uKloo
uKloo gallery
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that uKloo is based on a board game of the same name. Kids choose a scene and then read written clues. The whole experience is customizable from setting the reading level from 1 to 10, to selecting how many clues to give in a round. Selecting the book icon on screen shows the words covered in the chosen level, so kids can review or learn those words before playing. There are no ads, in-app purchases, or privacy issues to distract from the reading exercises.What kids can learn
Farm and farmer's market scenes may not appeal to a broad range of kids, but more scenes are in the works. The short games and thrill of finding the animations is fun.
Kids can preview the words -- with pictures, pronunciation, and the written word -- before playing by tapping the book icon on the screen. Short clue sentences feature common sight words and advance to common compound words.
On-screen help for how to play is available, but no hints are offered in the game. Parent supports, like lists of words introduced at each level or progress reports would be helpful.
What's it about?
After selecting a starting scene -- a farm or a farmer's market with more coming soon -- kids follow written clues to find the UKLOO card hidden in the scene. When they find the card, they'll see a fun little animation and then receive their next clue. The challenge can be customized by tapping one of the scene selections and then choosing the number of clues per round and the reading level: Choose 3 to 10 clues and the reading level from 1 ( "look on the sun" ) to 10 ("check behind the white bucket"). By tapping the book icon, parents and kids can see a list of the sight words included in the clues grouped by parts of speech and shown with a picture.
Is it any good?
uKloo is a simple game but both engaging and effective for getting kids to read. The bright scenes look like something out of an early reader picture book, and the animations give a fun little surprise. There's nothing slick or commercial: It feels almost wholesome, especially with the farm and farmer's market scenes. Kids can play a quick round or two to review sight words, and parents -- or kids themselves, since there's no parent gate -- can increase the challenge as needed. Since the words are always there to reference, kids can associate the word with a picture as a voice says the word. There's no wrong answer, so kids just explore until the tap the right item. However, if kids tap the wrong item, the scene sometimes zooms in and only shows the whole picture after you tap the arrow. Though kids can reference the words whenever they want, there are no hints within the scene itself, so parents will want to make sure the challenge is set appropriately.
Families can talk about...
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Families can talk about reading -- and then do it! Read aloud to kids of all ages, and have kids read aloud to you, too, to develop fluency. Ask questions about what you've read to build comprehension skills.
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Create a scavenger hunt for kids with clues written at their reading level (get ideas from the book icon in app, or buy the uKloo cards).
App details
| Devices: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | Free |
| Pricing structure: | Free |
| Release date: | September 6, 2014 |
| Category: | Education |
| Size: | 20.80 MB |
| Publisher: | Smiley Guy Studios Inc. |
| Version: | 1.4 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 4.3 or later |
