Educational iPad Apps

lisa I’m a big fan of ArtPuzzle HD on the iPad, a puzzle game that works for kids of all ages with varying degrees of difficulty. The game has 80 paintings from artists your kids should know, such as Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Da Vinci, Monet, Renoir, and Gauguin. I’m not sure how to describe the puzzle, but it is not puzzle pieces in the classic puzzle sense of the word: you swap square pieces.

Honestly, I confess that 95% of what I know about art I have learned on the iPad. I don’t want my kids to be in the same boat. ArtPuzzle HD is a beautiful game that throws in the bonus of playing beautiful music. (Actually, I wish somewhere they would identify the names of the songs. Any music buff would know them; I don’t.)

There is one thing about ArtPuzzle HD that concerns me a little bit. Let’s just say back in the day there were a lot of depictions of nudity and extreme violence. I struggled with this with my kids for some time and decided to go with the whole “just ignore it” strategy. It has worked so far.

I am a huge fan of the iPad app Math City. There are many iPad applications that are high definition, high tech and just feel (to me) like 2020. Math City feels like 2002. It has a simple and, frankly, unimpressive design. But Math City really works and, to boot, it costs only 99 cents, not exactly a bank breaker compared to many other iPad math educational games I have seen (and bought).

The premise of the game is that math problems are falling bombs and you need to tap on the correct answer before the bomb explodes on the city. Thus, Math City. The premise is a little violent for my tastes but the nuance of all of this gets lost pretty quickly in the excitement of the game.The bombs fall faster as the game goes on requiring quicker responses. The ultimate reward for success is a spot in the Hall of Fame – the top 500 scores. You get your name, score and country’s flag on the list. My son is on there. Seeing your child’s name and your flag… it feels like your kid winning an Olympic gold medal yet you don’t have to make all of those 5:00 a.m. trips to the ice rink. (Perhaps I exaggerate. A bit.)

The downside of the game being unsophisticated is that the combinations are limited. After a while, you can answer 51 minus 28 in a flash not because you know the answer or can calculate with ease but because that problem continues to reoccur. I would love to see an update with more variability… but you can also find your variability as we do: using other iPad math apps as well.

Articles Posted in Educational iPad Apps

ArtPuzzle HD on the iPad: A Review

Math City iPad App Review