Can an app help students learn problem solving? The Avokiddo collection of apps for students includes a handful of different options for classrooms and families. This year I’ve partnered with Avokiddo to show off the ways that their dynamic, high-quality apps energize instruction and provide opportunities for creativity and exploration.
If you haven’t heard of Avokiddo before, they are the team behind a handful of powerful learning apps. These apps are perfect for use both inside and outside the classroom. Their team is passionate about creating engaging, high-quality and relevant content for students to help kids grow as problem solvers.
Problem Solving Apps
In this post, you’ll find an overview of Avokiddo’s three Thinkrolls apps and DNA Play. The Thinkrolls apps are engaging mobile learning experiences to help students learn logical thinking and mathematical reasoning. DNA Play introduces genetics to students – a challenging concept for most people to explain – through the creation of unique monsters. I’ve share these apps at conferences before. So I’m excited to provide an overview of all four on the blog so you can choose the best ones for your classroom!
Playful Genetics App
Available on iTunes, Amazon, and the Google Play stores, let’s first take a look at DNA Play. DNA Play takes on the task of introducing genetics to students. Whether you’re teaching this concept explicitly or laying the foundation for this science topic, DNA Play is a playful way to provide students with context and a basic understanding of genetics concepts.
With DNA Play students can create over 200 billion unique creatures. How does this work? Well, kids can build and tweak the DNA of the creatures to make totally unique combinations. Students experiment with real-time mutations. They take on the role of customizing their monster by setting up different DNA patterns. Students can learn about the building blocks of life while their unique monsters appear on the screen.
I’m not the only one excited about the way DNA Play presents an opportunity to explore genetics. DNA Play was awarded “Best of 2015” by Apple and is a Common Sense Media “Top Pick.” If you’re a regular follower of the blog, you know how much I love to share open-ended tools that give students a place to explore. Stay tuned for more classroom lesson ideas for using DNA Play popping up on the blog later this spring – here’s the link for my newsletter.
Logic Apps for Kids
What does it look like to teach logic and reasoning? Giving students a place to explore new ideas and puzzles is one way to introduce these concepts – and provide space for students to apply their learning at the same time. The Thinkrolls apps from Avokiddo are a collection of three individual mobile apps. They are all “Top Picks” by Common Sense Media and “Editor’s Choice” by Children’s Technology Review. Thinkrolls 2 won the 2016 Google Play Award for “Best Families Apps” and Thinkrolls: Kings & Queens is a Google Play Editor’s Choice too. Let’s dive into each one to learn what they can do!
Logic Puzzle App
The first of the three Thinkrolls apps is simply named Thinkrolls and is available on iTunes, Amazon, and the Google Play stores. It presents a mission for students that lets them navigate the 26 Thinkrolls characters through 207 levels of increasingly complex mazes. The mazes include physics-based challenges for students to explore. Just like DNA Play this app gives students a space to discover new things and is an excellent recommendation for teachers to share with families too.
Matter and Physics App
After the release of the original Thinkrolls app, Thinkrolls 2 came on the scene. Also available on iTunes, Amazon, and the Google Play store, this app gives students a space to explore the properties of matter and physics. Kids will make their Thinkrolls move across the screen. They will roll, float, glide and teleport through a series of themed chapters. These challenging physics puzzles are super engaging and give kids a chance to explore a topic that lays the foundation for future understanding of these concepts.
Memory Skills App
The third Thinkrolls app in the collection from Avokiddo is called Thinkrolls: Kings & Queens. If you’re looking an app focused more on problem solving, reasoning and memory skills, you’ll want to check out this one. Thinkrolls: Kings & Queens includes 228 physics puzzles, 12 fairytale castles, and lots of fun characters. Just like the other apps from Avokiddo, this one is available on iTunes, Amazon, and the Google Play stores too.
Apps That Work Offline
All of the Thinkrolls apps and DNA Play are designed for students over age five and are COPPA and GDPR compliant. Once you download the apps to your device, you can use them without an Internet connection. This feature makes it an excellent choice for classrooms where connectivity is inconsistent. There aren’t any advertisements in the apps, and each one has a protected area for teachers and parents.
I hope you’ll stop by the blog this spring for classroom activities with each of these dynamic apps. You can sign up here to make sure you don’t miss a thing. In the meantime, you can use the links above to access each app on the mobile store of your choice. I can’t wait to see how the Thinkrolls apps and DNA Play energize your instruction this school year!
