Professor Astro Cat's Solar System
By Mieke VanderBorght,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Blast off into outer space with lots to read and explore.
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Professor Astro Cat's Solar System
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What’s It About?
Create your PROFESSOR ASTRO CAT'S SOLAR SYSTEM profile to collect your very own cadet badge and start exploring outer space. Scroll through the solar system and tap on the sun, moon, planets, and others to learn more. Each section has a list of fun facts, a small animation and/or interactive activity, and a "zipper" to get inside and look under the surface. Read it all, and then play the Jetpack Challenge to answer 10 true-or-false questions. Answer enough correctly and earn a medal and pieces for your rocket ship.
Is It Any Good?
Wonderful illustrations and bite-size, kid-friendly factoids abound in this whimsical adventure into space. Especially for kids who are already fascinated by all things space-related, Professor Astro Cat is a great guide who gives information but also creates opportunities to inspire questions. The major downside is that, just like in a traditional book, this digital version is very text-heavy and relies mostly on passive intake of information rather than active exploration. To be precise, there are ways for kids to be actively involved, such as navigating through the app, but most of the learning content is in the text. Also, some kids may find the different flashing options on the screen distracting and might find it hard to know what to do first; there's no set order, but there's no way to know that until you dive in. Despite these small drawbacks, it's a fun way to explore outer space and is likely to inspire kids to want to learn more.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about and explore this app together. Read together, ask questions, and encourage your kids to ask their own questions when they want to know more about a topic.
Take inspiration from what interests your kids and help them pursue their curiosities and questions. For example, take a trip to the library to find books and videos that explore the solar system.
What's the difference between reading an interactive book such as this one versus the traditional paper version? Is one more fun than the other? Is one better to learn from?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Language & Reading: reading, Science: astronomy
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: investigation
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: May 10, 2016
- Category: Education
- Topics: Space and Aliens
- Publisher: Minilab Ltd
- Version: 2.2
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 7.0 or later. Requires Android 2.3 and up.
- Last updated: July 26, 2016
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