Entertaining the Traveling Kid – Educational Apps Review/Giveaway, Ruckus Media

One of the challenges of traveling with kids, especially young ones, is keeping them entertained. The confines of a vehicle or an airplane limit not only a parent’s options but the child’s ability to move around. Parents who travel often with their kids are always in the market for child-friendly entertainment. The advent of the iPad and the iPod has opened new possibilities for mom and dad, now giving them more productive choices. Companies like Ruckus Media, with their line of educational children’s apps, are making parents lives easier and helping to keep traveling kids entertained.

For the next few weeks, I will be reviewing a series of educational apps from Ruckus Media. I will not only test them out for myself but will allow both of my sons, ages 3 and 7 to also test them out. My opinion as the parent and purchasing agent certainly matters but honestly, their opinions and experiences as the end user/intended target is more relevant. Their happiness is my happiness and You, my reader will have a chance to also be happy by winning your own copy of the apps that I review. See details below.

This week I reviewed John Henry and the Velveteen Rabbit. These were both stories that I was familiar with and loved. The Velveteen Rabbit is a classic children’s story from the 1920’s with a beautiful moral and John Henry is an African American folk hero that I was really proud to share with my sons. The folk songs in the John Henry story were simply enjoyable and I can’t imagine a better narrator than Denzel Washington.

Kids Review
My very active 3 year old couldn’t sit still through the stories and wanted to perform some actions on the screen with his fingers, something he has grown accustom to from using other apps. After about 2.5 minutes, I lost my first reviewer. A more sedentary 3 year old, able to focus for longer periods of time (around 25 minutes), may do well with this type of app. On the other hand, my very active 7 year old loved both apps and was able to sit through the stories, engaged and entertained. He loved being able to control the pace of the stories by stopping and pausing as needed. He was even able to rewind the video when he missed something. At the end, he successfully answered some comprehension questions that I asked him. This, I loved.

Mom’s Review
What I really liked about the apps besides the beautiful illustrations and famous voices narrating the stories is what I call “triple usability”. You can either watch the video, read the book, or read and record your own voice. The Ruckus Media apps are the first that I’ve seen to offer all 3 options, and my 7 year old is excited to have several choices. My favorite option is watching the video. It’s nice to know that I have a new tool to help keep him entertained on our trips. The 3 year old is still a work in progress.

Giveaway
Here’s your chance to win your own FREE copy:
One lucky winner, chosen at random, will receive a copy of both the Velveteen Rabbit and John Henry. To enter:
– “Like” Ruckus Media Group on Facebook by clicking here.
– “Like” Mom’s Guide to Travel on Facebook by clicking here.
– Subscribe to my newsletter on my Home page.

Be sure to comment separately for each action that you take. Each action will be counted as 1 entry. The contest will run from March 11th to March 16th. The winner will be announced on the blog on March 17th and will have 48 hours to respond. If the winner has not responded, a new winner will be chosen and announced. Good Luck!