Summer Camp is for parents and kids to work together, exploring the world around you with activities that will take you outside, inside, and as far as your imagination will go! Learn more by reading the Welcome to KinderTown Summer Camp! blog post.
Learning within the theme of “homes” is a natural, easy way for children to relate to others across cultures, try new things, and explore new places via technology.
Homes
Homes is a wonderful app from Tinybop, a developer focused on play and the natural curiosity of children. In this app, they have developed interactive homes across the world for kids to play in and discover new facts about other cultures. There are four different homes across the globe represented at the time of this review: United States, Guatemala, Yemen, and Mongolia. Once a location is chosen, a child can begin to explore the house. A sliding window bar allows you to peer inside the home. Tap on areas of the home to zoom in on the room. Once inside the individual rooms, children can play with the objects. For example, a room in a house in Yemen has a musical instrument to play with, tea cups and a pitcher to serve tea, and pillows on the floor to rearrange. The app begs kids to ask questions like “How do others live?” “What makes up a home?” The app can easily be changed to several different languages, encouraging children to listen to other languages and learn new words. When talking with the creators, KinderTown learned about the extensive research that went into creating authenticity in the app. In addition, check out the Homes Handbook, which provides lots of facts and questions to ask your kids. The app is based on free exploration, so children can explore at their own pace and follow their interests as well. This app is a great way to learn about other cultures through the home environment which is familiar to young kids. The app is $3.99 and appropriate for children ages 3-8.
My PlayHome
My PlayHome is a digital playhouse that inspires conversation, role playing, and collaborative interaction. Manipulate a variety of character dolls throughout every room in your house. Plenty of interactive elements in each room make the play dynamic and keep this app long-lasting. An excellent app that lets kids take ownership of their play through exploration, storytelling and role playing. My PlayHome does an excellent job of adding rooms and characters with free updates. The app is $3.99 and does not include in-app purchases or advertisement, just lots of fresh ways for your child to create and explore. The app is for iPhone and iPad and is appropriate for children ages 3-6.
Duckie Deck Family Photo
Duckie Deck Family Photo is a simple app that young children can easily navigate and create their own family photo within the app. The app has simple tools to create a portrait of each member of your family individually or together. Children can manipulate expressions, facial features, hair styles, and even earrings. Let your child take creative control, and they can enjoy creating portraits. The app is $2.99 and appropriate for children ages 3-6.
No Place Like Home Giveaway
Take photos of your family enjoying a summer activity at home and upload them to social media with the hashtag #KTHome or upload them below to enter.
Related Blog Posts
No Place Like Home: Opening Ceremony
No Place Like Home: Demme Learning Day (7/8)
No Place Like Home Closing Campfire (7/9)
Next series: Under the Sea.
No Place Like Home: Opening Ceremony