We are big podcast fans here at Teaching Robots. We rarely do the dishes or fold laundry without first turning on an episode of Radiolab, Stuff You Missed in History Class, or This American Life. It’s actually from listening to an episode of Bullseye with Jesse Thorn that we heard about Apps for Kids, a podcast from Mark Fraunfelder of Make Magazine and Boing Boing fame.
Although Boing Boing isn’t always kid friendly (or completely safe for work, for that matter), Apps for Kids is a entirely PG rated podcast that features Mark’s 9 year-old daughter, Jane, as the host. The show currently has almost two dozen short (five to ten minute long) installments. Each episode features a review of a smartphone or tablet app. Jane describes the app and the two discuss their experiences using it.
The reviews sometime contain a bit of geek speak, with Mark and Jane describing certain apps as “infinite runners” or “simulations”. They also often discuss how one game is like another, drawing comparisons that might not mean much to listeners who haven’t played both games. The apps reviewed aren’t necessarily educational, but instead they cover the wide range of applications that are kid friendly (from interactive storybooks, puzzle games, art apps, and more).
After the review, Jane reads the sponsorship plug. In all the episodes we listened to, the sponsor was Toca Boca, a game studio has created half a dozen apps for kids. The plug seems a little long, especially since the podcast is so short.
The sponsor portion of the show is followed by a listener email segment, where dad and daughter read a letter sent to them, often by a child listener. They also occasionally answer questions about technology and give shout-outs to other games.
Overall, we found Apps for Kids to be well produced and extremely charming. It’s a very accessible way to find out about new kid friendly apps which could be particularly useful for parents and educators who are lucky enough to have access to smartphones and tablets for their students. We’re particularly excited to check out Simple Physics, an engineering game where you build structures that are then tested by simulated gravity.
