Ask Slashdot: Math and Science iOS Apps For Young Kids?

Oyjord writes "I have a very smart and curious 3-year-old daughter. Before anyone tries to derail my query, yes, we get a lot of play time outside with soccer and baseballs, and inside with blocks, Hot Wheels, PlayDoh, etc. However, on the rare occasion that we do sit down with my iPad, I'd like to solicit recommendations for good Math and Science apps for kids. There are hundreds of horribly gender-biased baking apps and Barbie apps for young girls, but they turn my stomach. She has a wonderfully curious mind, and really likes SkyView already, but I feel lost in a sea of pink and Hello Kitty apps."

"Gender biased" may be oversimplification

[sideslash]

I have young daughters as well, and I have a similar reaction to Barbie dolls and their ilk, primarily because I don't want my daughters (or my son for that matter) to buy into the whole sexualization/objectification of women mindset. However, I don't reflexively avoid gender-targeted toys. Why should boys and girls have to be indistinguishable in their play preferences? What's wrong with the boys deciding that they like Cars and the girls Disney Princesses, as long as their parents are OK with it?

Don't worry, there are plenty of gender neutral family activities, too. I teach them all to shoot firearms as soon as they're old enough. ;)

Re:IOS?

[Anonymous Coward]

I am so fucking sick of you fucking fanbois having to turn every conversation on it's head so you can fly the flag of your little techno-religious cause. It's just like dealing with a religious zealot, they look for any pause in a conversation to interject their diseased thinking and they'll use any possible fingerhold in the dialog to force their pitons in. It's fucking annoying.
 
The person owns an iPad. What the fuck is the problem? Stop trying to turn this into another endless iOS vs Android battle. Each has their virtues and I don't give a fucking fuck what you use as long as I don't have to buy it.
 
Now shut the fuck up.

Re:Newtons gravity

[fermion]

There are many games that, as she gets older, will make increasing sense to her and teach her basic physics concepts, mostly mechanics. Gravity is one of them, and it is very good, but I don't know if a three year old can play it.

Games like No, Human, Tesla toy, and even angry birds, might provide the immediate feedback and simply play to encourage a three year old. Angry Birds Space is especially interesting.

When she becomes older, Osmos and SimplePhysics is very interesting.

Re:So your plan is to literally retard him?

[tlhIngan]

Then we had our student led parent teacher meeting/conference. Turns out, he doesn't do jack in class because he finds it all too boring.

You found out how to make learning interesting for your kid, and because he can't do well in what is ignorantly a boring and mediocre environment, your plan is to dumb down his learning until he can be pacified with the rest of the sheep?

Or maybe to teach his children that in life, there WILL be boring parts, and that's perfectly OK? We've basically gotten to the point where if something's not stimulating, it's not worthwhile to do, which is not only a bad attitude, it's positively dangerous as there are many boring tasks that need doing throughout life (think mundane stuff - chores, boring paperwork and stuff at work, etc., you can get away with a lot by skipping it, but eventually you'll have to pay it back).

Life is not always fun and interesting. And there's a potential fear of overstimulation (probably that combined with diet may make up a bunch of ADHD cases - if you don't achieve a level of stimulation, people's minds wander).

Sure the kid's not old enough yet to have much discipline or know about stuff like that, but sometimes boredom IS a wonderful thing that can lead to enhanced creativity.

Heck, most first time jobs will be pretty boring, repetitive and utterly dull, but it's a way to get some spending money