Curious Words
By Amanda Bindel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Words spark creativity in super short videos.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
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Videos and Photos
Curious Words
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What’s It About?
CURIOUS WORDS opens right up, ready for action: There's no login or lengthy tutorial. With the camera in view mode, kids see a word on-screen. They can swipe to choose another word or double-tap to scroll through a full list of word choices. Kids then record a one-second video inspired by the word. After the second is up, another word appears. Each video shot (minimum of three and maximum of 12) is pieced together into one movie, with background music automatically placed. Kids can view their movies, add to them if they want, or save them to the camera roll. Though there are few options, kids can change the voice speaking the words and the filter on the videos.
Is It Any Good?
Kids' creativity is celebrated in this simple, easy-to-use video creator. The interface is sleek -- which means no instructions -- but digital natives who have grown up with touchscreens and phone cameras will have no problem getting started. The single-word inspirations are read aloud, so even emerging readers will be able to play. Swiping one direction changes the voice that reads the words: Kids can choose from a man, woman, or child's voice. Kids will need to be ready to go, focused on what they want to record before they hit the record button -- one second goes fast! One drawback is that there's no option for kids to input their own words, which would open up lots of possibilities to use this tool for vocabulary and spelling lists. Another is that it only works in portrait mode, which limits framing options.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about rules for photographing or taking video of friends and family members, reminding kids to ask permission beforehand.
Watch some of the creative videos on the Curious Hat site for inspiration.
As you watch kids' creations, ask them what they were thinking when they chose the subjects for their videos; for example, ask what inspired them to take a video of the clouds for the word "up."
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading: letter or word recognition, naming, Arts: film
- Skills: Creativity: imagination, innovation, making new creations, producing new content, Communication: multiple forms of expression, Tech Skills: digital creation
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: December 11, 2014
- Category: Education
- Publisher: Curious Hat
- Version: 1.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 7.0 or later
- Last updated: July 29, 2016
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