Dr. Panda's Carnival
Dr. Panda's Carnival gallery
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Dr. Panda's Carnival is an open-play environment, as are other apps in the Dr. Panda series. There's no right or wrong way to play: Kids move freely through 10 typical fair rides and midway attractions playing simple mini games and creating their own internal narratives. Be aware that there's a haunted house with a skeleton that could scare the youngest users.What kids can learn
The carnival motif, adorable critters, and the high number of activities are sure to engage young kids.
There are no learning objectives: The app gives kids an open experience in which to explore various carnival attractions. Creativity is fostered to some extent in the face-painting and lollipop design mini games.
There is no instruction, no help, no guide: Little ones can play independently, though the magnetic duck game and ball toss might confuse some kids at first.
What's it about?
It's always the right weather to visit DR. PANDA'S CARNIVAL. Kids jump right onto the midway where they can freely explore amusement park rides and carnival-style games, cook up some fun treats, put on face paint, play dress-up, and capture their creations in photos. The animals roaming the park star in stories your child invents, and kids get to try carnival games such as knocking over cans to earn stars and prizes. There's also a seek-and-find element to the app with stars hiding on the fairgrounds that perform delightfully unexpected tricks. As kids complete games, they earn stars, which they can use to buy virtual toys and treats. Though they can lose a game, it's possible to play again and again until they win.
Is it any good?
In this installment kids will have fun exploring an amusement park, but its fun focus is less educational than other titles in the series. The graphics are inviting, polished, and interactive, hiding surprises and stars. Some of the games have more value than others: Letting kids do virtual face painting and dress-up allows for creativity, but placing characters on rides becomes somewhat redundant. Also, the magnetic ducks might stump kids at first, so they'll have to figure out what's expected to win. There's no doubt kids will love spending some time at this carnival, but parents hoping for more learning opportunities might want to look elsewhere.
Families can talk about...
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Families can talk about past and future visits to carnivals, fairs, and theme parks in the real world and explore the differences between digital play spaces and the real thing.
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Talk with your kids about what might be happening at the carnival to encourage storytelling. Maybe friends are encouraging one another to go on a ride. What is going on inside the haunted house?
App details
| Devices: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android |
| Price: | $2.99 |
| Pricing structure: | Paid |
| Release date: | September 16, 2015 |
| Category: | Educational Games |
| Size: | 91.10 MB |
| Publisher: | Dr. Panda Ltd |
| Version: | 1.2 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 8.0 or later; Android 4.0 and up |
