Ocean Forests
By Debbie Gorrell,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
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Ocean Forests
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What’s It About?
In OCEAN FOREST, the learning begins once kids tap a bubble hovering over an ocean that says, "Dive!" There are three main learning categories: Reading, Exploring, and Gaming. In Reading, kids can listen to a narrated ebook about kelp forests, read the book on their own, or record themselves reading the book aloud. Along the way, they can tap a dictionary to see underlined words and get definitions for them. In Exploring, kids are immersed in a realistic kelp forest and can tap features to hear about them. For example, if they tap on the harbor seal, they learn about its habits and place in the ecosystem. If kids tap on a feature multiple times, they learn new information. In Gaming, kids can play two games that test their knowledge of kelp forests; one is a matching game where kids match pictures of the animals to their names, and the other is a multiple-choice game where kids retrieve submarines representing the correct answer to a question about the kelp forest. Both games include three levels.
Is It Any Good?
This digital resource is an interactive way for kids to learn about ecosystems, and it's filled with beautiful graphics, mesmerizing music, solid scientific information, and fun games. Content is age-appropriate and provides kids with an opportunity to build vocabulary while learning. Though the various reading options are great, it also would be nice if kids could navigate the ebook by chapter or even bookmark the page they last read. The graphics are truly beautiful and feel immersive. As a fun way for kids to apply and expand on what they learned, the games are great, and the submarine game lets kids remove garbage from the ocean; however, the mechanics are sometimes difficult, especially on the fastest level. It also might be helpful to label the levels as "Easy" or "Harder," as it's not quite clear how the numbering represents the difficulty level and features. Unlike many ebook apps, this one provides a rich experience that will captivate kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the importance of biodiversity in the kelp forest. Ask kids to list the animals and plants that depend on one another for survival.
Have kids create an illustrated dictionary using the underlined words and dictionary from the ebook.
Talk about other ecosystems. Which animals live in the rainforest? How do they interact with each other?
App Details
- Device: iPad
- Subjects: Science: animals, ecosystems and the environment, plants
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: applying information, memorization, Self-Direction: academic development
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: September 14, 2015
- Category: Education
- Topics: Ocean Creatures
- Publisher: Bright World eBooks
- Version: 1.2.1
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 7.0 or later
- Last updated: June 20, 2020
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