Mammals
Tinybop Inc., 2017. iOS, requires 7.0 or later. Version 1.2.0 $2.99 PreS-Gr. 2
Using this app, viewers can explore the attributes of an African elephant, a Bengal tiger, a brown bat, a red kangaroo, and a two-toed sloth. Interactive options allow for a look inside each creature's skeletal, muscular, nervous, circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems and, for two of the animals, their urogenital system.
While exploring the digestive system of each mammal, viewers experiment with menu options to determine the foods each animal prefers. Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores are represented in the group, and astute observers may notice that the stomachs of these animals differ. Food intake eventually produces waste, which young viewers will no doubt delight in causing to happen. Urogenital systems depict an elephant fetus and a kangaroo's joey nursing.
Kids can also explore the animals' unique traits: the bat employs echolocation to determine what is flying within its range, the tiger has retractable claws, and so on. Other features allow viewers to investigate how each creature sees, to stage a race between two mammals to compare speeds, to find out how animals react to tickles or stings, and to examine fur up close. A look at a skeletal system depicts how it holds up different body parts, but with a tap to the screen, viewers can disassemble it an put it back together again.
Both the app's visuals and animations are excellent. The audio provides minimal sound effects, such a chewing or running. There is no text, but labels in five languages are available. The free online handbook (available in eight languages) is a useful tool for adults to prompt discussions with kids about their observations and contains a wealth of additional information on each animal.
Verdict: A fabulous tool to engage kids in the sciences that's both entertaining and easy to navigate.- Debbie Whitbeck, formerly at West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, MI.
Tinybop Inc., 2017. iOS, requires 7.0 or later. Version 1.2.0 $2.99 PreS-Gr. 2
Using this app, viewers can explore the attributes of an African elephant, a Bengal tiger, a brown bat, a red kangaroo, and a two-toed sloth. Interactive options allow for a look inside each creature's skeletal, muscular, nervous, circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems and, for two of the animals, their urogenital system.
While exploring the digestive system of each mammal, viewers experiment with menu options to determine the foods each animal prefers. Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores are represented in the group, and astute observers may notice that the stomachs of these animals differ. Food intake eventually produces waste, which young viewers will no doubt delight in causing to happen. Urogenital systems depict an elephant fetus and a kangaroo's joey nursing.
Kids can also explore the animals' unique traits: the bat employs echolocation to determine what is flying within its range, the tiger has retractable claws, and so on. Other features allow viewers to investigate how each creature sees, to stage a race between two mammals to compare speeds, to find out how animals react to tickles or stings, and to examine fur up close. A look at a skeletal system depicts how it holds up different body parts, but with a tap to the screen, viewers can disassemble it an put it back together again.
Both the app's visuals and animations are excellent. The audio provides minimal sound effects, such a chewing or running. There is no text, but labels in five languages are available. The free online handbook (available in eight languages) is a useful tool for adults to prompt discussions with kids about their observations and contains a wealth of additional information on each animal.
Verdict: A fabulous tool to engage kids in the sciences that's both entertaining and easy to navigate.- Debbie Whitbeck, formerly at West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, MI.
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