Fun science: The human body

Wow, what an introduction!  Upon opening the app, children are immediately immersed into a powerful introduction from Stefanie.  Inspired to become a doctor, after receiving a tablet for her birthday, she set about creating an app with the help of her father, to teach other children the basic concepts of the human body.  The captivating introduction goes on to explain her motivations, presented alongside excellent graphics and assisted by real-life hospital sounds and noises.

After the introduction, children are taken to the homepage - a table of contents.  From here, they can learn about the “Digestive System”; “Bones and the Skeleton”; “Muscles”; “Lungs and Breathing”; and the “Heart and Blood”.  Prior to exploring the topics, users should visit the “Introduction” section where they will, clearly and simply, be taken through a graphical explanation of app's key features include: "Sound", "Info" and "Video".  As children work their way through the app, they are able to listen to sounds relevant to the topic, for example, the heart beating or the lungs taking in oxygen.  Similarly, at points, they can click on of the body to discover more information about these parts.  Finally, the introductory videos often link the scientific concepts to the real life needs of an aspiring doctor, as narrated by Stefanie.  This multimedia content, brought together through a range of colourful graphics and pencil-drawing photos, is used to illustrate and bring to life scientific concepts, engaging the user, throughout the app. 

The topics are covered using clear and accurate language, with just enough information to engage, but not bore.  Such subject matter is normally explored in Key Stage 2, however much of the content is relevant to children as they grow up, so is suitable for a range of audiences.  Most topics are presented in factual way to begin with, then supplemented by personal thoughts from Stefanie.  Despite this content, a great addition would be links to interesting websites or even Wikipedia, which would extend the scope of this app and allow children the opportunity to really explore the content should a topic appeal to them.  An interesting quirk is the emotive aspect introduced by this app - the story of Stefanie who aspires to be a doctor when she grows up.  Children can easily empathise with the feelings portrayed by this young child through her story, and therefore may engage more with the app as they relate to her ambitions (as well as the scientific content).

Controversially, it might be argued that the app is an excellent school or home project, created by a young girl learning to design her first mobile app and incorporating all the multimedia elements as part of this project.  On the other hand, it could also be seen as an engaging app which tells the story of Stefanie and her dream to become a doctor, teaching the elements of the human body along the way.  Either way, the app will act as a great starting point for those learning about the human body.

Overall, worthy of its four-star rating with great graphics, relevant sounds, and the content introduced clearly and succinctly.