ABC Wildlife (iPad application)

ABC Wildlife on the iPad by Peapod labs

The iPad is a great device for kids; because of their developing motor skills, the larger size interface and screen is perfect for them.

This week I let the kids loose on a new game called ABC Wildlife. There is an extremely easy, pleasing interface linking together a range of flickr images and YouTube videos of various animals. Their is a strong focus on choosing the initial letter for the animal, and there seem to be around 4 or more animals for each letter of the alphabet (apart from those tricky letters at the end!)

I am always concerned about letting my children loose on YouTube, but these videos have been specially selected for suitability, and there are no links at the end of the film to tempt them off into related (and unrelated!) material I haven't censored.

It's currently £1.79 from the UK app store, which may seem a lot for a collection of flickr images and YouTube videos, but I believe the interface and focus on spelling makes it a very compelling choice for children learning earl reading.

My 6 year old heartily recommends the elephant video...enjoy!