Grandpa’s Workshop a universal iOS app by Fairlady Media is the newest addition to their collection. Be sure to read our developer interview with Fairlady Media to learn a bit more about the company and thier other apps. The app includes seven mini-games including: spot the difference among tools; board fractions which requires you to cut a board and count the number of pieces; measuring using Zippy the tape measure; select the tool from a variety of tools; number groups to find the jar with a specific number of objects; fix the jigsaw puzzle and paint the project. Each mini-game when completed gives positive reinforcement in the form of a “high five” and positive praise. This app works on sorting, counting, cutting, math skills, fine motor skills and speech by naming the various objects and counting.
The mini-games in this app were fun and the video’s of the tools in use reminded me of using power tools with my dad growing up. The positive reinforcement for completing the tasks along with being able to earn parts for the clubhouse gave positive reinforcement for continuing to play with the game. I also really liked how the developer allowed you to select which mini-games were included and the ability to turn the music on or off. My son especially enjoyed the jigsaw puzzle (especially the plate and piggy bank) along with painting objects. We also enjoyed finding the object that was different since it was a little different than most apps in that you found the tool that was different. The “more” section is childproofed and requires an adult to enter a series of numbers which will prevent younger children from getting into sections of the app that they should not. This is a great feature! I liked the tool vocabulary in the app along with the descriptions of the tools like the jigsaw.
I do wish the app reminded kids that they should not play with tools on their own just as a reminder – it currently does in the video portion but not when actually completing the activities. In the count the object section, he asks for a jar but does not say the jar with “x” objects in it. The spoken directions might help younger children. In addition, for some of the mini-games like the cutting of the boards it does not require you finish dragging the line before finishing the cut. In the puzzle it would also be nice if you could select an option to have to rotate the pieces to practice fine motor skills. When you are doing the tape measure or selecting a jar of objects, it would be nice if you could touch on the objects inside the jar to count, especially for kids that are just learning to count. Right now, when you touch on the wrong answer the wrong ones just disappear rather than telling you why it was wrong. When you are painting the stool, the command “rub the stool” can be a little confusing, it might be easier to say “pick a paintbrush to paint the stool”. It would be really fun if the objects you built went into the playhouse at the end of the app.
This app reminded me of working with my dad and handing him various objects while he was fixing things. I’m sure many little boys and girls will enjoy playing with this app as well as their parents who remember helping their parents as a child. It is a nice way to reinforce learning while introducing your children to a workshop and the various tools contained inside it. I am looking forward to seeing more apps from this developer! This app is on introductory pricing for this weekend only at 50% off so be sure to grab it while it is on sale.
