Toca Lab: Plants
By Debbie Gorrell,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Unique way for young botanists to explore, experiment, grow.
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Toca Lab: Plants
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Toca Lab: Plants Parent Guide
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What’s It About?
Kids start TOCA LAB: PLANTS by pressing play to enter the plant lab. A plant appears on the table, and kids swipe, slide, and tap to move the plant around the lab. They can choose from five different experiment stations: grow light, cloning station, watering tank, cross breeding station, and nutrition station. As kids experiment with the various lab equipment at each station, they observe how the plants respond. Some make happy noises and gestures, while others make grunting sounds and appear to be distressed. With the right amount of water, light, and nutrients, a plant will grow and eventually produce a seed. Kids can discover up to 35 plants with different personalities and physical traits.
Is It Any Good?
Die-hard botany lovers might find some of the "non-science" features hard to swallow, but most kids will love the plant personalities while getting a wonderful introduction to life science. The open-play experience, colorful graphics, and friendly interactions are an excellent way to get kids excited about science. Many will likely be inspired to grow their own plants or to simply learn more about plant life in general. The addition of some basic audio or text that teaches kids some science would make the app appealing to a wider audience. At the very least, it would be great to have some information for parents so they can address any misconceptions generated by the game. For example, unlike in "real science," a new plant seed produces an entirely new kind of plant. For families who are less concerned with the specifics, Toca Lab: Plants gives kids a fun way to explore science.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why we need plants and how they help other living things. What do we learn about plants from Toca Lab: Plants? For example, plants give us food. They also release oxygen into the air, which helps us breathe.
Discuss differences between what kids observe in the game and what actually happens in real life.
Grow a plant or a garden with kids. Work together to learn what the plants need in terms of water, sunlight, and nutrients in the soil.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Science: biology, life cycle
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: deduction
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: June 14, 2017
- Category: Education
- Topics: Science and Nature
- Publisher: Toca Boca
- Version: 1.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.0 or later; Android 4.4 and up
- Last updated: December 10, 2020
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