Miller & Zois Kids Blog

Published on: April 6, 2011

ArtPuzzle HD on the iPad: A Review

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.

Published on: April 6, 2011

Math City iPad App Review

By Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

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.

Published on: April 5, 2011

NurtureShock

By Ronald V. Miller, Jr.

My wife and I have been reading Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.

One key premise of the book goes to the issue of whether we need a book like this in the first place. Don’t we have instincts as parents we can follow? The premise of the book is that many of our instincts as parents are just dead wrong.

According to Nurture Shock, the one instinct – that seems to have “evolved” even more in recent years – to praise your children in generalities does them more harm than good. How many parents tell their children they are smart? Before I read this book, I must have told my kids that at least 10 times a day. It feels good to praise your kids and you feel like you are being a 21st Century parent when you do it. But the research offered in the book is clear that it’s counterproductive.