The Deskplorers: History Meets Fun And Games
The Deskplorers - Episode One: "Knights" ($1.99) by Bulkypix makes a fun subject even more fun. If it's one thing kids love, it's to have some fun while they're learning. This is one big reason why learning apps have been such a huge hit. Balance out a little play time with a little learning time and you can't go wrong.
The Deskplorers series is in a league all its own. Why is it called "Deskplorers?" Because the animation style utilizes tools used commonly by grade school students and the main menu of the game is a school desk. It's school supplies meets creative kid's imagination.
Deskplorers is a story, a series of mini games and an educational app all in one. The story focuses on a group of four characters who are nicknamed "The Nice Ones." Tom, the smartest "Nice One" invented a special compass that allows the children to time travel, but Bratty - one of the "Not so Nice Ones" has stolen it from them. Thus begins a story arc. Your child will be a part of the team - helping them gather objects, explore history and play fun mini games to earn points and help the characters continue their search for the magic compass. More episodes are coming soon and I highly recommend you download "Episode Zero" which is free and provides the story foundation
Quick thoughts on what I like about Deskplorers: The animation is very kid-friendly and unique. The story is fun, and the history aspect is placed so well that your kids probably won't even notice they're learning about medieval times. Very fun music and sound effects. Numerous profiles to create (this is great if you have more than one child who will want to play the game). There are frequent "breaks" in the story for your child to either gather items the characters need or to earn points (via the mini games) to buy items. The mini games focus on motor skills which is a great skill for grade-school children to continue to improve. The characters and fun and lovable and work together to solve problems, emphasizing teamwork.
More quick thoughts on things I'd like to see change or improve: If your child doesn't have polished reading skills, he or she will not be able to enjoy this app (unless you play it with them and read every sentence to them). It's very heavy on script. I would love to see a "voice over" option for children who aren't quite to a 3rd or 4th grade reading level yet.
The Deskplorers is a wonderful story full of lovable characters, fun adventure and educational tid bits. I definitely recommend it for grade school children and am looking forward to seeing the future "episodes" in this saga.
