Rounds: Franklin Frog

Review

Common Sense Media says

Engaging story teaches kids about frogs' life cycle.
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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Learning2
Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
Very Good: Engaging, very good learning approach.
Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
Not for Learning : Not recommended for learning.
Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Rounds: Franklin Frog is an engaging, interactive story for preschoolers about the daily life, habitats, and life cycle of frogs. When Franklin finds a mate, no sex is shown, but kids will see Felicity Frog depositing her eggs, which fall out of her rear end. This may prompt a "How are babies made?" conversation. Franklin asks kids to swipe the screen to help him catch flies, worms, and snails. There's no gore in these scenes, but it could upset sensitive little ones who haven't learned about predator vs. prey in the natural world.

  • Ease of use3
    Rounds: Franklin Frog is fairly easy to navigate, but may take some getting used to. The arrows to turn pages are dimmed until kids have completed the text and actions on the page. To advance before then, kids must tap the arrow to wake it up, and tap again to activate. This ensures kids won't accidentally switch screens before they're ready, but may take a little time for some kids to figure out. Kids can tap a pulsating blue dot to trigger a comment from a character. A screen swipe gets Franklin Frog and other pond creatures swimming or jumping, and Franklin and other characters occasionally give verbal prompts to "swipe the screen to make me jump," for example.
  • Violence1
    Kids help Franklin catch and eat flies and other creatures by swiping the screen; these scenes don't have blood, gore, or scary noises. Franklin swims by a heron, and the narrator says "herons like to eat frogs," but the heron never catches Franklin. Fish try to eat frog eggs.
  • Sex1
    Franklin declares that he's ready to find a female and have babies. Sex isn't depicted, but Franklin's mate is shown depositing her eggs, which fall out of her bottom.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
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What kids can learn

2

Kids can learn about frogs: what they eat, where they live, how they get around, how they turn from a tadpole into a frog, and much more. All this information comes in the form of an interactive tale about Franklin, Felicity, and later, their progeny. Kids can also learn a bit of vocabulary through context clues, such as "hibernation." Rounds: Franklin Frog is a clever app that teaches kids about frogs in a fun, engaging way.

Subjects
  • Science
    animals, biology, ecosystems, life cycle
  • Social Studies
  • Arts
  • Hobbies
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What's it about?

Rounds: Franklin Frog is an engaging, interactive story for preschoolers about frogs -- what they eat, where they live, how they get around, and much more. Franklin's mate lays eggs, and when the tadpoles hatch, we follow Fraser tadpole as he transforms into a frog. The story is circular and shows the life cycle of frogs -- if you continue on (or select Resume instead of Restart), Franklin's son Fraser becomes the main character. Fraser finds a mate, has a tadpole named Fletcher, and so on.

Is it any good?

 

ROUNDS: FRANKLIN FROG is a top-notch educational app that teaches kids about frogs in a fun, engaging way. It's narrated by kids, making it all the more inviting. The animation and background music are sweet and simple, and frog facts are easy to digest: for example, "I can jump the length of TEN frogs!" and "Only about five of my 2,000 eggs will become grown-up frogs." Word highlighting can be turned off, and narration can be turned off completely when kids are ready to read on their own.

Parents will appreciate how polite Franklin is -- he often says "please," "thank you," and "you're doing a great job" when he asks kids to help him by swiping the screen. And the "Rounds" concept, where characters' stories start again when they end, is a clever one.

This review of Rounds: Franklin Frog was written by

What kids can learn

2

Kids can learn about frogs: what they eat, where they live, how they get around, how they turn from a tadpole into a frog, and much more. All this information comes in the form of an interactive tale about Franklin, Felicity, and later, their progeny. Kids can also learn a bit of vocabulary through context clues, such as "hibernation." Rounds: Franklin Frog is a clever app that teaches kids about frogs in a fun, engaging way.

Subjects
  • Language & Reading: following directions, naming, vocabulary
  • Math:
  • Science: animals, biology, ecosystems, life cycle
  • Social Studies:
  • Arts:
  • Hobbies:

What's it about?

Rounds: Franklin Frog is an engaging, interactive story for preschoolers about frogs -- what they eat, where they live, how they get around, and much more. Franklin's mate lays eggs, and when the tadpoles hatch, we follow Fraser tadpole as he transforms into a frog. The story is circular and shows the life cycle of frogs -- if you continue on (or select Resume instead of Restart), Franklin's son Fraser becomes the main character. Fraser finds a mate, has a tadpole named Fletcher, and so on.

How kids will learn

Kids learn about frogs by listening to the engaging narration and to the dialogue that pops up when they tap a pulsating blue dot. Frog facts are short and easy to understand (for example, "I can jump the length of TEN frogs!"). Kids also learn about frogs by interacting with the story. For example, kids swipe the screen to help a frog swim or catch flies. Kids can learn new words such as "tadpole," and "pond." The narration can be off when kids are ready to read on their own.

How parents can help

  • Let kids observe real-life frogs by visiting a local pond, aquarium, or pet store.
  • Ask kids to compare and contrast frog behavior with that of other animals they know about.
  • Help kids navigate the app if it's tricky at first (how to tap the arrows and blue dots, how to swipe to jump, etc.).
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Topics:science and nature
Category:Books
Platforms:iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Nook HD
Price:$4.99
Size:99.50 MB
Publisher:Nosy Crow
Version:1.0.1
Release date:August 8, 2012
Minimum software requirements:iOS 3.1.3 or later
This review of Rounds: Franklin Frog was written by

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