World Schooling opens children up to a “world” of learning possibilities. Its entire premise is built on the idea that the world can be your child’s teacher. It typically involves a combination of travel with active education. Most world schooling families allow for their children to shape their education and not the standardized (non-customizable) curriculum provided by traditional schooling.World Schooling looks different for every family, but for ours includes a combination of real-life education with iPad apps that help facilitate learning and exploration.
Here are the Top 5 World Schooling Apps We are Loving for the month of March 2018:
Table of Contents
1. Todo Math
Roo is currently in love with this app, and so am I! Todo Math is specifically designed for children of all learning abilities in mind. It is designed to allow children with auditory and visual processing challenges or math learning difficulties. It features a setting such as Left-handed mode and dyslexic fonts. This app is not just for students with challenges though; it is designed for all children.
Todo Math offers the choice of a Daily Adventure or Free Choice. The daily adventure allows children to work through missions that build on each other through a variety of games and activities that encourage not only calculations but sorting and writing numbers correctly. Free Choice allows children to go back to their favorite activities within the app to master particular skills.
Pricing Info: Free Trial. The free version includes eight levels of play, three missions. The pay portions of the app include Free Choice Only Access for $9.99 with 18 levels to choose from, Mission Only Access for $11.99 includes 31 missions that can take children through a full math curriculum. For full access to the entire program, it will cost $19.99.
Wifi: My favorite feature about Todo Math is that you are able to play it without wifi! This makes it a great feature for world schooling families who do not readily have access to wifi.
Mom’s thoughts on Todo Math: As a parent of a child with several complex challenges I love that this app was designed with ALL children in mind Roo frequently loses interests in things, so the fact that each “school day” she requests to start with Todo Math makes me smile. My only gripe with the app is that in the free trial it constantly prompts to upgrade. It is very irritating to Roo to have her play interrupted, but aside from that, I love this app.
Roo’s thoughts on Todo Math: “I love that it is fun, educational, musical, and it is sometimes challenging. I love that it is challenging. It is a wonderful world of play!”
2. codeSpark Academy & The Foos
As we all know there has been a wonderful movement to increase access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) for girls. This movement is addressing the current and predicted shortage of skilled workers in high-tech fields, and the inadequate education of students, particularly girls, in these areas. Stats vary across countries and tech disciplines, but overall, women make up only 15-25% of the current STEM workforce, and this gap is only getting larger.
You also probably already know that these gaps don’t just appear when our children become adults and enter the workforce, it starts as early Kindergarten. This comes from the way that we socialize our children, but also from the exposure (or lack thereof) to scientific concepts from toys to early education.
Career exploration has been a topic in our household since Roo has been very young, and it changes daily from a baker one day to a midwife the next. Now, I have no intention of steering her in one direction or the other, I refuse to sit by allowing limited exposure to STEM activities.
Enter codeSpark Academy & The Foos! codeSpark Academy is a network of coding puzzles that increase in difficulty. They allow for children to drag and drop commands that introduce them to basic concepts of coding. While the app provides very little in the way of instruction, each level that requires a new skill does have a basic demonstration of how it supposed to be carried out. Based on how well the child does in each level determines the star value they receive at the end of the level. The game plays out in a story format that keeps children engaged and invested in completing the level.
Price: Free Trial. The free trial is connected directly to the app-store and automatically enrolls you in a monthly billing plan after 7 days. The app is $7.99 for full access to the app and new content each month.
Wifi: codeSpark Academy & The Foos requires Wifi which may limit some world schooling families who have limited access to reliable internet.
Mom’s thoughts on codeSpark Academy & The Foos: This app is a great introduction to programming. I love that the characters and story are engaging and isn’t aimed at a specific gender. I wish that there were more audible instruction provided in the app when a new skill is being introduced. This has caused a significant source of frustration for Roo because what is expected to make the character move is not clear, even for me. Aside from that, I love that this game is giving her the initial building blocks for programming and has sparked her interest in coding!
Roo’s thoughts on codeSpark Academy & The Foos: “It is fun and is very playful! The coding part is very fun, you get to make people go and jump and find things. It is very exciting that you get to change the world and make her get things. I really like the animal game inside the app too!
Our next 3 apps come from the Toca Super bundle which includes 10 apps including Toca Life Pets, Toca Life Hospital, Toca Nature, Toca Boo, Toca Tailor, Toca Life Vacation, Toca Kitchen 2, Toca Hair Salon Me, Toca Hair Salon 2, and Toca Mini for $19.99. We initially learned about the Toca Boca apps from their Toca Dance App. I downloaded it for Roo to have a fun app that wasn’t directly connected to an educational concept. Once she saw Toca Hospital it was all over she wanted to try all of the Toca Boca apps. It was a relief that Toca offered a variety of bundles and the Super Bundle saved us over 33% versus buying each of the apps separately.
3. Toca Hospital
Toca Hospital is an app that allows children to be in charge of their very own medical center. It covers the entire spectrum of life from birthing babies to losing a loved one. The hospital, like most Toca Boca apps, is free play based which allows for children to play in their own way. They are able to drag their characters through the hospital’s various levels and test out medical equipment like an ultrasound machine and CAT scan machine. They also have access to all of the medical supplies just like a real-life hospital including a gurney, bandages, PPE, and clamps.
Price: You can purchase the Toca Hospital app for $2.99, and it is also included in many of the Toca Boca app bundles.
Wifi: Toca Life – Hospital does not require wifi for play which makes it a great choice for air travel and world schooling families.
Mom’s thoughts on Toca Life – Hospital: Because I know that one of Roo’s career interests surrounds the medical field I love that she has an opportunity to explore an entire medical center and be in control. She is able to make up her own stories without the intrusion of games or levels.
Roo’s thoughts on Toca Life- Hospital: “I get to operate on different people, lots and lots of different people. Sometimes you get to have assistants to help you in the hospital. There are different parts of the hospital, and each level of the hospital has a different world to play in. One has babies you can help be “bornded” (born), one where people are hurt, and an emergency room. You can get snacks like sandwiches, fruit, and coffee. It is fun, cool, and awesome!”
4. Toca Nature
Toca Nature allows for children to build and develop habitats. They can choose to plant trees or create an ocean for the animals that live in the habitats. Once they build the habitat they are able to then meet the needs of the animals by foraging food for the animals.
Price: You can purchase the Toca Nature app for $2.99, and it is also included in many of the Toca Boca app bundles.
Wifi: Toca Nature does not require wifi for play, which makes it a great choice for air travel and world schooling families.
Moms’ thoughts on Toca Nature: I like that this app allows for Roo to establish a connection with nature. This gives her a direct cause and effect relationship with how much land resources she has versus the water for the animals in the habitats. It can also open family discussions about the impact of global warming and deforestation on animal habitats.
Roo’s thoughts on Toca Nature: “You get to make a big forest and you can collect food to give to the animals. You are able to make a lake for the bears, beavers, and rabbits. You can make different habitats for the different animals and even cut down trees for the beavers. You can build all kinds of stuff for different animals. I like that you get to look at the stuff you make with a magnifying glass and see what the animals need.
5. Toca Dance
Toca Dance allows for children to be a choreographer! Children get to create custom outfits and routines and then record a music video of their performance.
Price: You can purchase the Toca Dance app for $2.99, and it is also included in many of the Toca Boca app bundles.
Wifi: Toca Dance does not require wifi for play which makes it a great choice for air travel and world schooling families.
Mom’s thoughts on Toca Dance: I like that this app allows for Roo to have a creative outlet. She absolutely loves dance so being able to take that love of dancing and choreograph her own moves is so neat. The characters are very interactive and their moves are completely customizable, so Roo is able to do try out a move she likes in real life and then try to replicate that with the app.
Roo’s thoughts on Toca Dance: You can learn how to do some MOVES! You can make the people dance, give them outfits, make them practice. It is not challenging at all, and it is awesome! When you are done putting on stuff, you get to practice your moves, and then after you get to do a whole performance. You can throw flowers and money at the dancers and put up flames and clap. Woo-Hoo!”
