Dino apps offer kids a roaring good time
— -- Dinosaurs fascinate kids of all ages. The app stores are full of dinosaur-themed apps, from puzzles and interactive books to games and references. Kids can see 3D recreations of these giant reptiles and even watch videos of how scientists think they moved. Here are some of the best dinosaur apps.
FOR THE YOUNGEST DINO-LOVER
Piece me DINOSAURS!
From Fashionbuddha, best for ages 3-5, 99 cents, for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)
Kids learn about dinosaurs by putting together seven brightly-colored jigsaw puzzles. Featuring the artwork of Ben Burch, the 11-piece Apatosaurus is bright blue with purple spots, while the 9-piece Velociraptor is orange with black stripes. The cartoony dinos roar in appreciation and bounce in place after kids put them back together again. A child's voice introduces the name of the dinosaur as the word appears on the screen. The kid-friendly design means that the pieces only have to be dragged near the designated spot for them to neatly click into place.
Oh Say Can You Say Di-No-Saur? - All About Dinosaurs
From Oceanhouse Media, best for ages 4-7, $5.99, for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Rating: 4 stars
Dr. Seuss' beloved Cat in the Hat character stars in this interactive, animated book app that is part of the a new series that teaches kids about science. With characters Sally and Dick in tow, and accompanied by Thing 1 and Thing 2, Cat takes players on a scientific romp that starts at an archeological dig and ends with a trip to a dinosaur museum. Delivered in rhyme with hilarious Cat-in-the-Hat antics, kids learn facts about dinosaurs. Meant for kids learning to read, the app cleverly bolds key scientific glossary words for tapping and subsequent definition. Kids can choose to read the book themselves or have it read to them. Touched illustrations reveal their word name so that kids can associate objects with words. The outrageous Cat ends the story by discovering a new species of dinosaur: The Catinthehatosaurus!
Dinosaur Flash Cards
From Douse Media, best for ages 3-5, $1.99, for Android. Rating: 3 stars
For kids wanting to learn the names of the different dinosaurs, this Android-only app delivers 60 3D images of the giant beasts. As kids swipe through the deck of flash cards, each dinosaur's name is shown and spoken aloud along with a high definition image. Don't expect any bells and whistles in the form of zoom, rotating the images or additional facts, this is just a flashcards app, but it does the name and image association well.
FOR GRADE SCHOOL DIGGERS
The Magic School Bus: Dinosaurs
From Scholastic Inc, best for ages 5-9, $7.99, iPad. Rating: 4 stars
A wonderfully interactive adaptation of Joanna Cole's book, this app is jam-packed with dino facts. Kids join Ms. Frizzle's class as she whisks them back in time to see real dinosaurs. In addition to the story, there are 16 different dinosaurs to dig up and reassemble, 16 dinosaur cards to collect and a multi-level arcade game to explore. Class reports on dinosaurs are also tappable to hear them read aloud. Wacky Ms. Frizzle makes learning about dinosaurs fun and exciting.
Dino Discovery!
From Robot Super Brain, best for ages 6-8, $.99, iPad. Rating: 3.5 stars
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