Common Sense Media Review
By Jenny Bristol
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Stunning interactive geography and animal-science game.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Ansel and Clair's Adventures in Africa
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
In ANSEL AND CLAIR'S ADVENTURES IN AFRICA, the duo's spaceship loses some of its parts over Africa, so kids need to touch and drag the ship over one of the three featured ecosystems to retrieve them and explore the area. First-time players, watch the cute intro story. Parents, view the page-by-page tutorial. After that, kids simply follow the pointers to tap interactive objects, listen to the explainers, play the games, and write or include photos in the journal. It's easy, educational gameplay.
Is It Any Good?
Ansel and Clair's Adventures in Africa is a delightful way to learn about the animals and cultures of Africa. An alien who's like a curious child and his companion robot are visiting Africa to learn about it to teach their people at home. The alien asks a lot of questions, and the robot answers with plenty of factual information on a level kids will understand. The danger of being near wild animals also is imparted. Kids can interact with scenes, for example turning day into night in the Sahara Desert or turning the rainy season into the dry season in the Serengeti. They can learn about animals and cultural and natural aspects of the scene. Some of the animals or other items give different information depending on whether it's day or night, the rainy season or the dry.
The design of this app is gorgeous and very nicely done. The sound effects add ambiance to the scenes. Ansel and Clair are drawn in a different art style, so it's apparent that their alien presence doesn't belong. The games and activities are both fun and entirely appropriate for the age of kids likely to play this app, and they fit into the African theme. All the animals that live in each ecosystem are shown together, even though in real life they would not coexist so peacefully.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Read through the screen-by-screen tutorial to view all the app's features.
Talk to your kid about the concept of continents and how regions and countries within a continent can be very different.
Take a trip to your local zoo.
App Details
- Device : iPad
- Subjects : Language & Reading : following directions , vocabulary , Math : numbers , Science : animals , ecosystems and the environment , Social Studies : cultural understanding , geography
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : applying information , solving puzzles , thinking critically , Emotional Development : perspective taking , Tech Skills : digital creation
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : March 15, 2013
- Genre : Education
- Publisher : Cognitive Kid, Inc.
- Version : 1.1
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 4.3 or later
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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