a game where he needs to help me – as an animal that needs to find its way back home too.

The details from the airplane with skies to the building of an igloo to keep Lumi cool and comfortable were of great interest to my son, but what really fascinated him was the talk of the “magic lights” – a moment especially well narrated as well.

Like the other Elly books, hotspots are found in the corners of these pages, nicely marking where to tap, making it easy for the youngest children to explore these included sound effects. Although my son has access to the most interactive apps available, these lovely storybooks are still quite dear to his heart, also loving these simple additional sounds found throughout, tapping each one as I read these pages.

For the first time, an animated element has also been included, bringing the Northern Lights to this story as they magically appear in the sky for Elly and friends to see as they bid their new friend Lumi good night a long way away in the North Pole, and my son had a real moment watching the aurora borealis flicker across the last page of this story, making this a perfect bedtime story that gently introduces the idea the the world is bigger than one’s backyard.

My son’s face beamed throughout as I read this story to him. At the end, he asked my to read it again – high praise as he typically requests a variety of apps instead of a repeat performance the way he does with this darling polar bear story.

I am really happy that this series of Elly apps has included so many titles, allowing my son to get to know these creatures as they demonstrate true kindness and friendship. As a parent, I would be happy for my son to emulate these relationships. I hope more Elly books are to come.

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

Advent Tree 2011 is a very nice universal children’s app which includes 24 mini-games to be played as one taps the numbers found on the Christmas tree from 1 to 24.

Although a calendar mode exists allowing players a new game starting December 1st, it makes most sense at this late date not to use this function but to allow the included games to be played all at once. This being the case, gameplay is intuitive as this app opens up to a nicely decorated tree which includes numbers from 1-24, each moving to get the player’s attention, with a tap bringing players to each new game.

The included mini-games are each short, but the inclusion of 24 activities in total gives this app a lot of nice content. This app would be great for toddlers who need quick and simple activities.

Mini-games include puzzles, connect-the-dots activities, find the difference games, adding the face to a snowman or a simple game of “memory.” I can definitely see toddlers and early preschoolers really enjoying this app with a parent, and I like that these games are explained with the tap of a question mark, with the explanation including text as well as a visual clue, aiding children who are not yet reading.

I appreciate that this app saves the progress one makes tapping from 1-24, but it would be especially nice to choose favorite game levels as well.

Although a Christmas app, I can imagine young children enjoying this application long after tho holiday season, as these games are numerous and very short to complete, making them perfect for a toddler’s first experience with these types of activities.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Matching, Preschool, Puzzle, Reviews, Toddlers

Santa’s Big Helper: 9 Christmas Apps in 1 is a really fun app for Christmas that integrates technology nicely into this Christmas app that will be appealing to children, especially precocious ones who may begin to doubt the existence of Santa.

A fun Christmas sound board is included, allowing kids to hear festive sounds with the tap of a finger. A magical compass is also offered, pointing its way to the North Pole and includes some fun sound effects as well. A Naughty or Nice list is also included that kids can check to see their status, and a Christmas countdown is featured, letting kids know how many sleeps it is until the big day, down to the hour, minute and second of Santa’s impending arrival.

Writing a letter to Santa is made easy as well here, and thanks to email, one can be sure he receives a note in a timely fashion.

For me, by far the best functions of this app are the “Elf Updates” and F.A.Q.’s also answered by this informative elf, “Dozey Toes” in the “Ask an Elf” section of this app.

These updates are brilliant, as topics such as “No Chimney, No problem” or “Dasher the reindeer needs glasses” are taken very seriously, with some quite witty, laugh out-loud moments that I really appreciate. Questions for Santa include such topics as “Is Santa real,” “How does Santa visit everyone in one night” or “Why is Rudolf’s nose red”. Each answer is quit funny and for children, thought-provoking, I am sure.

I really enjoy these elf videos, but it may be worth noting that the style chosen for this elf may be an acquired taste, as he is a rather large man in an, I assume, a purposefully ill-fitting and inexpensive or amateurishly made elf costume – details that I find quite endearing although it did take some getting use to.

These daily elf updates and the questions answered are well-written and delivered, and yield a lot of laughs and some valuable Santa information that can be found nowhere else, making this app a good choice and worth the $0.99 price.

Another very interesting feature here is the “World Famous Patent-Pending Elf Cam” which allows one to see Santa entering one’s home on surveillance camera to prove to children of his existence after the fact, a well-done element that will impress children.

A parent’s section is included, nicely-password protected, to let adults add their children to the naughty or nice list, as well as configure the video of Santa entering the house via chimney or simple magic – a thoughtful addition for those who do not have a chimney. The videos created here are really cute and fun, something kids will really enjoy and parents will have fun with as well.

Christmas is not a holiday that we as a family in a religious sense celebrate, but as my son is in preschool and exposed to the secular concept of Santa, my husband and I enjoy the idea of Santa coming for a visit to drop off a small, token gift for our son to honor the fact that he has had a good year in preschool so far.

I have really enjoyed the Elf updates and questions answered, as has my son, who has started asking similar questions about Santa, although the fantastical answers we have made up to answer these questions don’t match up always with the answers this app provides. These sections have been a source of humor that we all enjoy, and I appreciate the fact that my son can watch these short videos without the use of an internet connection.

Christmas is right around the corner and some families may not want to bother purchasing such a topical app that may not be enjoyed past the holiday, but this app is so much fun, it is worth a closer look in iTunes.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, For Parents, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Social, Sounds, Toddlers

Magical Jigsaw SANTA is a charming puzzle app for iPad with a lovely Christmas theme.

This app is a very good simulation of building a large, classic 96 piece jigsaw puzzle. I really like that although there are many pieces, each piece is not too small to work with – an issue I sometimes face with some more detailed jigsaws.

Opening up to a wood table top where this puzzle is going to be built, a handful of random pieces is offered; others can be found in the tray at the bottom of the screen that can be pulled out to retrieve more pieces.

It is interesting that a see-through piece which one works on is laid over the table itself. This glass-like top section allows players to move the puzzle that is forming around the screen, allowing a better view of the corners, edges or other areas.

These pieces look very realistic compared to traditional cardboard jigsaw pieces, with subtle shadowing which gives each piece the depth that one would expect from a simple puzzle piece. The art work, spread out among all these pieces is lovely, being a traditional view of Santa and his reindeer pulling the sleigh through the sky – an iconic image that is very nicely done.

At 96 pieces, it is very helpful to start sorting edge, corner and middle pieces. I like that the tray holds extra pieces which are not in play at the moment, but I really wish that pieces could be put back into the tray, not just removed, as I end up with a lot of pieces on my tabletop still in a pile in the center and very much still in my way, as remaining pieces can get lost in the hole being formed as the perimeter becomes completed if the puzzle itself is moved directly instead of moving the glass.

I have also noticed that once the edges have been completed, the puzzle can be partially slid off the glass – something that can’t be done with the individual pieces, all of which makes for a slightly less intuitive game play that takes some getting used to.

I don’t quite understand why the puzzle and the glass can be moved separately or together depending on where one is dragging a finger or truly understand the inclusion of the glass-like section in the first place, but I may be missing something that those who are more familiar with jigsaw puzzles would appreciate.

It is nice that a peek of the completed image is available with a tap, allowing one to see the puzzle as a whole for a moment before fading away, serving as a hint without allowing one to simply work from it as a template of sorts.

It is odd, however, that this image is only helpful if one understands that the footprint of this puzzle does not take up the entire glass surface as there is a wide margin at the bottom of the glass not being used, making these hints line up awkwardly until this sizing issue is understood.

For the most part, these puzzle pieces have a nice level of “grab” as the correct pieces are joined, snapping together like one would expect from a traditional puzzle. This effect, however, is not included with every pair made and it can be disconcertingly absent sometimes when correct pieces are added to this puzzle, as multiple pieces that all interlock within the same piece are sometimes needed for the snapping together to register – an issue I hope can be looked at in a future update.

Even with these issues, this is a very nice puzzle application that will keep both children and adults busy. It is fun how when pieces fit together, the brief sound of jingle bells can be heard, and it is intriguing how other noises are included when corresponding areas of this app become matched, such as the horse-like animal noises heard when the reindeer pieces are put together, as well as a horn, drum or Santa sounds. A nice detail of the lights flickering when the houses in the distance are completed is also included.

The image one is working on has a lovely vintage feel that adults will enjoy as much as children will, and it is charming how this puzzle, once complete, becomes an animated scene while still maintaining its period quality, first with simple but effective articulations, then ultimately flying across the page.

Toys are left to interact with, including a horn, a drum, balls and a doll that can be tossed around the page and into each other, as well including some fun sound effects.

I do hope I have not come across as overly critical in my review, as I think this would be a nice application for those who are puzzle enthusiasts, be it child or adult, and with 96 pieces, this puzzle is lengthier to solve than many other puzzle apps – great for long trips with no concern of losing any puzzle pieces. The music included is also very soothing to listen to for extended periods of time – something that I find in general to be very important.

It would be wonderful if in the future, this app will be able to save the progress one has made in the puzzle as I can imagine that many families do not have the time to complete this puzzle in one sitting, and here, closing the app or even tapping the icon for the title page will reset the puzzle. This is especially an issue as one can tap a button to open the tray right next to the title icon, making it possible to lose any work put into this puzzle by accident.

Having said this, Magical Jigsaw SANTA is an app that I do recommend, even with its limitations, as I appreciate the vintage quality found within and like how involved a jigsaw puzzle this app is – not commonly seen in puzzle applications.

Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews

12 Days of Christmas – Polk Street Press Singalong is a charming iPad application which truly brings the traditional song of the same name to life, as well as re-enforcing number sequencing along the way.

I do so very much love the look of this app, as each of the verses of this song is illustrated by wonderful illustrated scenes demonstrating each of these twelve days, such as Three French Hens or Five Golden Rings, complete with cute animated elements, lovely details and patterns adding to the richness and whimsy of lovingly crafted application.

I find the color palette used here quite pleasing, with warm muted colors alongside brighter color choices of many shades of green, turquoise and orange that I very fond of. The subtle shading and brush strokes used here add to this app’s beauty and hand-painted quality that adults and children will enjoy, and I would feel privileged to be able to hang images from this app on the walls of my home.

The animals as well as the people incorporated within are simply adorable. I also greatly appreciate that the people found in such scenes such as the pipers piping, lords-a-leaping or drummers drumming include a variety of skin tones and hair textures which create a nice visual effect as well as a multi-cultural experience, something I would love to see more of in the U.S. iTunes store in general.

Two general sections are included, specifically Playalong and Singalong and I enjoy how this app opens up to 12 images, found in 6 squares – top and bottom – that represent each of the days included in this song – an important element in the Playalong section.

Here, children have an opportunity to learn about number sequencing as this app plays each verse and then pauses, allowing children to tap the number in descending sequence, starting with days 1 and 2, then asking the player to tap the number 1, as it is the start of the long trail of presents received on each day that build as the days go by, ultimately allowing young children to test their number recognition and sequencing skills counting back from day 12.

This app also allows children to record their own version of this song, including simply audio or video as well for iPad 2 users. Options include being accompanied by singing along words with the original recording or singing to an instrumental version by oneself.

The words in this section are not highlighted karaoke-style but are delivered line-by-line as one watches this song’s animation on the top half of the screen. I don’t think the lack of highlighting will make keeping in time with this song difficult since it is so well-known, and I like that one can sing along while being somewhat prompted by the singer to keep in time, or sing by oneself as the instrumental version is being played. Sharing one’s recordings via email or Facebook is made easy, and I also enjoy the fact that one can also watch this lovely illustrated song without making a recording.

12 Days of Christmas – Polk Street Press Singalong is a great app for iPad for any family who enjoys singing or listening to traditional festive Christmas songs. The illustrations used are perfectly realized for this application, and I hope to see more from artist Lesley Breen Withrow in the future.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, For Parents, Just For Fun, Music, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Toddlers