Rounds: Parker Penguin by Nosy Crow is an adorable educational app teaching about penguin life cycles and a top pick for Fun Educational Apps. The app is really appropriate as an educational science app for primary age kids from first to third grade. In addition, it's super cute!
Fun Educational Apps TOP PICK
Rounds: Parker Penguin is a unique app that is fully interactive and animated. The story is full of facts and tells the life cycle of a penguin. It is full of penguin vocabulary, teaching students about the unique features and actions of a penguin. Readers have the choice of having the story read aloud to them or reading it themselves. Tap on the screen where the blue dots show up to access more information.
Many of the pages also have fun interactions students can play with. Navigate Parker through the ocean snacking on krill and squid, avoid the predators, even dance with his mate. The app has a lot of opportunities for students to be fully immersed in this app.
Uniquely, as the app moves through Parker's life cycle from a young penguin to Penelope's mate, to Percy's father, the app doesn't ever end. After the last page of Parker's story, the very next page is the first page of the story, but it's about Percy (Parker's son). It's the same story, only Percy is the character and he mates and has a son with different P names too. The app goes through four times before returning to Parker's story. The seamless continuation of the story really highlights the "roundness" of a life cycle.
What Fun Educational Apps Liked
This app is really, really cute. Young students will love exploring not just the animations but the facts as well. Highly engaging aspects like helping Parker to toboggan and swim, and having him dance around with his mate keep kids engaged. Using blue dots as notification that there is more to come is a brilliant stroke as well. Readers know there is more information and what components of the page are interactive. I loved how the app continues on without stop, illustrating in yet another way how life cycles don't end. I also think it's super cute that the names change from story to story but are all alliterative - staying in the P family. In addition to all of that, Parker's little round body is just cute! Filled with facts, this app is brilliant for teaching not just life cycles and arctic facts, but also fact and opinion.
As a teacher, I think this is a top pick because of the engagement level of the app and the amount of information available for young students. It is an independent activity students could use for self-exploration of various science topics. The graphics and animations are really well done and it's just really cute!
Rounds: Parker Penguin is available for download via the iTunes App Store: Universal App
This app was reviewed by Sarah Emerling, a mom, a special education teacher, and a technology coach. She is a self proclaimed nerd with a passion for incorporating technology into education and you read her findings at The iLesson Lady
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