12 Huia Birds App Review
App Info
Price: Free
Overview
12 Huia Birds introduces kids to the huia bird, an extinct bird species that once roamed the forests of New Zealand. Through the story, which combines fact with fiction, kids learn how Huia Birds became extinct. They also learn an important lesson about protecting existing wild bird species.
Features include:
- Facts about Huia Birds
- Available in English and Maori
- Audio Narration
- Animated Illustrations
Quality
The app has the marks of a quality app. The illustrations are crisp and clean and the text and narration are easy to read and follow. Most of the navigation is done through the cover of the story, the Discover & Collect screen, or the more options ribbon which gives parents access to the protected parent area, the help screen, and the ability to change the language. On a few pages of the story, it is difficult to figure out how to advance to the next page and a couple of games lack a clear navigation path back to the cover of the book.
Education
As kids read through the story, they’ll learn about the Huia bird. However, that’s not the only part of the app designed to promote learning. In the Discover & Collect section, kids will learn even more about the Huia bird. There they can get an up close look at the birds, explore a field guide, and even discover 12 easy ways to protect existing wild bird species. It’s clear that the developers are serious about using the story of the Huia bird to teach kids a valuable lesson and that lesson comes through clearly. Parents can access more resources through the developer’s website. The site promises that worksheets and other resources to extend the learning are coming soon.
Entertainment
Throughout the app, kids will find many features designed to entertain them. Many of the pages of the story are interactive and kids must tap and drag illustrations before they can move to the next page. The app also contains a game section where kids can play three different matching games. Kids can also get have fun exploring the Up Close section where they get to listen to the sound of Huia birds and tap around the forest to learn more about these fascinating birds.
Value
This app offers a wealth of information about the Huia bird and teaches kids an invaluable lesson about protecting animals on Earth. The lesson alone gives it tremendous value.
Child Friendliness
Access to the parent area, developer’s website, and more apps button is protected by a parental lock. However, once parents enter the code, the areas remain unlocked until the app is restarted. Therefore, parents who want to access these areas should be sure to restart the app before they allow kids to enjoy it.
- Protected parent area (can contain external links & social media)
- NO external links
- NO social media
- NO 3rd party ads
- NO in-app purchase
- YES “more apps” (protected, but visible)