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July 26, 2016
Big on fun, but light on learning.
I see this app as more dessert than meal. It's fun and calm, zen even, but don't expect very much more if used without direct adult input.
Next school year I plan on introducing the app, following our unit on animal habitats. If tasked with a written or visual checklist of animals and geography to observe, I may be tempted to up my rating of this tool a bit more. However, in light of this year's experience I will likely relegate it to the "unused" folder on our iPads a week or two after to avoid having to delete a thousand photos of bears eating mushrooms.
However, this app, like most Toca products, is solidly made, user friendly, and generally enjoyed by children. While not a stand alone learning tool it is worth the cost for the enjoyment your students will get out of it.
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November 30, 2015
Interesting introduction to nature, habitats and ecosystems with Toca Boca Nature
Toca Boca Nature is meant to be aa calm soothing app and because of this the 'education' factor within it is shallow. While it is great for teacher led lessons about habitats and ecosystems, students left on their own with this app are quickly bored and move on to other more 'entertaining' apps. We have used it to create unique 'photos' of animals and habitats to use as part of presentations. I have only used it with second and third grade students so it might be more engaging for younger students, but I'm afraid in today's world of 'flashy' apps, Toca Boca Nature does not have enough depth and substance to keep students entertained or to truly learn the nuances of habitats and ecosystems.
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