A Child’s Review of an App for Kids

I awoke Saturday morning to an e-mail about Kapu, a gaming app company for children. Kapu, ‘the digital toy box’, creates apps and games for the little set, which are free of advertising, in-app sales (those devil sent boxes that pop up during a game which requires one to purchase more coins, more games, more levels, more Tylenol…), are colorful, fun, easy and allows a parent to set a timer for ‘game time’.

Consider Kapu’s The Forest an anecdote to fast paced, furious and overwhelming children apps that are the rage. No shooting apples off the top of someone’s head with a bow and arrow (yes, I once made a download mistake when I purchased what I thought was a sweet little ‘apple’ game), no blood, no violence, just simple, colorful and graphic fun with sweet music.

Kapu is the kind of game that won’t have you fretting about what your children are learning or doing while you cook dinner.

I could have tested the game myself, but if one wants to know how an app rates with kids, one needs to go to kids. Thankfully, we have a five-year old son and a two-year old daughter who offered their professional services.

In fact, our son was so taken with the exercise of becoming an app reviewer, that he kept instructing me, “Mom, did you write that part down? That’s important. Other kids will want to know about that.”

So, without further delay, a review of Kapu’s The Forest by HSquared One and HSquared Two (pen names for our little ones).

Kapu’s The Forest, An Animal and Wildlife Game for Children, The Lite Version is Free, $1.99 for full version, which includes more animals. Appropriate for ages 1 – 4+, Available in iTunes App Store

Regarding the Colors and the Graphics.  “Mom, this is important. There is lots of pink – look at the owl. He’s pink. Girls will like that part.”

Regarding the Frog and Catching Flies. “This is important. Write this part down. You have to feed the frog because frogs get hungry too. But this frog…he is catching flies, which is fine, because flies…well, I don’t like flies as much as I like frogs and I guess frogs eat flies. I wouldn’t want to eat flies, but frogs – it’s okay for frogs.”

Regarding Lightening Bugs. “What are those?” A: “Son, those are the lightening bugs I told you about.” “Well, that is cool. You make the lightening bugs light up. That’s cool.”

Regarding the Woodpecker and Tapping into the Tree. “This is fun. Look at this. I can do it again. I hit this button and I get the woodpecker to her babies. All babies need their mother. Yes, I like this part.” (This is where HSquared One and HSquared Two began to argue…they both seemed to like the woodpecker.)

Regarding the Shapes that One Matches in the Beaver’s House. “Okay, this is good. It’s easy for me, but not so much for little kids, I bet. But they should try – look, you match the circle with the circle in the beaver’s house. You need to put the square in the box for the square. I think I need to show sister how to do it. It might be hard for her.” (It wasn’t…she loved it.)

Kids also get to feed a fox berries, help bees to pollen and a few other little animal and forest activities to keep their attention. If you sit side by side, it’s a fun way to learn about animals and nature.

Sweet stuff (my review).

AppsBaby StepsChildrenGamesKapuThe Forest