At KinderTown, we are always on the hunt for an app that does something a little different. For apps that let kids play with a concept that you can’t find in the other best educational apps in the app store. Today’s featured app: Fizzy’s Lunch Lab really got our reviewers excited.
Professor Frizzy, from the PBS series, provides eight challenges with a focus on mapping skills, money, positional words, sorting and classifying. Granted, this is a lot of varying content, but the app plays so smoothly! The individual problem-solving games are connected by entertaining video cut scenes with many games integrating healthy food experiences. For repeat play, the videos have a “skip” button to get right to the games.
Have multiple kids in the home? You’ll find options for creating separate accounts. Not only do multiple accounts mean that kids can experience the app at their own pace, but Fizzy’s Lunch Rush is adaptive. Adaptive play supports kids by auto-adjusting the leveling based on their answers. This means there is no need to go in and adjusts the levels yourself.
Some of the unique (to the app store) content in Fizzy’s Lunch Lab includes:
• Counting money in real life experiences
• Mapping out directions to get from one place to another
• Solving if/then logic problems
• Classifying items and people by features
Activity 1: Secret Chest
Children begin to develop their logical-thinking skills by answering questions and playing games that involve reasoning or critical thinking. We highly recommend including riddles and guessing games throughout your day. Your child will enjoy guessing an object that is hidden in a paper bag from clues given, and the process teaches them to put clues together to figure out an answer.
I used a “Secret Chest” in my first-grade classroom. My students would get three clues, but I gave them out one at a time.
After the first clue, we would write possible answers on a whiteboard. When the second clue was given we crossed out the suggestions that no longer fit both clues. Same for the third clue.
After the suggestions were narrowed down, the class voted on which object they thought was in the Secret Chest. Then came the big reveal!
An activity like “Secret Chest” can be tailored for use at home or in the classroom. For a variety of ages too. Eventually, you’ll notice your kids taking the leadership in picking out the “secret” and preparing clues.
Activity 2: Traffic Jam
If your child is into puzzles and challenges you have to try out a game of “Traffic Jam.” Dr. Mike’s Math Games for Kids has a free version of this game to download.
Objective: Drive the red car to the exit. Start by choosing a puzzle template for setting up your cars. Then, find out how many moves takes to solve the puzzle – where one ‘move’ means a single car or truck moving a single space forwards or backward. Start by solving the easier puzzle or puzzles in a group, and it will give an idea of how to solve the harder ones. You will eventually need more puzzles!
Don’t want to take the time to print, cut and set up the board game. We have a few other easy options:
• Download the Rush Hour app from ThinkFun. There is a free app to try out and a paid version if you like it!
• Purchase the ThinkFun Rush Hour Junior game directly from Amazon.
Build a Paper Airplane Activity