Telling Time with the Smurfs
By Mieke VanderBorght,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Clock reading with Smurfs through tutorial, book, and game.
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Telling Time with the Smurfs
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What’s It About?
Explore clocks and tell time with four activities in TELLING TIME WITH THE SMURFS. "Learn" is a step-by-step tutorial that introduces the numbers, the big hand, the little hand, and how it all comes together. At certain points, kids practice setting the clock to a particular time. "Read" is a journey through the Smurfs' day, with kids setting the clock to time each activity (waking up, eating breakfast, and so on). In "Practice," kids set the clock to a particular time, and in "Play" kids choose which of two analog clocks shows the same time as the digital clock.
Is It Any Good?
In Telling Time with the Smurfs, the Smurfs explain how to tell time using kid-friendly language and lots of visual aids, though some sections fall a bit flat. The tutorial is clear and well-paced but a little dry, and the game and practice sections feel a bit like learning drills. It's the "Read" activity that really stands out; kids learn about how the Smurfs schedule their days, set the clock to show the right time for eating lunch or working in the garden, and then play with the Smurfs to make them eat, cut bushes, and more. Kids not only practice setting an analog clock but also get a sense of how to interpret the meaning of different times of day. As a bonus, the Smurfs' meals are full of yummy, healthy foods.
At the end of the story are some great suggestions for discussion to extend learning. Overall, the concept of telling time is clearly -- if sometimes dully -- explained, which is all super, so long as parents don't mind the overt branding.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how their schedules compare with those of the Smurfs. The Smurfs get up at 7 a.m., eat breakfast at 8 a.m., and so on. What time do you do those things? Make a schedule of your day.
Talk about anything time-related, such as the time zones of faraway relatives, the cycle of the sun rising and setting, and how long a second, a minute, and an hour are.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Nook HD
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: January 22, 2015
- Category: Education
- Publisher: Cupcake Digital
- Version: 1.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 4.3 or later
- Last updated: July 12, 2020
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