Bear Grylls - Bear Essentials

Review

Common Sense Media says

Wilderness handbook turns iPhone into a survival tool.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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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.

  • Ease of use4
    The information is divided into chapters accessed through a table of
    contents. Users simply swipe the screen to scroll through the text, and
    can tap icons to open up supplemental material like photos and audio and
    video clips.
  • Violence4
    There are a handful of graphic photos that young kids will probably find disturbing, including dead skinned rabbits lying side by side, a close-up of frostbitten fingers, and various pictures of Grylls eating animal carcasses with blood on his face and hands. One chapter discusses different ways of trapping animals for food, including traps that trigger large rocks or branches to fall on the animal killing it. Grylls also makes passing references to gutting animals and cutting the head off of a rattlesnake.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism2
    The app's host, Bear Grylls, is a TV personality and motivational
    speaker. Brand names are occasionally visible in photos. One of the
    chapters is devoted to the Scouts. A link from the main menu leads to a
    page with a variety of sponsor links including the Bear Grylls website,
    Scouts, some outdoor gear companies, and other apps from the same
    publisher.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
  • Privacy & safety3
    Some privacy concerns. Users can opt in to Crystal, an interactive
    network that allows users to upload real avatar photos, view online
    leaderboards, post status messages to Facebook, and connect with friends via email or username.
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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.

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This review was written by Erin Bell

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This review was written by Erin Bell
Category:Reference
Platforms:iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Price:$6.99
Publisher:Chillingo Ltd.
Version:1.0
Release date:December 15, 2010
Minimum software requirements:iOS 4.0 or later
This review was written by Erin Bell

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About our rating system
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.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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