Toca Robot Lab (2014 Edition)
© 2011 Toca Boca
Ideal as a starter app for preschoolers, Version 1.2 of this popular sandbox app has been created with new robot parts that intentionally don't steer a child's play toward any predetermined directions, e.g., with regard to gender or ethnicity. You start making a robot by selecting legs, a body, a head and arms using multiple-choice style menus. Because the part and the mazes appear at random, this app seems to always have a surprise. We counted 12 types of arms (presented three at a time), but our testers noticed that the function of the arm doesn't seem to affect what the robot does. For example, putting wings on as arms doesn't improve your robot's ability to fly. After your robot has been assembled, you go to a testing maze where you "fly" your robot around (it follows your finger) to try to collect hidden stars and reach a magnet. In the first version, the longer you pressed the screen, the greater the power. Not this time. Your robot follows your finger -- so the flying is easier, and there are more things to discover. If you can't find all the stars -- no worries -- there's no way to fail in this robot lab. You get a fake test "report" but it doesn't tell you much. Also worth noting -- the robots can be created from reusable materials such as candy, beads, coffee cups, electronics, straws, Ping-Pong paddles, and pencils. This app proves that it is possible to create a quality play environment where a child drives ideas about things like gender or ethnicity; rather than the publisher.
$0.99, iPad, iPhone
Teaches: logic, some creativity, spatial relations, fine motor
CTR Rating: 92%