Category: Shapes »

In the Rescue of Ginger, our protagonists Madera the monkey and Figaro the frog go on a quest to find Mrs. Applebottom’s cat. There’s much to offer with this engaging application. The straightforward introduction gives verbal instead of written instructions – fitting since the target population for this game is kids just learning to read – and the characters (especially the mice) are endearing, playful, and full of cunning humor. There are over 100 interactive elements and this application engages the audience in active participation to solve problems along the way (think Dora the Explorer). From an educational perspective, this application encourages critical thinking and learning opportunities for color, shape, size, and number identification. The makers Lyn and Line are on to something very special and I’m eagerly waiting to join in the next adventure of Madera and Figaro.

Letters, numbers, animals, and various other objects come to life in Shape Builder. This app presents a puzzle outline with several multi-colored pieces. Just drag and drop the pieces into the correct spot, and the picture and word materialize. What makes this app great is that there are over 100 different puzzles, so they don’t repeat often. It also provides audio feedback by pronouncing the word. This app provides a bounty of entertainment—like even the greatest apps, you’ll need your iPhone back before boredom sets in with your little one!

It’s Pickin’ Time! That means you need to choose your assigned veggie out of the garden patch without accidentally pickin’ the wrong piece of produce. That’s all, huh? Not so fast….this game falls into that simple-yet-brilliant category and just about everything about this app is beautifully crafted and executed. The graphics are colorful and vivid, the interface is easy to use, instructions are clear, prompts are easy to navigate and the twang of the bluegrass music is upbeat and cheerful. Have I yet mentioned how addictively fun it is to play? Beyond entertaining, this game also helps to hone memory and dexterity, as well as color and shape identification. This is the first app I’ve experienced from the developer Iconfactory and I can’t wait to load more. This is a quality buy and well worth every penny.

Choose a background and an animal to create, then follow the prompts to twist, push, and drag a balloon into different shapes. Once you’re done, you’ll have a “balloon animal” to proudly show off or send to friends and family. While the clown in me really wanted to dig this app, I can honestly say I wasn’t feelin’ it. I found this app difficult and frustrating to navigate and in the end, my balloon creations didn’t look much like their critter likenesses. I found myself quickly losing interest in the app, making it hard to justify my .99 investment.