 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Bear Grylls - Bear Essentials
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Price: $2.99
- Category: Lifestyle
Common Sense Media says
Wilderness handbook turns iPhone into a survival tool.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Bear Grylls - Bear Essentials is a wilderness survival handbook presented by British celebrity adventurer Edward "Bear" Gryllis. The app's 18 chapters cover everything from how to start a fire and tie useful knots to choosing the right equipment, finding shelter, tracking, hunting and first aid. There are some references to peeing and defecating, and some graphic photos depicting wounds and slaughtered animals. The chapter on snaring animals for food emphasizes that this should only be done as a last resort when the person's survival is at stake.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn wilderness survival skills and tips that will make camping and hiking safer, easier, and more fun. Kids will learn how to dress appropriately for hiking or camping, how to use tools or knives, and how to tie knots. They'll learn how to find food and water, create a shelter, and build a fire. And they'll even learn some more advanced (yet hopefully never needed) skills like how to perform CPR and stalk and kill game for food in a survival situation. Bear Grylls - Bear Essentials is packed with useful information including how-to diagrams, video clips, and photographs.
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoningstrategy
- Creativity
- Self-Directioneffort, motivation, working efficiently
- Emotional Developmentpersevering
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Tech Skills
- Health & Fitness
What's it about?
Bear Grylls, host of Man vs. Wild, is the star of this app, presenting content that is filled with tips for safe wilderness adventures and survival tips for emergency wilderness situations. The app is divided into 18 chapters, each with a video introduction. Kids will view video clips, read the short chapters, and complete interactive tasks or games, like Kim's Game, a scouting exercise. Kids can take a quiz over each chapter, but this app's learning value is in its content more than the assessment.
Is it any good?
BEAR GRYLLIS - BEAR ESSENTIALS contains a wealth of useful information for the layman should he ever find himself lost in the wild without obvious access to food, water, electricity, or phone reception. The information is presented in small and easy-to-digest morsels enhanced by photos, audio clips, diagrams, and video of Grylls himself explaining the app's key takeaways. Younger kids might be disturbed by some of the graphic first-aid photos and the idea of killing animals for food. The app also includes a compass tool, rescue light tool, and weather predictor.
Another note about this app: It's not cheap. App prices may fluctuate greatly, but at the time of this review the app was $6.99 -- a little steep for the amount of content. Still, it's an excellent app.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn wilderness survival skills and tips that will make camping and hiking safer, easier, and more fun. Kids will learn how to dress appropriately for hiking or camping, how to use tools or knives, and how to tie knots. They'll learn how to find food and water, create a shelter, and build a fire. And they'll even learn some more advanced (yet hopefully never needed) skills like how to perform CPR and stalk and kill game for food in a survival situation. Bear Grylls - Bear Essentials is packed with useful information including how-to diagrams, video clips, and photographs.
Subjects
- Language & Reading:
- Math:
- Science:
- Social Studies:
- Arts:
- Hobbies: sports
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning: strategy
- Creativity:
- Self-Direction: effort, motivation, working efficiently
- Emotional Development: persevering
- Communication:
- Collaboration:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Tech Skills:
- Health & Fitness:
How kids will learn
Kids will watch video clips, read short chapters, and view instructional illustrations and diagrams to learn the techniques. Much of the content is written, so kids will do some reading. They'll enjoy exploring the tools, too. Some may be impractical, like the ability to send an SOS message (if your phone is working, couldn't you just call for help?), but it's still pretty cool. Other tools are handy and fascinating, like the Morse code generator, survival light, compass, and watch that includes a target and resting heart-rate calculator.
How parents can help
- Practice some of the techniques together, like tying knots.
- Use skills learned in the chapter on navigation to go geocaching (using navigational coordinates to find treasures left by other participants). Websites and apps, like Geocaching, plan the adventure for you.
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title below.
| Category: | Lifestyle |
| Platforms: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | $2.99 |
| Size: | 275.00 MB |
| Publisher: | Chillingo Ltd. |
| Version: | 1.0 |
| Release date: | December 15, 2010 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 4.0 or later |
Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.
Review It
Screenshots
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
