For Eric Carle fans young and old, it’s great fun to be immersed in your own hungry caterpillar world. Kids are in charge and in control of their own experiences as they explore, do, and imagine. Some activities are more interesting than others. The drawing board is especially neat because it has two drawing options: put the caterpillar on a bench and draw with your finger, or use the caterpillar as a “brush” and slide it around the canvas, dragging paint and mixing colors as you go. Caring for the caterpillar gives kids marginal practice in the role of nurturer rather than nurtured, and may inspire a curiosity about nature.
It would be nice to see a few more activities. Once kids unlock them all and then repeat a few times, they may get tired of them. Also, some way to reset the game completely –- through a button or an automatic reset each time kids hatch a new egg –- would allow kids to discover new activities one by one each time they journey through the caterpillar’s metamorphosis. This would be especially helpful for use with multiple kids.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id852270582?uo=4&at=10laCG&ct=website
Overall User Consensus About the App
Student Engagement
Stunning Eric Carle graphics make it a pleasure to interact with the hungry caterpillar in its little caterpillar world. With a variety of activities and seasonal environments, kids should get good use out of this one.
Curriculum and Instruction
Kids are empowered to take charge of their own experience through open-ended play. Kids learn about nature (by watering plants to help them grow), take on the role of caregiver, and experiment with colors.
Customer Support
Open-ended gameplay makes interaction easily accessible for a wide audience. For extra help, there is a short how-to video. Extension suggestions would be nice — tie-ins to books, science, art, or real-world interactions with nature.
