Common Sense Media Review
By Christy Matte
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cool botany AR has a bit more room to grow.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Plantale
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
PLANTALE is a botany app that uses animated models and augmented reality to teach kids about how plants grow, what they need to be healthy, and how the various parts come together to make a healthy plant. Kids start with germination where they can see how a sunflower seed is planted and how it sprouts and begins to grow. They'll need to choose the right amount of water, balance the pH, and set a healthy temperature for the plant. There's an AR Plant where kids can place a plant in an augmented reality environment and then explore how all of the parts work with animated examples. The third section explains reproduction in stages. Plantale wraps up with an activity where kids plant an augmented reality plant somewhere in their house or classroom and watch it grow over a five-day period.
Is It Any Good?
This deep-dive into botany gives kids a deeper understanding of how plants grow and thrive over time. Plantale is interactive and interesting, even though the language is too advanced for younger enthusiasts. The AR aspect doesn't add very much to the experience but doesn't detract from the learning experience. Plantale could be greatly enhanced by adding more plants, especially of different types. Once kids watch the sunflower grow, they will no doubt want to see other types of plants as well. This is a great learning tool that's interesting to look at. It's also easy to pair with hands-on learning activities around the home.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how plants grow while using Plantale. Plant some seeds and track how they grow over time. Talk about the different plant parts and how they function.
Talk about how plants need certain things to grow. Try growing plants with different levels of light/water/fertilizer. How does it impact plant growth?
App Details
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