2014 Tablets Increasingly, It’S Not “Which Tablet Is Best?” Rather “Which Content Does the Tablet Unlock?” Page 6

Expert Guidance on Children’s Interactive Media, Since 1993 Children’s TECHNOLOGY

TM REVIEW 2014 Tablets Increasingly, it’s not “which tablet is best?” rather “which content does the tablet unlock?” Page 6

Rekindling John Henry Martin’s Dream, page 2

Cruise Ships, page 4

Children’s Technology Review DecemberOn the2014 cover: The same book on two devices results in a slightly different experience. See page 5.

Homes, 11 Nabi Big Tab HD, 17 iBiome-Wetland, 11 Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna), 17 InnoTab Game: I SPY Adventure, 12 Penguins of Madagascar: Dibble Dash, Volume 22, No. 12, Issue 177 Joy of Reading, The*, 12 18 Joy Sprouts, 12 Phonics with Phonzy, 18 Angry Birds Go! Jenga Pirate Pig Attack KidZoo Books, 13 Q, The, 18 Game, 8 Kindle Voyage, 13 Sago Mini Road Trip*, 19 Brainzy, 8 Labo Pebble Art Released,13 Shield for iPad Air, 19 Bramble Berry Tales - The Little Land of Venn, The: Geometric Defense*, Tipster, 19 People*, 8 14 Toca Nature*, 20 Classic Experiments in Science History, LeapPad Ultra XDi, 14 Zuzu's Bananas: A 9 Math Shake With Schools, 15 *Monkey Denotes Preschool “Editor’s Game*, CotBot City*, 9 Milk Hunt: Kids Math Game, 15 Choice.”20 Driveclub, 9 MobyMax Tablet, 15 Electric Sums - Lumio Addition & Molecules by Theodore Gray*, 16 Subtraction, 10 Mr. Cupcake Has The Sprinkles, 16 Foos, The: Hour of Code*, 10 Our 11,739th Review • $59/yearMy First Tap, • 17http://childrenstech.com • #childtech Gigi and Lily, 10 Dec‘14 News and Trends in Children’s Tech

“If you believe in the importance of tutoring individual children, but can't have 10 Children’s Technology Review million teachers for 10 million children, you can use a computer. It becomes an indi- December 2014 vidual tutor, acting as typewriter, primer, tape recorder and television screen. It pro- duces color, sound and even chant. Editor Volume 22, No. 12, Issue 177 Editorial Coordinator & Circulation It’s Time for “Curriculum CaveJohn In” Henry on a Martin, Global creator Level of Writing to Read, from the New York Times in 1982, online at Warren Buckleitner, Ph.D., ([email protected]) [WB] http://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/24/science/about-education.html Office Manager & LittleClickers Editor Writing to Read Lisa DellaFave ([email protected]) [LD] Director of Publishing Twenty seven years ago (1987), a new technology-centered, individualized Megan early literacy curriculum was hot stuff. It was called (or WTR), InternsBillitti ([email protected]) and it was published by IBM. Matthew DiMatteo [MD] As 1990 approached, the IBM ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS PR machine was in full swing, and I Mr. Zig [Z] was five years into my career as a software reviewer, at the Children’sare Technology $59, for 12 High/Scope Foundation. Review™monthly issues, 52 weekly issues plus online database access. Weekly issues are sent at 8:30 I saw John Henry Martin speak AM on Wednesdays EST. Site subscriptions are at an IBM sponsored conference available. Contact and can recall how passionate he , 120 Main Street, Flemington, NJ 08822 Watch “Going Global” at PRODUCT SUBMISSIONS. was about his mission to give or call 800-993-9499. LisaVisit DellaFave, http://youtu.be/_aijSYr7gJ0 “every child the right to read.” See www.childrenstech.comEditorial Coordinator, 120to learn Main more. Street, Presenters: Tinsley Gaylean and Stephanie the LA times write up of the John Flemington, NJ 08822 (Phone: 908-284- Gottwald; the Global Literacy Project and 0404). Send app codes bySend email one toproduct with Henry Martin story, at Lainey Franks; Breteau Foundation; moder- [email protected] information to http://lat.ms/1tClIWb. ated by Claire Green, Parents’ Choice The pitch was echoed by the OUR RULES Foundation on November 3, 2014, IBM leadership, especially James CTR Lambertville NJ. Dezell, who also liked to talk about a Below: Tinsley Galean poses the big ques- concept that I began to call “curricu- tion: Can we bring 120 million into literacy, . No ads, gimmicks or politics; we work lum cave in.” It went like this: for the benefit of children. follows editorial and reduce world poverty by 12% in our life- “What if every child suddenly guidelines at time? walked into first grade already (http://childrenstech.com/editorial- knowing how to read? (Thanks to guidelines/). Highlights include: IBM, of course). All the other • We don’t sell or profit from the products we review. instruction would cave in, leaving • We don’t distribute, sell or leverage sub- more time for enrichment activities scriber information. like writing, music and the arts. • Contributors are required to disclose bias. Our schools could be transformed. • There is no sponsored or advertising content Writing to Read was IBM’s obvi- of any variety. ous solution. It was first sold in • Complete transparancy; making every effort 1984, and by the end of 1990, the PUBLISHERto disclose INFORMATION review criteriaChildren’s and sources Technology of New York Times reported that the Reviewpotential bias. • We don’t skim from other reviewers. labs were in 7,000 US elementary schools Looking back from 2014, Children’s Technology Review™ it’s easy to forget that this was a ™ (ISSN 1555-242X)Use isof pubthis lished publication monthly time when the price of a single for(12 anyissues) commercial by Active Learningpublishing As soactivity ci ates, withoutInc. computer was over $2000, came in priorSend address written chang permission es or new is strictlysubscriptions prohibited. to a pallette-sized box, and required components that included a heavy CRT monitor, , 120 Main Street, speakers, headphones, keyboard and mouse. These computers lived in labs, with Flemington, NJ 08822. power outlets, fans, and security, and they required teacher training to use. You had to know how to install DOS from a Floppy drive (there was no Internet), and Contents © 2014 by Active Learning Associates, Inc.Readers are subject to the TERMS OF USE found at “boot up” and “shut down” the equipment. http://childrenstech.com/disclaimer Yet for entire states like Mississippi and West Virginia, it was full steam ahead, especiallyYour afterSubscription research by ETS supportedis Your Key the to investment.11,739 Archived But the computers Reviews are expensive, clunky and extremely specialized.CTR CTREX All Rights Reserved.

hildren’sYour Technology paid $59 subscription Review to includes exclusive password2 access to the database — a collection of reviews going back to 1985. If you’ve lost or forgotten your password, please call 800-993-9499 between 9-3 PM EST.

C , December 2014 THE DEATH OF WTR LET’S TAKE JOHN HENRY MARTIN’S IDEA, APPLY IT TO 2014 TECHNOLOGY, AND DO IT ON A GLOBAL SCALE

The price of a Writing to Read lab was about $15,000, not including staff and overhead costs. Critics like Stanford’s Larry In his Dust or Magic talk, Tinsley Galean of the Global Literacy Cuban had a field day doing cost/benefit analysis of these special- Project said “we’ve stumbled across a new way to think about ized labs. See the 1990 writeup in Edweek learning. It activates a curiosity in kids because we’re giving these http://bitly.com/1yFTb8s. tablets to kids and letting them explore on their own.” He told us DOS-based IBM PCs were notoriously buggy and were eventu- that, according to UNESCO, there were 800 million illiterate people ally replaced by “Multimedia” PCs from companies like Gateway, in the world. If such an intervention could help 170 million achieve THEDell andRIGHT Apple. IDEA, These TWO newer DECADES computers TOO EARLY could run more affordable literacy, it could result in a 12% reduction in global poverty. “We software from companies like Broderbund, Sunburst, The Learning think there’s a real shot at making this a reality in our lifetime.” Company and MECC. John Henry Martin was right but he used the wrong tools. We now Forhave Your the hardware Eyes Only: and software New Dust to make or Magic John Henry Videos Martin’s dreamHere are come the true. latest Dust or Magic videos. They are currently The cost of just one IBM PC ($2,200) could purchase eight iPad “unlisted” so you’ll need the link below to watch them. minis or 16 Android tablets. It is easy to find dozens of high quality apps that can turn such a device into that personalized reading Chris Byrne: WTF??? It's Not What You Think It tutor imagined by John Henry Martin. Take, for example, Amplify’s Means. http://youtu.be/WblMHI0y-7U Lexica (see the introduction by Jesse Schell at Chip Donohue: Back to the Future: Lessons in App http://youtu.be/wJq1jVYqXmU). Design from Mister Rogers Today, we know of 156 higher rated products comprehensive http://youtu.be/sIeWMAlrE6c curriculum products that cost less than a single IBM PC mousepad, that invite use by a creative teacher. Each has the ability to contribute toward curriculum cave-in. See The Joy of Reading, Bob Books, Word Wagon and Learn With Homer for example. Creative teachers can use stand alone apps like Reader Bee and the Story Tree, Endless Alphabet, Montessori Crosswords, Word Wizard, Noodle Words, ABC Go (and the other Peapod Labs apps), The Jungle Book, Duck Duck Moose Reading, Animal SnApp, abc PocketPhonics, Monkey Word School Adventure, 7 Little Words for Kids and LetterReflex. Unlike the direct-instruction, “teach and measure” WRT approach, these apps support a variety of teaching styles. Have You Tried CTREX?

Built from the ground up for one purpose: To help you match technology with children

We say that Children's Technology Review Exchange (CTREX) is the world's fastest, most comprehensive database of reviews. But don’t take our word for it. Go to www.pickyteacher.com and type a keyword. Narrow your search using the four drop down menus. Sort on the fly, by rating or alphabetically, and export the list to a PDF or spreadsheet.

BLAZING FAST. We measure our searches in milliseconds. NO GIMMICKS. Once you subscribe, you’re in. No ads, sales or purchase links; and no publisher-induced bias. INTER-RATER RELIABILITY. The is our secret weapon. Each product is evaluated in the overall context of the market. Because our team is small and smart, we know what already exists and what it really does. With CTREX, you’re always comparing apples to apples. VIDEOS AND IMAGES. We want to see and hear products. CTREX contains 812 embedded YouTube videos for important products.

Subscribers to Children's Technology Review receive a monthly PDF magazines, along with a password to the CTREX database where back issues are stored. Every Wednesday they receive an issue of CTR Weekly, with three noteworthy children’s reviews.

Subscription rates are $39 for 6 months (24 weeklies plus six issues); $59/year (52 weeklies plus 12 issues) and $99/2 years (104 weeklies plus 24 issues). Site and bulk rates are available for schools, universities or libraries. For more information about Children's Technology Review, visit http://www.childrenstech.com or call 908-284-9494.

3 hildren’s Technology Review

C , December 2014 5 sites & ten videos about is made possible by

LittleClickers is brought to you by Computer Explorers, who is offering camps on programming. Visit www.computerexplorers.com to learn more. The web-based (html) version of this page is at http://www.littleclickers.com with live links, plus a place to report any errors. Note that CTR and COMPUTER EXPLORERS do not have commercial CruiseCruise ShipsShips interests in the sites listed on this page. Librarians and teachers are permitted to copy this page for non- profit use. To suggest a future topic or to report a bad link, please contact the editor, Warren Buckleitner [WB] [email protected], or the web editor, Megan Billitti [MB] 1.What’s Can youfour name times thebigger world’s than thelargest Titanic cruise and canship? carry almost 8,000 peo- [email protected]; or call ple? Here are some sites and videos to help you learn more about some 908-284-0404 (9 - 3 PM, EST). amazing vacation machines, also known as cruise ships.

At http://bit.ly/1y8jyFq you can see facts and pictures of the two largest ships: Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. Both are 300 ft longer than the Titanic, and four times 2.heavier. What Eachdoes canan elephanthouse, feed and and a entertaincruise ship 7,800 have people. in common? Here’s a list of the 11 largest ships http://read.bi/1B0QFMw, plus a link to news about a third giant ship in production http://bitly.com/1z5O6EE.

3. What kind of mileage does a cruise ship get? At http://bit.ly/1oDKARR you’ll learn that both can carry you at about the same speed, but an elephant is a lot less fun to ride.

TRACK A SHIP At WantAPPLICATION to see where the Oasis of the Sea is 4. What can a child do on a cruise ship? -- right now? Use the Vessel Finder which http://bitly.com/1z5NHlz you learn that a large cruise ship goes about 50 ft shows the ship’s current location on a per gallon, and it burns about 26,700 gallons of fuel each day it is used. map. http://bitly.com/15LnSyt

BUILD A CRUISE SHIP IN MINECRAFT At http://bitly.com/1tqP3DW At http://youtu.be/ux8EyVBRkBA you can take a tour of a cruise ship created and http://bit.ly/1tzp9wL you can see a list of activities for children that entirely in Mincraft. 5.includes What’s bowling, it like to water be the slides, Captain bumper of a cars, cruise surfing simulators and outdoor ship?movies. On some theme cruises, you can meet characters from Shrek, Nick Jr. and Dr. Seuss.

At http://ab.co/1tqPrlG you can meet a cruise ship captain and find out what it takes to become one. You’ll learn the job is a lot more about managing, and a lot less about steering. Megan’s videos about cruising Here’s a set of hand picked videos from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBVHzUUEKwnflBJTQO-pMmekuT52CvyI

Interact with this page online, at http://littleclickers.com/cruise-ships

hildren’s Technology Review 4

C , December 2014 The Same Book on Different Tablets Which device does the best job supporting a young reader? 7 inch Fire HD Screen Test iPad 3

Disney’s Bambi: The Secret Adventure

In this rather unscientific, yet interesting test. What if we downloaded the same popular, mainstream ebook (say ) on four of the best devices we know. Two were from Amazon, the other from 1 Apple. As shown in (1) we put the devices side by side in hor- izontal mode, adjusted the brightness to about 80% and started the ebook. iPad Mini 6 inch Fire HD Kids DOWNLOADING & BUYING on Amazon devices is extremely easy and affordable, as long as you are enrolled in FreeTime Unlimited. We paid $1.99 to download the iBooks version, and then had to search to find it after it was downloaded. It was hiding in the iBooks library folder with all our other books. In terms of browsing and downloading lots of books, 6 inch Fire HD Kids things are easier on Amazon devices. Deleting books is easier on the iPads, however. All the screens were bright, clear and equally responsive.

We scrolled through each book from start to finish, changing font sizes and zipping from page to page. The experience was good on each device. But there were subtle differences. iPad 3 2 SCREEN SIZE MATTERS. The best overall factor related to the reading experience had to do with one, simple variable: screen size. The largest screen does the best job, irregardless of the brand. Look at (2) and you can see the vastly different experience a child will have with Bambi on the iPad 3 vs. the much smaller 6 inch Fire HD. In (1) you can see the differences between the 6 and 7 inch Amazon devices. Larger pages means more text, and it increased the chance the print will be displayed together with illustrations. Smaller screens means a child will be viewing one or the other more often, and removes the possibility that the illustrations can work as a scaffold. iPad Mini ILLUSTRATIONS. Carefully examine (2). See how that beauti- 6 inch Fire HD Kids 3 ful illustration of Bambi has been cropped on the Fire HD? That cluster of squirrels, which supports the narrative, is missing completely. There’s slightly less narrative information supplied by the Fire. We also noticed that the illustrations were placed into the text in different places. We’re not sure which was “correct.”

NAVIGATION. While both were acceptable, the iPads provided an easy to find scroll bar, which makes it easer to zip from page to page. And the physical “HOME” button means you’re never trapped in a book. Both devices let you easily adjust the font size on the fly and offer different navigation options. The larger screen in the iPad is significantly more page friendly.

LIMITATIONS to this test include not testing different books on each device. Because we were most interested in testing Amazon’s new Fire HD, we didn’t try some of the Android devices.

CONCLUSION Our message to Apple: Make your books easier to find, and make every illustration easier to resize. Your interface is slip- pery and smooth, but it could still be better. And for Amazon, yes you have a wonderful selection of books, but make them easier to delete at the icon level, and please be careful with the illustrations. And most importantly to parents and librarians. While the best possible reading device is the one you have in your hand, our $250 iPad5 Mini offered the best overallhildren’s combination Technology of Review price and page viewing quality. But nothing comes close to the quality of the retinal display regular iPad screen. Size does matter.

C , December 2014 2014 Children’s Tablet Recommendations

Moore's Law — that 1965 theory that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit will double every two years —has been doing it’s work. As a result, we can allby Warrenget more Buckleitner bang for our buck this year when choosing a child’s tablet. But which is best?

I like to turn that question upside down, by asking "what does any device let a child do?" Next, I like to consider the price, app selection, storage, ease of use, durability and management features.

Let’s cut to the chase: All factors considered, I think that the $250, 16 GB iPad Mini (2012 Edition) is the best overall option for 2014. It gives a child the best experience with the largest library of apps, is compatible with all modern cables, chargers and plugs, and delivers an empowering experience.

When choosing a child's tablet, remember that it's really like making a down pay- ment, toward a content library, that will stay with the child as he or she grows up. That library can end up costing many times the price of the tablet. This is a business model many are eager to exploit, including Amazon, Apple, Leapfrog, Google, Nintendo, Samsung, VTech and Leapfrog. Each has an associated device that offers a different experience, and, of course, a shopping cart.

So which is the best option for your child? First, ask "what does the device let my child do" and "am I comfortable with that activity?" Have a close look at the associated content library, which is why Amazon's "all you can eat" FreeTime program is a logical choice for putting thousands of digital books at your child's fingertips. iPad. Next, consider the overall ease of use. Can you turn it on and off, charge the battery, and toss it across the room without breaking the screen? How much stuff can the device hold, before it fills up? What about screen quality, battery life, cameras, parental controls?

If you were to choose just one device, you'd want an iPad. The question this year is which iPad? Apple is offering five iPad choices from $250 to $500. If you're on a budget, the 16 GB iPad Mini, which is the same version announced with great fanfare two years ago, will suffice; but I'd recommend springing for last year's iPad Air, now priced at $400 for the 16 GB version. The larger screen is worth it the extra money. Add $25 for a thick foam case and include another $25 for an iTunes gift card, and you can hand your child a brand Amazon'snew iPad for Fire less HD than $500. Note that the iPad comes with excellent content filtering and parental management features already built in, including a new Family Sharing feature that makes it possible to approve your child's spending from another device. See http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201659.

is another viable choice. The reasonably priced Fire HD ($100 and up) is certainly no iPad, but the all-you-can eat content library, called Amazon FreeTime Unlimited ($4/month/child) is noteworthy, especially because Amazon's management features let you create profiles for each child in your family. So which Fire is best? Consider this year's quad core 7 inch Kindle Fire HD for $140, and then pay a bit more for expanded 16 GB of memory. Add a foam bumper for $25, and start a subscription to FreeTime Unlimited, and get the entire package for around $200. The Achilles heel of the Fire tablet is storage space. Parents are learning that Androidunlimited Kids access Tablets to content has little meaning with only 8 GB of storage ... sort of like offering a huge tasty Thanksgiving feast, but giving you a miniature plate. The unit I tested, a Fire HD 6 Kids, only had room for 13 apps, 40 books and one movie. Downloading the 14th app required accessing my parent account and manually deleting content.

. A slew of various lower cost Android kid’s tablets can be found in the end-caps of any retailer this fall, but, as many people who snapped up cheap tablets last year know, you get what you pay for. This year's contenders include Samsung Galaxy TabWhat Kids about Tablet VTech, (not LeapFrogupdated since and last Nintendo? year), the Nabi DreamTab, Kurio Xtreme, the XO Tablet, The Q and School Zone’s Little Scholar. All have clear touch screens limited internal storage, and squishy silicone bumpers. But finding mainstream apps can be hard. When choosing a lower cost Android tablet, make sure that it's Google Play certified so that you can download mainstream apps.

VTech's completely overhauled InnoTab Max ($110, VTech) can now run both older cartridges and select Android apps on a multi-touch screen. This gives Vtech a fresh advantage over the similarly priced LeapFrog Ultra, Awhich version has of remained this article largely appeared unchanged on Thursday, since last November year. You 28 alsoin the can't New rule York out Times Nintendo, MotherLode with it's Blog. large See library http://nyti.ms/1yG15yw of well designed classic games, including Pokémon and Super Smash Bros. The Nintendo 2DS ($130) and 3DS XL ($200) are both safe buys. The Nintendo DS contains robust parental control options that are commonly overlooked. You can filter games and turn on/off Internet access.

hildren’s Technology Review 6

C , December 2014 Price comparison sheet

Prices as of November 28, 2014. The VTech Innotab price was listed on Walmart.com; all other prices were listed on the product’s pri- marly home page.

7 hildren’s Technology Review

C , December 2014 Feature Reviews and New Releases DECEMBER 2014 Here's an alphabetical listing of both the feature reviews (with ratings) and the new and future releases. "Entry Date" refers to the date we first learned of the product.

Angry Birds Go! Jenga Pirate Pig Attack Game This 1-2 player physical board game/app combination lets you battle pirate pigs as you race against the second player to destroy the pirate ship. Your goal is to slingshot your kart down the slope to capture the victory flag and take down the pirate pigs (like mini-bowling). The game also includes a code that can unlock the Angry Birds Go! app (free with in-app purchases). Contents include 2 karts, a bird, 5 pigs, 2 launchers, a ramp, parts to set up a ship and "cannon blocks" plus instructions. Details: Hasbro, Inc., www.hasbro.com. Price: $30. Ages: 8-up. Platform: Smart Toy, iPad, iPhone. Teaches/Purpose: logic, physics, building with blocks. Entry date: 1/10/2014.

Brainzy Brainzy is a set of 300 flash-based games from Education.com, designed to work from within traditional browsers on Mac or Windows computers. It is available as a subscription, and is being marketed toward the home market. Details: Education.com, www.education.com. Price: $47.88/year and up. Ages: 3-7. Platform: Windows, Mac OSX, Chrome, Internet Site. Teaches/Purpose: math, reading. Entry date: 11/17/2014.

Bramble Berry Tales - The Little People Quality storytelling (and chances for story reading) come to the iPad in this third standalone app in the Bramble Berry Tales series. The mission of the series is to revive three oral histories dear to the Squamish, Sto:lo, and Cree Native American Nations. Children read about Thomas and Lily as they encounter the Maymaygwaysiwak, a fictional tribe of people located in the forest. The story has been modernized, with things like cars and refrigerators. The music, narration and illustrations are excellent, and the interactive features enhance the story. The characters and story items are springy, and each page is highlighted, with word narration. You can read and listen to the story in multiple languages, and toggle between English, Spanish, French, or the original Cree language. There are multiple reading modes - Read to Me, Autoplay and Read Myself. The Ease of Use 9 story was inspired by Indigenous language and oral history. Features include word 94% highlighting and definitions, plus some touch, tilt & slide features. Created by Rival Educational 9 Schools using the Verso story engine by Roy Husada, Neil McBean, David Lam, Corey Entertaining 9 Tracey and Betty Kwong. The story was written by Marilyn Thomas. Design Features 10 Details: Loud Crow Interactive Inc., www.loudcrow.com. Price: $2.99. Ages: 6-8. Platform: iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle. Teaches/Purpose: reading, culture. Rating (1 Good Value 10 to 5 stars): 4.7 stars. Entry date: 7/18/2014. [WB]

8 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 Classic Experiments in Science History Six classic science experiments are combined into one rather dry app. Children can read about each theory, and then answer multi-choice questions related to the experiment. The animated illustrations are good quality, but there's not a lot to do. Experiments include Newton’s Gravity - Cannonball; Archimedes’ Principle - Floating bodies; Maxwell’s Colors- Colored discs; Mendel’s Laws - Garden peas; Franklin’s Electricity - Lightning bells; and The Doppler Effect - Trumpeters on a train. More experiments are planned for 2015. Details: Philosopher’s Appstone, www.philosophersappstone.com. Price: $2.99. Ages: 11-up. Platform: iPad, Android. Teaches/Purpose: science, Newton, Archimedes, Maxwell, Franklin and Doppler. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 3.6 stars. Entry Ease of Use 9 date: 11/17/2014. [WB] 72% Educational 8 Entertaining 6 Design Features 6 Good Value 7

CotBot City Think Sim City for young children, and you have the idea of this simple, well designed town building game. Created in Sweden, the app turns your screen into a town with six city blocks. You first can select from eight buildings to drop into the six squares on your city map. Next, you start driving by tilting the screen. There are six vehicles and your city and the characters respond accordingly as you drive along. You can sell ice-cream with the ice-cream van, drive to the city dump with the garbage truck and put the garbage in the right can, or extinguish fires with the fire truck. There are no failures, and you can play as long as you like. We noticed no sponsored content, and language is limited to the printed labels for each vehicle. The game was created by a husband/wife team in Sweden, with the help of their twins. Ease of Use 10 Details: Devine Robot, www.divinerobot.com. Price: $2.99. Ages: 3-6. Platform: 92% iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle. Teaches/Purpose: creativity, spatial relations, fine Educational 9 motor, community helpers, maps, cars, trucks. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.6 stars. Entry Entertaining 9 date: 10/28/2014. [WB] Design Features 9 Good Value 9

Driveclub Beautiful but plagued by connection issues, this racing game lets you play alone and race solo, or join a racing team. If you can successfully connect to a server, you can join an existing Club or create your own and team up with up to five other drivers. By completing objectives and challenges, winning races, driving in every location or beating faceoffs, you will contribute to you and your club earning Accolades that unlock new cars and tracks. Tracks are inspired by real-world roads from diverse regions from Canada, the UK and India. Our testers preferred Forza and Need for Speed. Details: Sony Computer Entertainment America, www.us.playstation.com. Price: $60. Ages: 8-up. Platform: PlayStation 4. Teaches/Purpose: Sports, racing. Rating (1 to Ease of Use 7 5 stars): 3 stars. Entry date: 10/6/2014. [WB] 60% Educational 8 Entertaining 5 Design Features 5 Good Value 5

9 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 Electric Sums - Lumio Addition & Subtraction Complete the electric circuit puzzles using base ten sliders of the variety used in the "full partitioning strategy" used in some schools. Large numbers are broken into place values (469 = 400 + 60 + 9) and then added together. Content includes three animated tutorials that walk you through two methods of adding and subtracting. Details: Lighthouse Learning, www.lighthouselearning.com. Price: $2.99. Ages: 6 -9. Platform: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch (iOS 6.0 or later). Teaches/Purpose: math, based 10, adding, subtracting, math facts. Entry date: 11/17/2014.

Foos, The: Hour of Code Easy to learn, and full of playful characters, this early programming for iPad mixes an Angry Birds type of leveling system with Scratch-style programming icons. In order to move your "Foo" character across the screen to a star, you must drag and drop the correct sequence of commands in the right order. Everything happens in realtime, so it's easy to experiment. There's also a handy stick of dynamite -- just in case. There are 5 Foo characters (Chef, Cop, Builder, Doctor and Ninja) and two sandbox areas. Each character has unique abilities and structured levels designed to introduce a concept. You jump into the first 8 levels, during which you earn your first "event." The interactions between the characters can get silly which keeps things interesting. This is one of the key strengths of this app. In terms of actual coding, it's very limited. You get Ease of Use 9 just four lines of code, which are tied to four events per player, for example. Also you 96% can't adjust the sounds. Educational 10 When you finish the levels, you can print a certificate that says you've finished Entertaining 10 your "hour of code", found at www.code.org by way of an external link. CodeSpark is Design Features 9 an IdeaLab company, an incubator started by Bill Gross (the guy who started Knowledge Adventure). We're not sure how this game makes money. We suspect that Good Value 10 this is just one level, and future levels will be available as in app purchases. It also isn't clear if this is a not-for-profit (per the .org). See also Lightbot Jr., ScratchJr., Hopscotch and Tynker for similar types of experiences for iPad. Details: CodeSpark, www.codespark.org. Price: $free. Ages: 5-8. Platform: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch (iOS 6.0 or later). Teaches/Purpose: coding, math, creativity. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.8 stars. Entry date: 11/4/2014. [WB]

Gigi and Lily Sugary reinforcements and sluggish interactive design accompany Gigi, a pink- dressed girl, as she she explores counting with her thinking hat named Lily. Children find hidden numbers by touching them on the screen. The app is designed to encourage children to "explore the world around them by placing their thinking hats on before the start of each day." Not recommended. Details: Big Smile Games , www.gigi-and-lily.com. Price: $4.99. Ages: 2-up. Platform: iPad. Teaches/Purpose: counting and spelling numbers to ten. Rating (1 to 5 stars): .5 stars. Entry date: 11/14/2014. [WB]

Ease of Use 2 10% Educational 0 Entertaining 1 Design Features 1 Good Value 1

10 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 Homes We had a love/hate relationship with this third app in the Explorer's Library Series (the first two being Human Body and Plants). But overall, it's worth the download because of it's honest, authentic presentation of information -- in this case the way other children live, sleep, eat, and play in four households from different cultures. There's a brownstone in Brooklyn, a ger in Mongolia, an adobe home in Guatemala, and a tower house in Yemen. Content includes 20 rooms to explore, each with about three items that can be explored in depth. The idea is to illustrate such things as architecture, building materials, plumbing, electricity, household goods, and livestock. You can listen to music of the region, see yourself in the mirror, or cook a meal using a recipe you find in a book. The app comes with a Homes Handbook in 12 languages plus background information about each country and home. Print labels in Ease of Use 7 the app can be toggled between English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, French 84% and others, and it is possible to set up individual profiles for each child. Educational 9 Weaknesses include a navigation system that puts you through some small but Entertaining 8 non-intuitive steps, in order to move between rooms or zoom in/out on an item (why Design Features 9 not just pinch/pull?). Also, because you only see the world map from the main menu, it's easy to forget where you are in the world. It would be nice to have better Good Value 9 geographical context on the screen. Testers noted that there's a lot more to do in the USA home than other parts of the world; and that there's no overarching game to be found, for example one could easily imagine an scavenger hunt play pattern using this content. But this "non-game" design is also one of the strengths of this app. Its a bit like a specialized type of reference that is ideal for supporting social studies. Despite these issues, this app is admirable for it's authentic representation of sites and sounds not normally found in any textbook or app. Details: Tinybop, Inc., www.tinybop.com. Price: $3.99. Ages: 4-up. Platform: iPad. Teaches/Purpose: social studies, geography, language, anthropology, language. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.2 stars. Entry date: 11/10/2014. [WB] iBiome-Wetland In this game, children follow their guide, Professor Bio, as they explore the wetland habitat and the species that reside within. Children will build unique bio domes from scratch and learn the food webs through gameplay, with the challenge being to use the biology knowledge they learn from the game to make their virtual bio domes flourish with life. Features include: explore three unique wetland habitats – fresh water marsh, salt water marsh and mangrove swamp; unlock more than 50 species that live in the wetland habitat, covering eight different categories from Crustacea, Molluscus, Insects, Birds, Reptiles, Fish, Amphibians to Mammals; discover the biology within – the food webs behind the scene; build four beautifully illustrated bio domes from scratch and make each dome flourish; and hand-drawn animations. There are no high scores, but rare badges are rewarded. There is no advertising, and no in-app purchases. Ease of Use 3 Languages: English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, 28% Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, and Educational 4 Turkish. Entertaining 3 Details: Springbay Studio Ltd., www.springbaystudio.com . Price: $2.99. Ages: 9 Design Features 2 -11. Platform: iPad. Teaches/Purpose: . Rating (1 to 5 stars): 1.4 stars. Entry date: 11/14/2014. [] Good Value 2

11 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 InnoTab Game: I SPY Adventure Scholastic's long-standing I SPY franchise comes to the InnoTab platform for the first time by way of a plug in cartridge. Games include Riddle Rush - solve I SPY riddles by searching for objects in photorealistic scenes with themes such as cars and trucks, crafts, colors and outer space; Pattern Quest - look and listen for a pattern and then find the object that completes it; Ooops Hoops - figure out what the objects have in common and then sort them into hoops with other similar objects; and Adventure Box - unlock a treasure box full of I SPY objects and find the matching pairs. Each game features 50 levels to be unlocked, with each increasing in difficulty. The game includes power-ups along the way. Created, produced and developed by Scholastic Media for Vtech. Details: VTech Electronics North America, www.vtechkids.com. Price: $25. Ages: 4 -7. Platform: InnoTab. Teaches/Purpose: matching, visual discrimination, problem solving, logic. Entry date: 9/9/2014.

Joy of Reading, The Looking for a solid iPad-based reading curriculum? Keep reading. Priced for home use, but containing features that qualify it for classrooms, The Joy of Reading combines robust record keeping features with a playful set of structured reading activities. The curriculum comes from Dr. Robert Savage (McGill University), and Françoise Boulanger (a Reading Teacher). Content includes eight games designed to provide drill and practice recognizing words on labels, rhyming, tracing upper and lower case letters, practicing consonant sounds and long vowels in the context of significant words like their own first name. There are 3000 first names that comes with the app. The app automatically adds fundamental vocabulary-building words, such as “mommy” and “daddy”, and parents can record and copy an unlimited number of words to support the learning journey. The web-based Parental Dashboard lets Ease of Use 8 parents and educators create up to 40 profiles where they can track progress. 90% Details: Seven Academy, www.sevenacademy.com. Price: $1.99. Ages: 3-8. Educational 9 Platform: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch (iOS 6.0 or later). Teaches/Purpose: phonics, Entertaining 8 reading, upper/lower case letters, letter tracing. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.5 stars. Entry Design Features 10 date: 7/24/2014. [WB] Good Value 10

Joy Sprouts This single app contains a collection of educational games from publishers like Oxford University Press and the BBC that deal with math, science, language. Record keeping features let parents track progress and the app then makes recommendations for additional modules, sold as IAP (In App Purchases). The app can track multiple children using a sign-in system. Modules, called Sprouts, cover five areas: Cognition and General Knowledge (Math, Science, and Social studies), Language and Literacy, Learning Approaches, Social and Emotional Development, and Physical Development and Health. Details: Joy Sprouts , http://www.joysprouts.com. Price: $.99 plus IAP. Ages: 3-6. Platform: iPad. Teaches/Purpose: math, reading, social studies. Entry date: 11/30/2014.

12 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 KidZoo Books KidZoo Books is a collection of eight original children's ebooks, sold as in-app sales. Interactive features are limited. Each book has three modes: Auto Play - the book plays from start to finish automatically; Read to Me - swipe the page forward or back anytime; and Read Myself - narration is turned off. The app is free to download with one book with the option to purchase seven additional books ranging in price from $0.99 to $3.99 each. New books will be added periodically. Details: KidZoo Books, www.kidzoobooks.com. Price: $free. Ages: 3-8. Platform: iPad (iOS 7.1 or later). Teaches/Purpose: reading. Entry date: 11/14/2014.

Kindle Voyage Released December 2014, Amazon's top of the line monochrome 6 inch eReader is designed to make old fashioned pages look old fashioned on a non-glare screen. Features include the highest resolution ever on a Kindle device (300 ppi), smoother page turns, and a feature called "PagePress", a small fingerprint-sized force sensor which reacts to a subtle increase of pressure, triggers a page-turn, and provides a haptic response (a tiny vibration) that only your thumb can perceive. So you can "feel" the page turn. Kindle Unlimited lets you browse from 700,000 titles, or you can use the Overdrive app and visit your local library. Visit the website of a U.S. library to see if your library offers OverDrive and check out a Kindle book (using a valid library card). Ideally there is a "Get for Kindle" option that pings you for your Amazon.com account to have the book delivered to your Kindle device, or Kindle reading app running on a non-Kindle device. Need to know: Many pubic libraries are in flux when it comes to ebook distribution. Due to publisher and other distribution restrictions, some titles may not be wirelessly delivered to a Kindle device. In some cases, a USB transfer from your computer to your device is required.In some cases, books can be sent wirelessly to Kindle devices via an active Wi-Fi connection or transferred via USB cable. When in doubt, ask your librarian. Details: Amazon.com, www.amazon.com. Price: $200. Ages: 5-up. Platform: Kindle. Teaches/Purpose: reading, literature, comprehension. Entry date: 12/1/2014.

Labo Pebble Art Released Real looking pebbles come to life in this puzzle app that mixes drag-and-drop puzzles with 22 simple timed games that vary in quality. A set of coloring tools lets you color your finished projects. We liked how the app mixes "real" stones, wood and bugs on the same screen. There's a lot to do. Need to know: Some of the navigation is confusing. The timer looks like a time- bomb (with a fuse) which may upset some teachers. Details: Labo Lado Inc., www.labolado.com. Price: $2.99. Ages: 3-6. Platform: iPad, iPhone. Teaches/Purpose: spatial relations, coloring, creativity, logic. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.1 stars. Entry date: 11/11/2014. [WB]

Ease of Use 7 82% Educational 9 Entertaining 9 Design Features 8 Good Value 8

13 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 Land of Venn, The: Geometric Defense Most children don't encounter geometric terms like "isosceles triangle" or "open shape" until they open a math textbook. This app lets them playfully encounter these types of geometric concepts by way of an addicting, leveled tower defense game where you trace the shapes with your finger in order to score points and kill approaching bad guys. Your goal is to defend a helpless tomato as bad creatures approach from all sides. At the easy levels the creatures are slow and can be destroyed by "points" or "straight lines." Later levels include faster, meaner creatures and more sophisticated geometric shapes which are labeled instantly when you make them. As a result, you complete hundreds of geometric worksheet types of problems in a fun context. Weaknesses include some quirks with the leveling. The first level starts out Ease of Use 8 extremely easily, but you aren't allowed to clear the first set of ten levels unless you 86% achieve perfect scores on all the games; a process that can take a few hours. While the Educational 9 challenge increases geometrically (pun intended) the educational challenge moves at a Entertaining 9 slower pace. Also we felt that the narration was less-than-professional, and the screens Design Features 9 are cluttered. While asking a child to deal with distractions could actually have some pedagogical value, ideally a teacher or parent could toggle these excessive illustrations Good Value 8 on/off. These weaknesses are not deal breakers ... all in all this game succeeds in it's mission to embed geometric facts in a game. The bottom line? Clearly a lot of thought went into this app. Just be on hand to help children during the final levels of the first set of problems. Details: iMagine Machine, www.imaginemachine.com. Price: $4.99. Ages: 6-8. Platform: iPad, iPhone. Teaches/Purpose: math, geometry (2 dimensional shapes), logic, spatial relations, temporal relations. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.3 stars. Entry date: 8/27/2014. [WB]

LeapPad Ultra XDi With the exception of the "i" in the title, there's little difference between the 2013 and 2014 editions of the LeapPad Ultra. The seven-inch Wi-Fi tablet still has 8GB of memory, and comes in pink and green and has front/back cameras, plus and rechargeable batteries. The price is slightly lower. Need to know: This tablet does not have access to Android apps. See the Kindle Fire, VTech's Innotab Max (which now has limited Android app access) Details: Leapfrog, www.leapfrog.com. Price: $130. Ages: 3-9. Platform: LeapPad. Teaches/Purpose: basic skills mostly related to math and reading. Entry date: 6/26/2014.

14 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 Math Shake With Schools Some say the best ideas come from far way. If so that might explain this dynamic story problem tutorial, created by New Zealand elementary teachers; the same team that also made Silent Light, a classroom noise monitor. It's one of the few story problem apps we've encountered, and while it's not perfect, it's worth a second look. Why? Story problems are ideal combinations of reading and math; two of the "three Rs." Touching key words in a paragraph turns them into parts of the math equation that lies at the center of a sentence like "There are 7 tomato plants in the carton. If one costs $4, how much will they all cost?" OK -- not the most exciting reading... but the magic happens when you touch the words to see them turn into the math equations. This app could be useful for a child who is in the early stages of story problems. Ease of Use 7 You can then use a white board to work out the problem. Only then can you enter 83% your answer. There are six levels, and you can request addition, subtraction, Educational 9 multiplication or division. Entertaining N Content includes access to tools, including tens frames, number matrixes, fraction Design Features 9 parts, number lines and counters. Details: Top Storey Apps, http://topstoreyapps.com/. Price: $free, $4.99 for IAP. Good Value 8 Ages: 6-12. Platform: iPad. Teaches/Purpose: math, reading, story problems, math facts, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.1 stars. Entry date: 11/24/2014. [WB]

Milk Hunt: Kids Math Game An endless runner meets math flash card plus in-app sales in this fun way to practice math facts. The game play and the educational concepts have no relationship ... this is a "sugar helps the medicine goes down" type of app. You help a Kangaroo collect milk bottles, by moving through a set of obstacles. He can roll (swipe down), jump (swipe up), glide (hold your finger one the screen) and so on. As you progress through the maze you earn more time by answering multiple-choice style math problems. Records are tracked, and you can purchase additional content and powers as an in- app sale. Levels illustrate the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney National Park, and the Great Australian Outback. An adaptive algorithm identifies your level, and adjusts automatically. Content Ease of Use 8 includes an original soundtrack, five gameplays and seven environments. A parental 80% lock (ironically, a math problem) hides the in-app purchases. Educational 7 Details: Skidos Learning, www.skidos.com. Price: $2.99. Ages: 6-12. Platform: iPad, Entertaining 9 iPhone, iPod Touch (iOS 7.1 or later). Teaches/Purpose: addition, subtraction, Design Features 9 multiplication, division, fractions, decimals. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4 stars. Entry date: 10/13/2014. [WB] Good Value 7

MobyMax Tablet This is a stripped down 7 inch Wi-Fi Android tablet with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of Flash Memory (with expandable Micro SD card port, that runs last year's Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. There are no cameras. There are school bundles available, linked to the MobyMax K-8 Curriculum. Details: MobyMax, LLC, www.MobyMax.com. Price: $70 and up. Ages: 3-up. Platform: Android. Teaches/Purpose: An Android tablet. Entry date: 1/6/2014.

15 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 Molecules by Theodore Gray Turn your iPad into a specialized science kit specifically designed to let you explore 348 select molecules, from carbohydrates to caffeine. This app is a sequel to The Elements and The Elements in Action (both also by science geek Theodore Gray, with help from Max Whitby and others). You can jump into one of 16 categories from the main menu, or browse this app in book fashion, swiping through the content one screen/page at a time. The text is fun to read, but there are no narration or text scaffolding features. Nearly every image can be rotated using Touch Press' famous display technique, but sadly there is no zoom function or sound. You discover some wonderful interactive surprises, however, like the ability to slide your finger across the screen to test substances under different conditions, such as in a flame. Ease of Use 9 The headline feature in this app is the molecule simulator, that starts with a 90% "traditional" map of a molecule, but then lets you toggle between 2D/3D/fill modes on Educational 10 the fly, as well as change temperature settings that let you see how the movement of Entertaining N the molecule changes when this important variable is changed. It helps you Design Features 9 understand how molecules continually vibrate, spin and stretch (the simulation elements were adapted from the NAMD simulation engine from the University of Good Value 8 Illinois). You'll also find "still life videos" (a term coined by Touch Press) that you can control by touch to reveal the unique properties of different substances. The bottom line? The rotating images and molecule simulator will delight serious scientists as well as a child who simply wants to see what happens when silk comes in contact with a flame. Details: Touch Press, www.touchpress.com. Price: $13.99. Ages: 11-up. Platform: iPad. Teaches/Purpose: science, chemistry, molecules, quantum mechanics, compounds. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.5 stars. Entry date: 11/10/2014. [WB]

Mr. Cupcake Has The Sprinkles In this first app from animation start-up Mighty Yeti Studios, Mr. Cupcake is getting ready to go to Mr. Cookie's birthday party. Features of the app include: more than 70 interactive elements for children to tap and discover; 31 pages; sound effects and music; listen and read in both English and Spanish; professional narration and illustrations from animation industry professional artists; and no third-party ads and no in-app purchases. Details: Mighty Yeti Studios, www.mightyyeti.com. Price: $2.99. Ages: 3-up. Platform: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, Kindle. Teaches/Purpose: English, Spanish. Entry date: 9/15/2014.

16 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 My First Tap Well intentioned but poorly designed, this app is designed for "little kids between 6 and 36 months." An animated image appears. Touching anywhere on the screen makes something happen. The animated routines loop and do not respond instantly to touch. MyFirstTap claims to respond to the Montessori concept of "help me to do it myself." Yikes. Details: Emmalu Apps, http://emmaluapps.blogspot.it/2014/08/cerrato-enrico- emmalu-joines-moms-with.html. Price: $0.99. Ages: 0-3. Platform: iPad. Teaches/Purpose: causality. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 1.1 stars. Entry date: 9/8/2014. [WB]

Ease of Use 4 22% Educational 3 Entertaining 2 Design Features 1 Good Value 1

Nabi Big Tab HD The nabi Big Tab HD has a large (20” and 24”) HD multi-touch display and rechargeable batteries, a handle and a kickstand, which makes it possible to double as a desktop display or a multi-player, tabletop experience. The underlying technology is not that different than many smaller Android tablets -- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, 16 GB of on board storage, Android 4.4 KitKat, integrated parental controls, plus "over 400 kid-focused, parent-approved features" including Nabi’s "Blue Morpho OS." Different modes include Two Play (classic 2-player board games), Game Room (arcade games like air hockey), Show Time (popular movies and TV shows), Story Time (interactive bedtime stories), and Big Canvas (drawing and editing videos). Details: Fuhu, Inc., www.fuhu.com. Price: $450 and $550. Ages: 3-up. Platform: Android. Teaches/Purpose: a large Android tablet. Entry date: 11/24/2014.

Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) Designed to make Alaskan native American Folk Tales less-than-boring, this fictional "puzzle platformer" asks you to help a young Iñupiat girl and an arctic fox save their village. The ESRB has rated this game Teen for violence. The game is available as a download for PS4 and XBox One. Environments include the frozen tundra, ice floes, underwater ice caverns and enemies. As you play, you meet characters from Iñupiaq stories and listen to authentic folk tales. You can play as either Nuna or the Fox — switch between the two companions at any time with one button press, or play side by side in local co-op mode, as you rely on the unique skills of each character to succeed in your quest. Nuna can climb ladders and ropes, move heavy obstacles, and throw her bola (weapon) at targets to solve puzzles. Fox can fit through small areas that Nuna can’t reach, scramble up walls, and jump to great heights. Content includes 30 minutes of interviews with members of the Alaska Native community. The game comes from Upper One Games and E-Line Media. Upper One games was established by CITC Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), a for-profit subsidiary of Cook Inlet Tribal Council who worked in cooperation with E-Line Media. In 2014, E-Line Media and Upper One Games merged. The team plans to expand the “World Games” initiative under the Upper One Games brand. See http://neveralonegame.com/. Details: E-Line Media, www.elinemedia.com. Price: $15. Ages: 12-up. Platform: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One (2.6 GB) . Teaches/Purpose: history, co-op play, Alaska, Native American Folk Tales. Entry date: 11/30/2014.

17 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 Penguins of Madagascar: Dibble Dash This free, endless runner (in the spirit of Temple Run) will be released along with the movie (11/26/2014). It mixes math facts, famous characters and action -- plus in app sales. In the game, you steer Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private around a maze- like course while avoiding Dr. Octavius Brine’s bad guys. You must rescue the Penguins by solving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. You can earn "special rewards" and "send in-game challenges to friends". The new Penguins of Madagascar: Dibble Dash is available for free with IAP (in- app purchase) including themed expansion packs, power-up upgrades, and consumables. Details: Jumpstart, www.JumpStart.com. Price: $free with IAP. Ages: 6-10. Platform: iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle, Windows. Teaches/Purpose: math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). Entry date: 11/17/2014.

Phonics with Phonzy Designed to introduce young children to the phonic sounds and associated words, this app is "the first time an app demonstrates correct pronunciation using a 3D character, Phonzy, who also encourages kids to practice aloud." Features of the app include: Phonzy demonstrates pronunciation of all the phonics sounds and associated words using detailed mouth, teeth and tongue movements in 3D; Phonzy reacts to your child’s voice encouraging them to practice aloud (Phonzy does not identify incorrect pronunciation); original artwork; and interactions and activities with Phonzy, to keep kids practicing. Parents and teachers can monitor progress and listen back to the child’s pronunciation. There is no third party advertising. Details: MeowTek, www.meowtek.com. Price: . Ages: 3-6. Platform: Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch (iOS 6.0 or later). Teaches/Purpose: phonics, pronunciation. Entry date: 11/17/2014.

Q, The Now you can discreetly "incentivize" your child to play “good” apps rather than mindless games, at least according to the PR-speak that comes with this $130, 8 inch Android tablet. As children play the pre-installed apps, they can earn "Q coins" that can be exchanged for real stuff that arrives in the mail. Parental management features include a timer. Parents get messages from "Q Whoo" (www.qwhooapp.com) which makes it possible to send messages, photos, texts and audio from any iOS or Android smartphone. This also lets you monitor what your child does with this app. The Q tablet is nailed down under all sorts of COPPA-safe monitoring seals. There are three varieties. Each has a quad core processor and an included protective case; prices range from $150 to $200 depending on the pre-installed apps, memory and amount of coins (low end versions only have 8 GB of memory). The ten included apps have been picked by Famigo and you are encouraged to subscribe for additional apps (at $8/month). Titles include Toddler Counting, Shrek Forever, Doodlejump and Yumsters (aka "Candy Crush for Children.") Details: IDeaUSA, www.ideausa.com. Price: $150. Ages: 3-12. Platform: Android. Teaches/Purpose: An Android-based tablet. Entry date: 11/13/2014.

18 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 Sago Mini Road Trip Making friends and driving cars get mixed up in this playful, well designed, no- fail starter app from Sago Sago. First, you pack a suitcase and then choose one of ten vehicles to drive in six different landscapes on your trip to visit a friend. The vehicles include both electronic and gas vehicles, and there are opportunities for washing and fueling along the way. Nice touches include the ability to both pack and unpack your suitcase (in case you change your mind), the ability to make the car fly, and the inclusion of a fun Easter Egg mode (hold three fingers on the garage for a party trip. As with other Sago mini apps, there are no rules or time pressure, making this an excellent starter app. Details: Sago Sago, www.sagosago.com. Price: $2.99. Ages: 2-6. Platform: iPad, iPhone. Teaches/Purpose: spatial relations, number, counting from 1 to 10, fine motor Ease of Use 10 development. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.8 stars. Entry date: 11/6/2014. [WB] 96% Educational 9 Entertaining 9 Design Features 10 Good Value 10

Shield for iPad Air Dense foam tablet cases are evolving. Take this latest entry from Gripcase-USA, designed specifically to fit Apple's iPad Air. It's clear that somebody has been talking to teachers, because this case is slim enough for a cart, yet strong enough to protect your iPad against a drop on a hard cement floor. Four .5 inch holes make the iPad easy to hang from a hook or carry with a strap; plus a grooved back makes the tablet easy to hold. The entire case is lightweight and designed protect the iPad from a drop. It is made from EVA polymer that is washable and strong enough to hold up to a child's teeth. There are large ports for the speaker, microphone and it is easy to find the charger and microphone input. The overall dimensions will fit a range of charging/syncing solution. Shield comes in black, blue, red, green or purple. Details: Gripcase-USA, www.gripcase-usa.com. Price: $30. Ages: 2-up. Platform: iPad Air only (does not fit earlier versions). Teaches/Purpose: a protective case for the iPad air. Entry date: 11/18/2014.

Tipster Tipster is a robot that can play, move around, spin, and tip. There are five play modes, a remote, and activities that include balancing, stacking and counting. Games include: Tippy Tunes - see how much you can build on Tipster before the music stops; Dizzy Builder - build on Tipster as he spins around and counts down from 10, with three rounds that increase in difficulty; Tipster Takedown - Tipster tells you exactly what to put on his trays, then you grab the remote control and drive him around until everything falls off; Tipster Trix - place Tipster on his RoboBarrel, and watch him keep his balance atop it, then drive him around and see if you can make him tip; and Free Play - use the remote control to drive Tipster around, and listen close for building cues. Features include: motions via a single motor; can move forward & backward; can spin; two wheels in front, two wheels in back; RC remote with three buttons; mode indicator switch/slider on right ear; additional button on left ear for starting games; cylinder that holds five ladders and ten mini-robots; knows when there is something on his right or left hand, and leans to side accordingly; hinge in waist (parent/child can enable or disable it for easy/harder play; and eyes animate via LED display. Requires: 4 x AA & 3 x AAA batteries (not Included). Details: WowWee USA, Inc., www.wowwee.com. Price: $50. Ages: 3-up. Platform: Smart Toy. Teaches/Purpose: romote controls, balance, robotics. Entry date: 10/6/2014.

19 FEATURE REVIEWS, DECEMBER 2014 Toca Nature Starting with an empty plot, this app lets you create your own very simple ecosystem. You can "paint" with trees, lakes and mountain in an area about 20 square blocks in size. An ax icon lets you reverse mistakes. Things get interesting when the animals appear. This happens when the conditions are correct. A grove of oak trees spawns a deer, and a pond creates beavers and fish. Nice touches include day and night modes (with sounds), and the ability to zoom in on a particular animal. When zoomed in, you can give an animal food, take it's picture, or follow it around. The graphics are not high resolution, but our testers didn't mind. This is a peaceful app... of all the past Toca Boca apps, we think it's the most serious. There's also a collecting play pattern -- as you explore you can pick up acorns, berries or fish to feed to animals later on. Ease of Use 10 Bio-majors, don't get too stressed by the lack of scientific detail or content in this 96% app -- complex relationships are presented very generally. For a young child Educational 9 interested in exploring big ideas, this app is perfect. In addition, the entire experience Entertaining 9 provides an informal way to experiment with touch-driven navigation tools, and Design Features 10 thinking about the relationship between 2D and 3D. Details: Toca Boca, http://tocaboca.com/. Price: $2.99. Ages: 5-9. Platform: iPad. Good Value 10 Teaches/Purpose: science, creativity, logic, spatial relations, ecology, ecosystems, earth science. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.8 stars. Entry date: 11/15/2014. [WB]

Zuzu's Bananas: A Monkey Preschool Game Fun, fast, and easy to play, this is a collection of 50 timed micro-games, each taking no more than 15 seconds to play. The design resembles Wario Ware or Dumb Ways to Die; only adapted for young children, and running on a tablet. Each game starts fast, with one word instruction, like "pop" (touch kernels of corn to pop them), "match" (lead baby monsters to their mother) or "zip" (close a large zipper). The characters are bright, responsive, and playful, and there's a lot to do. Need to know: explore the parent options, where you can turn on/off the sound, adjust the "Knack" (the automatic leveling) or the timer speed. We liked the "off" option for the timer, and also that you can get this app for non-Apple devices. Details: Thup Games, www.thup.com. Price: $2.99. Ages: 3-6. Platform: iPad, Ease of Use 9 iPhone, Android, Kindle. Teaches/Purpose: logic matching, memory, fine motor skills, 94% patterns. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.7 stars. Entry date: 11/18/2014. [WB] Educational 9 Entertaining 10 Design Features 10 Good Value 9