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The Human Body-Tinybop
“She’s a beauty!” passed through my mind as we slid through The Human Body Anatomy App by Tinybop. What a gorgeous learning tool-especially for a first effort from this new Brooklyn based development company. It has a few glitches, but overall, it will be worth paying attention to this company. This creatively sophisticated (and stylish) app allows children and adults alike to marvel in our understanding of the human body without it being too scary or too over/underwhelming.
Your child can create their own ‘avatar’ that looks like the outline of a young boy or girl. Then they choose which systems they’d like to layer into this outline to look at more closely. The nervous, skeletal, respiratory, circulatory, digestive and muscular systems are all represented. The individual parts that make up the whole can be viewed with or without their identifying labels; a great feature to test your memory. Plus, the user can get closer to various parts of each system and reveal their inner workings. What does happen inside your nose, your ear canal or your veins?
The app is full of surprises to keep the user engaged: Where does the food you eat go? What happens to your nervous system when a mosquito bites you? If you allow the app to access your iPad’s photo library, when you touch a part of the brain responsible for memory, a favorite photo displays overhead in a way that is almost as mysterious as the brain function itself. I don’t want to give away any more-the beauty of this app lies in its navigational surprises. These discoveries are some of the app’s defining features.
Parental involvement, a strict privacy policy and a printable Handbook (love love love off-screen components) give this app an extra star. If the parent sets up their own ‘avatar’ they can follow the progress of their child’s interaction with the app. If your child has a question about something, they can touch and hold any spot on the screen and record their voice to ask a question. This question will show up in the parent’s ‘avatar’ area and allow them to respond by recording their own voice. The child will find the answer the next time they use the app. It’s very Jetsons-if I may date myself.
Enjoy this app, it’s a pleasure to experience the first of Tinybop’s Explorer’s Series. We look forward to more from them.
published on igamemom.com
image: iTunes.apple.com
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