In addition to the English Baby app and kindergarten.com app for fruits and nuts, I have downloaded 3 apps that target fruit vocabulary. Two of the apps use the same illustrations and background. They both are called Fruit Book. Maybe they are created by the same company. I’m trying to figure that out. I have found that one is created by Santpal Dhillion (SD). I have not yet been able to figure out who created the other.
Each Fruit Book app displays colored illustrations of the real fruit. Some of the illustrations for the Santpal Dhillion app have a somewhat distorted, stretched out look to them. In each of the apps, when one clicks on the arrows (right arrow—new picture, left arrow previous picture), the fruit moves on/off of a stationary background scene. Between the arrows, each app has a button allowing for repetition of name of the fruit. The SD app has a purple cloud with speaker and note symbols. The other app has a cloud with a happy sunny face. The SD app uses only a female voice naming the fruit while the other app alternates female/male voices. Both apps have “learning” and “quizzing” options. The learning option on the SD app has the word LEARN written on a wooden plank next to pictures of strawberries. Below that is a plank with the word QUIZ next to pictures of coconuts. The other app displays the learn and quiz options in a more child friendly way. Two children alternate moving forward and backward on the screen. Tapping on the boy reading a book brings one to the learn picture sequence. Tapping on the standing boy who is thinking/wondering (as shown with a question mark in cloud) brings one to the quiz pictures. The quiz feature of each app presents four fruits on the screen. The child has to tap the fruit named. If the picture selected is correct, a large green check mark zooms down to the fruit accompanied by claps. If the picture selected is incorrect, a large red X zooms down accompanied by a buzzer sound.
Because I downloaded the free apps, I and the child have to put up with annoying changing advertisements at the top of the screen for the test sequences only. Paying for the app would probably eliminate the advertisements. But I don’t think either app is worth buying. The English Baby app and the Fruits and Nuts app by kindergarten.com are better options.
Suggested uses in addition to vocab: Left-right positions with the arrows, identifying colors, object parts, attributes, categories, where object is found, how object is used, progress report testing.
I will review the third fruit app in my next blog.
