Human Heroes Curie on Matter
By Christy Matte,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Historical science game with solid info doesn't radiate fun.
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Human Heroes Curie on Matter
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What’s It About?
HUMAN HEROES CURIE ON MATTER invites kids into Marie Curie's lab to learn about her life and her work through an interactive story, some mini-games, and a question-and-answer session. The story chronicles Marie Curie's life, both personal and professional, including her discoveries, her marriage, and her Nobel prizes. The story has two mini-games for kids to complete. One involves helping Marie Curie's family with household chores. The other asks kids to navigate a portable x-ray machine to the front lines of World War I. There is the "Shed of Shrewdness" where kids will break down pitchblende, dissolve it in acid, and then match the resulting crystals. "In Your Element!" brings kids to the Radium Institute where they help research radioactivity by filling in the periodic table. This activity requires firing neutrons at an atom to try to make it unstable. The last activity allows kids to ask questions such as, "What do you consider home? Poland or France?" And, "Have you ever been a rule-breaker?" Daily challenges encourage kids to complete a certain set of tasks each day.
Is It Any Good?
Though this historical figure-related experience might inspire kids to learn more, the mini-games miss the mark. When you set your sights on reflecting the life and work of Marie Curie, it's best to aim incredibly high and hope for the best. Human Heroes Curie on Matter doesn't seem to have set its sights high enough, unfortunately. The animated story of Marie Curie's life is very long and it's not possible to pick a chapter to focus on. There's a slider that allows you to move forward and back through the story, but it means guessing where you'll end up. The mini-games in the story are completely uninspired. The first one, for example, involves tapping around the screen so the characters can get to their chores and then rubbing the screen to "sweep away" dirt or "clean" the bed. The science-related games aren't much better. There's a lot of tapping and swiping without any knowledge of science (or skill) required. Most of them just aren't that much fun, but they aren't educational either. Marie Curie does explain a bit about what's going on, but since the actual gameplay feels completely divorced from the science, kids can ignore the explanations entirely and still play the games. The educational highlight of Human Heroes Curie on Matter is the question-and-answer section. There are plenty of questions about science and Marie Curie's life that kids might actually want to know. The answers are accessible for kids and may even provide some inspiration. Human Heroes Curie on Matter doesn't hit the innovative highs of Curie herself, but might get kid interested in learning more about her and her work.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Marie Curie while using Human Heroes Curie on Matter. What exactly did she do and what are some things that make her special?
Talk about radiation. What is it? What are some dangers of radiation? What are some ways we use radiation to help people?
Families can talk about learning with apps. Do you think this is a good app for learning? Why or why not? What can you learn?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading : reading, Science : chemistry, Social Studies : historical figures
- Pricing structure: Paid ($3.99)
- Release date: August 29, 2019
- Category: Educational Games
- Topics: STEM , Great Girl Role Models , History , Science and Nature
- Publisher: Human Heroes ltd
- Version: 1.3
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 12.0 or later
- Last updated: September 23, 2019
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