GiggleApps» iPhone Educational App Reviews for Kids and Parents :: GiggleApps

Mr. Hat and the Magic Cube Review

Amy Solomon — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:55:55 +0000

“Mr. Hat and the Magic Cube” is a new interactive game for children involving kids being transported to a magical world after playing with a mysterious cube. They can’t go home until they help Mr. Hat find the cube’s stolen pieces.

This app combines both animation and games that help teach spelling and vocabulary, counting, matching, dexterity, and puzzles, getting more difficult each time you play. Being plot-heavy for a kids app, “Mr. Hat and the Magic Cube” contains 3D animated video clips rivaling those of serious adult games.

I do think, however, that it takes too long to be able to go home for a children’s game, and I found it to be tiring and a bit frustrating, even for an adult. I like that the app saves your progress, but when you solve the game, I really wish it would start over from the beginning.

Putting these issues aside, I really enjoy the magical world the developers have created. Part Willy Wonka, part Dr. Seuss, this world is trippy and maybe even a little creepy for some parents. I find this refreshing compared to the other soft and fuzzy learning apps we play. I am curious to see what happens in the next “Mr. Hat” application.

MathGirl Number Garden Review

Amy Solomon — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:14:41 +0000

“MathGirl Number Garden” is an application designed to help girls gain confidence in math, specifically counting and beginner multiplication. This app is pleasant to look at and has girls in mind with the garden aesthetic. There are twelve levels that increase in difficulty, and the faster you answer the questions, the more points you get. Redeem your points to buy objects such as flowers or butterflies to add to your garden.

I like the fact that although you get more points for speed, there is no time limit to win the base number of points for a right answer, and if you answer wrong at first, you can keep trying. I think adding objects to the garden page is a nice motivation for girls to go back and practice their math skills.

I showed my garden to my 2.5 year old son, and he was really interested in this until he asked me to add a second pink bunny, but I could not. I wish you could just buy whatever you want with the points that you have earned. I do think that this is a fun app and a nice teaching tool that girls will enjoy using.

Lola’s Alphabet Train Review

Nina Ignaczak — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:22:37 +0000

Lola the Panda Bear flies through the screen on her choo-choo train, on her way to deliver presents to her friends, making frequent stops to complete letter-matching and reading puzzles. Each time Lola (i.e., your child) successfully completes the puzzle, the train zooms along it’s way, and Lola earns five coins which are tallied in the upper right corner of the screen. Every so often, the train stops at a toy store where the child can use the earned coins to buy presents, adding an element of math to the game. The purchased toys are then stowed on the flatbed of the train.

Three levels of difficulty are available (Hard, Medium, and Easy) which adapts the game for preschoolers through school-age. My 4-year old enjoyed the Easy and Medium levels, and even my 2-year old, who cannot yet recognize letters, liked to touch the pictures and delighted in the panda and the train. The game can be played in English, French, Spanish and German, which adds value to students studying other languages.

This is a cute and engaging pre-k and early reading game. I recommend.

Intro to Math Review

Nina Ignaczak — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:14:39 +0000

An ingenious mix of the old and the new, the Intro to Math app by Montessorium includes five separate interactive math skill games, recommended for children age 2-6. Within each activity, multiple layers exist to reinforce skills such as proportion, counting, number writing, number recognition, and number order. Topics are presented as fun, intuitive games using sliding blocks, numbers and dots. The games are based on time-tested Montessori teaching methods.

The proportion game scatters wooden blocks of different lengths with a shake of the phone, and challenges the child to place them in the correct order, with a pleasing chime each time the pieces are moved. The counting game challenges the child to recognize the number of blocks. The number writing asks the child to trace a number “in the sand”; a scraping sound is played as the child traces. The number recognition game displays the numbers one through ten and asks the child to touch a given number The number order game plays out the number one through ten then asks the child to scatter them with a shake of the phone and re-order them

Both my 2 and 4 year old enjoyed the game. It is pricey but recommended.

iSee123 – A Counting Adventure Review

Amy Solomon — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:14:08 +0000

iSee123 – A Counting Adventure is a nicely animated interactive app that would be a good choice to introduce number recognition. Text, narration, numbers, and animation are incorporated together to help kids learn their numbers and count from 1 to 10. The music and ocean sounds make the animated scenes peaceful and relaxing to watch.

I am really impressed by the unique aquatic animals chosen, making it stand apart from the usual barnyard-themed applications. My son (aged 2 1/2) has known his numbers for a long time but is still engaged. He quickly found the section of this app where he could just watch the animations and went through all 10 of them again, sitting quietly.

Although great for number recognition as well as being beautiful and creative, many of the animations don’t alone lend themselves well to counting. Before the animation begins, I would like to be able to touch and to count each animal as the narrator counts for me, and then the animation should start. Having said this, I still recommend this app because of the peaceful sounds and intriguing animal choices.

Jungle Time Review

Nina Ignaczak — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:09:06 +0000

This simple but effective app for teaching your child to tell time is a gem. The first mode, “Tell Time”, features an analog clock with a jungle animal face in the center, and asks the child to tell the time by converting to digital. If the child answers wrong, the animal’s eyes droop and it emits a sad, whimpering animal sound; if the child answers correctly, the animal’s eyes widen and it emits a joyous bray. A shake of the iPhone will generate the next problem.

Five levels of increasing difficulty are available, setting time problems in intervals of one hour, thirty minutes, fifteen minutes, five minutes, and one minute. A second “Set Time” mode challenges the child to set the time on the analog clock to a given digital time.

Settings include the ability to change animals; lion, tiger, elephant, hippo, and panda are among the available options. A “Learn” mode includes an interactive tutorial on time-telling. Pre-readers will need parental help with this function. “Score” mode keeps track of the child’s score, and also includes other setting preferences for level of difficulty and sound.

The app was tested on ages five and up; my four-year old is still learning to tell time and found it challenging but fun. Highly recommended.

Jam Packed! Review

Melinda Landon — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:04:56 +0000

The application “Jam Packed!” is a clever puzzle game with the theme of packing. The object of the game is to find a perfect place for each object so each box is completely jam-packed with items. The game contains three categories – Black Box, Jewelry Box, and Lunch Box – with each getting progressively more difficult as the levels progress. Each category has 15 levels, and the tricky part is that each level is locked until you have accomplished the level prior. Trust me – it’s harder than you think to pack things so they all fit! After each sub level is completed, there is a rewarding comment displayed. The graphics and illustrations of items to be packed are realistic and the sound effects are somewhat satisfying. There isn’t any music, but there are dragging sounds when shapes are moved. “Jam Packed!” is great to help kids develop critical thinking and problem solving skills and the game is geared for toddlers to age 10. This is a superior app, a great purchase, and there’s a whole lot of puzzle fun jammed packed in this game!

Long Division Review

Melinda Landon — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:52:47 +0000

My Second and Third Graders needed extra help understanding the concepts of long division and I found the perfect solution; “Long Division” is like a tutor in your pocket! There are several things that make this app special. First, it can be customize to the child’s level of learning needs. You can choose between 1 or 2 divisor digits, or 3,4,5 dividend digits. You can customize the theme colored background to black, white, or gold, and the animation can be changed from slow to fast. You also have a lot of choices, like creating your own problems or solving the ones displayed, and choosing if you want remainders or decimals. The biggest challenge when working with division problems for early learners is keeping the numbers in the correct columns and, of course, remembering multiplication facts. What’s great is this app highlights the column that needs to be solved. At the bottom of the screen are the answers and when you choose the right answer to the step, it will float to the correct position in the problem. If the wrong number is chosen, it will inform you that you’ve made the incorrect choice. The app allows the user a chance to keep trying until the problem is solved. Long division is difficult for some students and I like this app because it makes the experience very simple. This simple approach does not overwhelm the learner and that’s just what a child needs to be successful at practicing long division. Problem Solved!

Lets Tans 8-in-1

Melinda Landon — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:45:16 +0000

A classy classic puzzle game that never gets old. It has been around for centuries and is still used in our educational systems today. “Lets Tans…” is a visual spatial puzzle game that makes people of all ages use the ole’ brain. This app has 3 different puzzle modes – Classic, Replica, and Arcade. There are 7 brightly colored shapes called tiles and they fit together to make a perfect square “the basic Tangram.” The 7 shapes assembled can form thousands of different shapes. There are 110 different shapes to form in the “Classic” puzzle mode. Drag the shapes inside the large shape, tap once to turn the shape in the direction you want it to go or tap twice to flip the shape to it’s other side. After each shape is assembled, the player is rewarded with an applause or some type of celebratory sound and then on to the next puzzle. Whether you’re in the car, waiting room, restaurant, or just hanging out and your child has their head buried in your iPhone playing “Let Tans…” – RELAX… they’re learning!

Math Ref

Kristen Young — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 04:29:22 +0000

Over the past week, I’ve been pondering my school days trying to recall what would’ve made my life easier as a student. I recall hours spent pouring over stacks of books to retrieve math and science formulas to make flash cards and study sheets that I would carry with me everywhere. With this in mind, I started searching around for apps that would serve as a pocket dictionary for math and science… and I discovered “Math Ref”. This application offers reference information on an impressive breadth of math and science-based topics, and includes formulas, definitions, examples, figures, tips, and concepts. Instead of leafing through text books to retrieve a formula, you just type what you’re looking for into the search function and – if it’s available – it will appear. If you’re trying to create a customized study sheet, you can save topics and formulas under the favorites tab so they are easily organized and referenced during your cramming session. “Math Rep” has a lot going for it, but it could be improved by giving more specific examples supporting the formulas and definitions provided. As I look back at my scholastic career, I believe – if it was available – I would have used this app from middle school to grad school. You must admit… that’s a lot of value for a 99 cent app.