Kids are endlessly curious about their own bodies and while as parents we can answer the type of questions toddlers ask, once kids get into later elementary or middle school their questions can perplex us as much as them. Enter a brilliant app in every aspect from conception to execution – My Incredible Body – that opens the human body up to kids and parents in a way that makes the most of digitization to enhance learning. Available for iOS and Android along with versions for Windows phone and desktop computers we can’t say enough good things about what children’s publisher Zybright in conjunction with medical publisher Visual Body make an app that has tons of appeal, reuseability, and grows both literally and figuratively with your tween or even young teen.
What is it?
At the core of My Incredible Body is are medically precise 3D representations and animations that highlight human anatomy with an emphasis on the brain and nervous system, the digestive track, pulmonary function, skeletal and muscular anatomy, kidneys and waste processing, the circulatory system and heart, and a section that touches on sensory perception and autonomic functions like breathing and swallowing. Also available for IAP is a section about puberty and the male and female reproductive systems, but if parents aren’t comfortable with that, it’s hidden behind a secure parental gate.
The app uses a scalable model of a human that can be adjusted to view from 360 degrees and as close up as necessary long with a host of interactive features that include but are not limited to animations, digital overlays, videos, or even ride a rocket through the various bodily systems.
How does it work?
The app is easy to navigate with the home screen serving as a main menu of sorts and tons of touch points and visual cues to let kids explore the various anatomical systems in any order they want. The core 3D model is easy to rotate and resize with simple gestures, and moving from feature to feature, or system-to-system, is all a simple matter of tapping.
On top of the visual model there is also a decent amount of text – with narration – but dense and intended for the target audience of nine years and up. This app certainly doesn’t dumb anything down for kids, but along with the fact-facts are fun-facts and of course all the interactivity. Ideally parents unlock the quizzes –.99 via IAP – so kids also have the befit of retention and comprehension enhancing features of a more traditional sort. The apps works without a hitch on iPad and looks spectacular on a large retina display.
What we love?
We love the thought and care that are evidenced in every facet of My Incredible Body. There is supplemental information on the developers website to help parents guide kids through the app and spark meaningful discussions. The digital features aren’t superfluous; rather they are at the core of the app. The information imparted by traditional text is enhanced and illuminated by incredibly well-rendered and thoughtful interactive elements that run from traditional video clips to the ability to overlay tissue over bone, or zoom through a human skull and peek out from the mouth. The app is a bargain at 1.99 and needs none of the IAPs to provide an educational interactive experience with shelf life, but the IAP quizzes and extra section puberty are priced fairly and add real value.
by MindMake via MindMake Blog
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