 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
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Space Physics
- Android, Kindle Fire
- Price: $1.99
- Category: Puzzle Games
Common Sense Media says
Clever physics game can be tricky on small screens.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Space Physics is a construction game with Tron-like graphics and realistic physics. In addition to buying the app, players must also install and launch the free "Pack for Space Physics" download from the Android Market to get the actual levels and sounds.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn how slope, momentum, and gravity interact with solids, levers, gears, and wheels. Kids come up with limitless solutions to a simple challenge: make the ball touch the star. Each puzzle, or rather scenario, presents kids with a set of opportunities and limitations, and through repeated attempts, kids get better at moving the ball toward the goal. Drawing wheels can be tough -- they often turn out as circles if not precise enough. Space Physics is a playful, open-ended way to learn about physics and simple machines.
Subjects
- Language & Reading
- Mathgeometry, shapes
- Scienceengineering, gravity, momentum, motion, physics
- Social Studies
- Arts
- Hobbies
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoninganalyzing evidence, applying information, logic, part-whole relationships, prediction, thinking critically
- Creativity
- Self-Direction
- Emotional Development
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Tech Skills
- Health & Fitness
What's it about?
Each puzzle has its own unique features. A simple one requires the user to draw a line from a ball to a star, and then tap to the side of the ball to start it rolling. A more complex puzzle has a rotating gear attached to an "x"; the ball falls into the "x," gets rotated, and must be guided to the star directly under the "x." The challenge is that the whole thing is suspended in moon-like gravity with no solids to guide the ball (psst: stuff does stick to the "x").
Is it any good?
In SPACE PHYSICS, players guide a ball to its destination by drawing shapes and lines to create bridges, levers, vehicles, and other simple structures. Objects behave with realistic physics, and the game's 80 levels present some very challenging and clever puzzles to solve. The frustration comes in when drawn shapes come out malformed because the touchscreen is too small and imprecise -- something that happened frequently on the device the game was tested on. A larger screen might solve such issues.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn how slope, momentum, and gravity interact with solids, levers, gears, and wheels. Kids come up with limitless solutions to a simple challenge: make the ball touch the star. Each puzzle, or rather scenario, presents kids with a set of opportunities and limitations, and through repeated attempts, kids get better at moving the ball toward the goal. Drawing wheels can be tough -- they often turn out as circles if not precise enough. Space Physics is a playful, open-ended way to learn about physics and simple machines.
Subjects
- Language & Reading:
- Math: geometry, shapes
- Science: engineering, gravity, momentum, motion, physics
- Social Studies:
- Arts:
- Hobbies:
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning: analyzing evidence, applying information, logic, part-whole relationships, prediction, thinking critically
- Creativity:
- Self-Direction:
- Emotional Development:
- Communication:
- Collaboration:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Tech Skills:
- Health & Fitness:
How kids will learn
The tutorial is cute (though with numerous grammatical errors) and basically gives the information needed to play. By drawing lines and shapes, wheels and gears, levers and . . . anything, kids frantically coax the ball forward. They can retry any number of times and no two solutions are exactly alike. Upon startup, the app asks players to sign up for news and updates, and the top 50 global rankings give highest level solved, time, and date. A redraw feature would be entertaining and illuminating though possibly too complex.
How parents can help
- Help your kids build a simple wheeled vehicle with items you find in your home. For example, use straws for axles and lifesavers for wheels.
- Encourage your kids to test momentum on different slopes, like slides or wooden ramps.
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| Category: | Puzzle Games |
| Platforms: | Android, Kindle Fire |
| Price: | $1.99 |
| Size: | 1.70 MB |
| Publisher: | Camel Games |
| Version: | 1.9.0 |
| Release date: | February 9, 2011 |
| Minimum software requirements: | Android 1.6 and up |
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