Washington – If you received a tablet for the holidays or are simply tired of the apps you have on your smart device, now is the time to check out new or recently updated games, puzzles and virtual worlds. In addition to being fun, most of the eight apps we are featuring offer opportunities to learn something – so they earn a thumbs-up from both kids and parents.
Toca Nature
Ages 6 to 9. $2.99 for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
Nature lovers will have fun creating their own woods, lakes and mountains in the latest app from the maker of the popular Toca Tailor and Toca Kitchen. Click on the feature you like – a pine forest, for example – and swipe your finger back and forth for trees to appear. Look for the burst of color that tells you there is now an animal in the forest. Then zoom in to see a fox or deer and offer it food. But if you don’t pick the berries and mushrooms that pop up, you won’t have anything to feed your animal friends.
Off the Rails
Ages 9 to 13. $1.99 for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android.
Imagine riding a rollercoaster that is being built as you go. You’re in control of a car that starts high above other rides at a theme park. As you tilt and turn your smart device, a track appears and the car speeds downward and around various obstacles. Dip too much and you nose-dive into the grass, your car breaking apart. Even at the slowest speed, it’s easy to go out of control. As many as five players can save and replay rides that feature a variety of vehicles. Click on a graduation cap icon to learn more about the science behind roller coasters.
Star Walk 2 and Star Walk Kids
Star Walk 2 for age 8 and older; kids version for ages 6 to 8. $2.99 each for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Additional content for purchase.
Explore the solar system with these two astronomy apps. Point your device at the night sky and Star Walk 2 will show you the stars and planets overhead. Find out which stars are visible and which ones make up constellations such as Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Tap on Ursa and get a 3-D view along with details, myths and more images.
The kids version has a cartoon look and doesn’t use location tools to show exactly what you see in the sky. But a narrator pronounces constellation and star names, some of which are tricky. Several short videos give background on the moon, several planets and even the Hubble space telescope.
Jigsaws
Ages 6 to 10. Free for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Comes with five puzzles. Additional puzzles for purchase.
Nosy Crow, creator of beautiful app storybooks, has taken illustrations from them to make a collection of virtual jigsaw puzzles. First, browse Nosy Crow’s picture books and story apps. Choose an image from one of these or one of your own photos. (Some images require buying a token, but players get five tokens for free.) Choose the number of pieces you want – between four and 300.
Once your image appears, shake your device to see the puzzle broken into pieces. The pieces appear on a puzzle tray, and you can slide one or more onto the surface where you create your puzzle. If you try to place a piece in an incorrect spot, it wiggles to let you know. Speedy puzzle solvers can time themselves, but the real reward is simply restoring the image to its whole self.
Threes!
Age 7 and older. $1.99 for iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, Kindle and Android.
This game, which focuses on the number 3, is addictive for kids and adults. The challenge is to swipe numbered tiles together on a grid to make larger numbers and earn points. With each move, a new tile pops into the grid, leaving you less space to move around. All too quickly, the game is over, leaving you wanting just one more chance to top your best round.
NGA Kids Art Zone
National Gallery of Art. Ages 7 to 11. Free for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
This app lets you explore eight works by artists featured at the US’ National Gallery and create your own masterpieces. Your first task is to make an avatar based on an American folk art painting of a child. Choose a new head, hairstyle and clothes for the mini you. Then work your way through a gallery that features several types of paintings, including a landscape (a water scene) and a still life (a flower). Click on a work of art to create something in a similar style using a color palette and several brushes. When you’re finished, hang it in your virtual art gallery, print it or email it to Mom and Dad.
Monument Valley
Age 10 and older. $3.99 for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Kindle and Android.
Princess Ida, a tiny figure in a white dress and pointy hat, is on a mysterious journey. She needs your help to get through Monument Valley – ruined towers and castles with paths that seem to go nowhere. These optical illusions get more difficult to figure out as Ida travels. Use levers, cranks and a friend called Totem to move the princess. Avoid the odd-looking crow people, who screech loudly at Ida if she tries to cross their paths. But getting past the crows is easy compared with the bigger test: discovering how shapes change when you look at them from different perspectives.
That’s Baloney! Kids Quiz Game
Ages 8 to 13. Free for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Kindle and Android.
Trivia whizzes will love this game, which challenges players with questions about science, social studies, math, language arts and a random category called “mystery meat.” You choose “That’s True!” or “That’s Baloney!”
A correct answer gives you a point and a few bites of lunch meat. A wrong answer causes a huge pickle to pop onto the screen. If you collect four or five pickles in one quiz, the game is over. Passing scores are rewarded with a virtual snack or sandwich. The levels are from grade 2 to grade 6, but lower-level questions aren’t all easy. A second-grade example: The giant lizard La Palma, thought to be long extinct, was rediscovered in 2007. Huh?
Washington Post-Bloomberg