Common Sense Media Review
By Emily Pohlonski
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cool interactivity and images but some confusing science.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Arloon Plants
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
ARLOON PLANTS has six categories on the home screen: Structure, Processes, Ecosystems, Garden, Take care of your plant, and Exercises. Kids choose a category and see labeled pictures, short animations, and augmented-reality images about everything from leaf structure to asexual reproduction. Within the four ecosystems (Taiga, Dessert [sic], Mediterranean Forest, and Steppe), kids learn about how plants adapt to the different environments. As in many of Arloon's other apps, users can print special cards or use a graphic to use the augmented-reality feature, which shows images in 3-D.
Is It Any Good?
Though the interactive elements and concepts are strong, the language used may lead to misconceptions. For example, kids drag water and mineral salts toward the roots and push xylem sap through the channels to reach the leaves. This may reinforce the misconception that plants eat dirt from their roots. Text in the app further adds to this confusion, stating, "Photosynthesis consists of transforming the raw (xylem) sap into phloem or refined sap, that the plant uses as food." Not only might this be conceptually confusing, but it's also advanced enough that kids will definitely need some background before jumping in; it's probably not a tool they'd use casually for fun. Clarifying a few key points and correcting a couple of key typos -- "dessert" instead of "desert" and "oxigen" instead of "oxygen" -- would make this app a stronger contender as a resource.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why plants matter. What do plants give us? How are humans affected if we remove lots of plants?
For families who want to learn more about human impact, check out our Green Games for Kids.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Subjects : Science : biology , life cycle , plants
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : applying information
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : May 14, 2015
- Genre : Education
- Topics : STEM
- Publisher : PARADOX TEAM SOCIEDAD LIMITADA
- Version : 1.0.4
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 8 or later or Android 2.3 and later
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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