MarcoPolo Weather
By Debbie Gorrell,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Sandbox tool lets kids explore weather without getting wet.
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MarcoPolo Weather
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Based on 1 parent review
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What’s It About?
As with most digital sandbox tools, MARCOPOLO WEATHER emphasizes exploration and open play. Tapping a play button lands you on the main screen, which includes an avatar and animated animals in an outdoor forest scene. Kids can select one of the nine weather conditions, change the setting from day to night, or tap to adjust the temperature and/or wind speed. They can drag interactive objects located along the bottom of the screen onto the scene; objects include clothing and accessories, two other avatars, fruits, flowers, vegetables, a tent, snowballs, and more. A parent section includes a description of the app and settings, as well as extension activities related to weather.
Is It Any Good?
MarcoPolo Weather provides a friendly environment for kids to explore weather. The narrated facts help kids build vocabulary and science knowledge, and the variety of interactive objects will keep kids engaged. As kids experiment with the outdoor scene, it's fun to see how the avatars react to the different weather conditions. Some aspects of the free play are a bit confusing, however. For example, in some scenes a beehive drops when you try to drag it into the scene, and it's not entirely clear how to get it to stay. Overall, MarcoPolo Weather offers the interactivity and variety kids love and cause-and-effect science that can carry over into real life.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about weather in their own area. Are there seasons? If so, how does the weather change?
Review the parent section and complete some of the extension activities together.
Explore the tornado and hurricane conditions and discuss the importance of weather safety.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Science: weather
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: part-whole relationships, Self-Direction: academic development, Tech Skills: using and applying technology
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: April 2, 2015
- Category: Education
- Topics: Science and Nature
- Publisher: MarcoPolo Learning
- Version: 1.7.1
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 5.0 or later
- Last updated: October 7, 2021
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