Sid the Science Kid - Sid's Slide to the Side

$2.99, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Teaches: science, friction

CTR Rating: 80%

CTR Review

Sid has a problem -- his new sneakers have too much friction. This problem is described in two narrated stories, presented in a way that you help Sid the Science Kid (from the PBS show), by touching the screen to move things along. Each page is nicely narrated and the problem is one that children can relate to. But the entire experience feels very didactic and some of the experiments are confusing. For example in Push-a-Puck it's hard to know what material your puck is made out of. The most fun is Sid's Speedway, where you run into an oil slick which should reduce friction, but your car slows down. So it's not always clear just what is going on. But it is a fun activity. Additional content includes a song from Teacher Susie and real video footage that shows race car tires. This is the first in a planned series of "Appisodes" from Mindshapes that wraps activities and songs together with games. There is no in-app content to worry about.