Parents' Guide to

Zooniverse

By Christy Matte, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Crowd-sourced research engages kids in science exploration.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android Free Education
Zooniverse Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Zooniverse App: Screenshot #1
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Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

Dan94
Dan94 Adult
February 13, 2020
age 8+

A perfect place to study, participate in researches, and even ask questions and get professional answers.

As for me, this is the best place to study and have fun (I am a B.Sc. student, but I am volunteering there since I was in high school). Most of the projects' staff are professors from known universities, and curators are very experienced scientists. As for me, everyone there seems to be glad to answer any questions. There are places to ask questions on specific research, but there are also conversation forums, where you and your kids can ask anything, from "Why do the birds fly?" to topics in quantum physics. But, I still strongly recommend to tell about your educational background to prevent academic level answers to a third grade student, as there is privacy in the accounts (The one,who gives the answer does not know if you are an adult, or a kid). Also, I never saw any insults or humiliation. There is a full respect. More than that, this is a place, where professors talk to you "on the level of your eyes". And of cause, there you also must respect others, the same as they respect you. So, no swearing allowed there. Strongly recommending to both kids, and adults.
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Privacy Rating Warning

  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is not displayed.
  • Data are not collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is not used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are not created and used for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

What’s It About?

ZOONIVERSE is a research tool that invites volunteers to get involved in the process. You might help identify burial mounds in satellite images or track the bird population at a particular body of water. You may be looking into space. Volunteers don't need any special skills and each research project has clear directions to follow. The projects change as one is completed and another begins. When registering for the site, volunteers may optionally include their name to for acknowledgements in any published studies.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

If you're looking for ways to engage kids in the wonders of research and discovery, look no further. Zooniverse is a great way to introduce kids to academic research, scientific inquiry, and even social studies. With a range of projects available, there's a good chance you'll find something of interest. And Zooniverse encourages everyone to get involved with the understanding that there's no need to be perfect if you're doing your best. That's an important message for kids to hear. Because it is actual research, kids should know that it's not always full of action. For example, searching for birds in a series of pictures for 10 minutes yielded no fowl at all. But for kids who are excited to learn new things and enjoy the feeling of contributing to a larger project, Zooniverse is a wonderful place to start.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about research in the Zooniverse app and outside of it. What does it mean? Why do people do it?

  • Talk about crowd-sourcing. Why would researchers want large numbers of people to help with their projects? What sorts of activities around your house would be easier with a lot of people?

  • Families can talk about learning with apps. Do you think this is a good app for learning? Why or why not? What can you learn?

App Details

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