MarcoPolo Arctic
By Amanda Bindel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Learn science and vocabulary with sweet arctic animals.
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MarcoPolo Arctic
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What’s It About?
In MARCOPOLO ARCTIC kids explore the landscape, which scrolls across the screen to show water, an icy shore, sky, and tundra. As they complete puzzles featuring animals, kids will hear more about the animal and how certain parts of its body serve it in its habitat. In the landscape, kids can feed the animals, play with beach balls or snowballs, and watch them swim and explore. Other animals can pop up from dens. To save the scene for the next playtime, choose "save environment" in the settings.
Is It Any Good?
This sweet, fun app packs some solid scientific learning into totally kid-friendly play. The graphics and animations are lovely, and the ways kids can interact are delightful. There are no instructions or rules for play, but kids will discover the fun as they explore. Also, parents can read more about some of the discoveries kids can make in the "more" section of the parent settings. One of the cutest discoveries is finding which animals will eat meat: The herbivores respond by shaking their heads when offered the raw piece of meat, while the carnivores eat it up. The animals also drink water from a glass, which is charming though not-at-all realistic. It's possible kids will lose interest in constructing the puzzles -- where most of the direct learning happens -- and the interactive environment is somewhat limited, but kids will enjoy the variety of animals and habitats to explore.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Read books with kids about the arctic and the animals that live there. The parent section includes a list of recommended fiction and nonfiction books.
Let kids tell you about the animals as they play, narrating stories about the animals and their interactions. Ask questions to get them started, such as "Can this animal swim?" or "What do you think this animal eats?"
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Science: animals, ecosystems and the environment
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: August 12, 2015
- Category: Education
- Topics: Ocean Creatures, Science and Nature, Wild Animals
- Publisher: MarcoPolo Learning
- Version: 1.0.2
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.0 or later
- Last updated: May 7, 2018
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