Peapod Labs Pairs Two Kids' Favorites: Food And ABC's
ABC Food ($1.99) by Peapod Labs LLC is yet another installment in the successful Little Explorers series. Chances are, whatever your little one loves to do, Peapod Labs has made an app that combines the ABC's with that obsession of theirs (music, sports, vehicles and now food).
The interface for ABC Food isn't much different than its predecessors'. The main menu consists of an alphabetical list of cubes filled with pictures and names of foods. Once a food is selected, a gorgeous photo displays the chosen food, adorable characters hold up letters at the bottom of the screen spelling the food's name. An interactive icon appears in the top left.
Peapod Labs has made things a bit more interactive this time. In the past they've paired carefully chosen videos with photos of the object at hand. This time, many foods offer the chance to "slice," "peel", "cook" and other fun activities for just a bit more fun. I can tell you, my kids found this a welcome addition.
As far as graphics are concerned, all the photos and videos are carefully chosen and simply stunning. Even though I'm well beyond the target age group of ABC Food, I couldn't help but stare at the beautiful colors and feel almost like I was in a colorful market full of enticing food. Warning, this app will probably make your children beg for snack time.
Many of the foods featured are fruits and vegetables, but there are some kid favorites included as well. If you have an aspiring chef on your hands, she'll no doubt enjoy learning about new foods and find the included YouTube clips especially entertaining.
Two features I do hope are added in the future are related to both phonics and interactive features. While each letter is pronounced before it's corresponding word, there is little emphasis on letter sound. As an educator I am more concerned with little ones learning the phonics of letters than their names. As far as interactive features, the option to play with the food is a great improvement, but I feel there could be more.
ABC Food is the ideal app for parents to play alongside their kids. This educational tool will offer up opportunities to play with virtual food since you won't let them do it with their real food. Parents will also find ABC Food a great tool to teach your little one about both phonics and food.
