Kiwaka
© 2014 Landka
A challenging Flappy Birds gaming mechanic (or in this case a flappy pink elephant) meets astronomy facts in this night sky app designed to "develop children’s interest in astronomy and observing the night sky." Content includes 120 real images plus external links to space resources for further exploration, plus video tutorial on how to find and identify important stars and constellations in the night sky. The adventure begins in Kiwaka, the name of a real African jungle where “fireflies carry the light from the stars.” Your mission is to fly the elephant by tapping the screen to catch fireflies, earning stars and avoiding snakes and birds. Like Flappy Birds, the gaming mechanic is easy to learn but hard to master, and it isn't always clear what you are supposed to collect and what you're supposed to avoid. We also didn't like the the way links to Facebook and other social media services are built into the levels and the reward system. The app runs on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch and has been released alongside a second storybook app, called Kiwaka Story.
$2.99, iPad, iPhone (340 MB)
Teaches: Astronomy, stars, solar system, space, English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese
CTR Rating: 70%