Max & Ruby science educational games

The whole of the series of the Tribal Nova apps is very interesting. The idea is that every app is based on a subject/topic – be it English, Science, Emotional Intelligence etc...

Each parent can access the “motherboard” (dashboard) of all the apps and the profiles of their users in one place. The “Parent Center” app that links to the series of apps, details the progress made by each user. You can see how many attempts made, the success rate and recommendations.

Additionally, a great feature about the series of the Tribal Nova apps is child safety protection features so that, even though the “Parent Center” app and other Tribal Nova apps can be accessed from within the app. 

For the user of this Science app, the idea is that the more games that you complete, the more prizes you get! This is very motivational as it focuses on the game rather than the learning of concepts.

The first game is “Water Blast”. The aim is to move the water into the blow-up pool. The idea is to complete the “tunnel” that the water flows through via shapes so that you can turn the faucet on and see the water running though in order to fill-up the pool. No, did you know that while you are doing this, you are learning about the properties of water? Indeed! In a simple, logical-thinking game children will be able to see how water flows and works. For example, if you place one of the tunnel pieces incorrectly, the water flows into the garden and floods the grass! As the games progress within this section, the concept gets a little harder; for example, the water passes through a “freezer” and turns into ice/snow so that it feels an ice-skating rink. For every three (or so) correct games that you get, you receive a prize (say, a car or another icon) that will serve as a picture for you to create a picture. Additionally, you can retrieve the prize in the middle of play and have “a break” as you create a picture with the Max and Ruby characters.  It’s important to note that you have limited time to create the picture as you must return to the game.

In the second game, you learn about positioning, force and motion. You work with three different types of balls and surfaces. You see a tennis ball, a wooden ball and a bowling ball. Each ball has a different weight and therefore moves differently. The idea is to pull the ball back (a little bit like a sling-shot) and slot it into a hole. The type of surface also impacts on the movement of the ball as there is ice, a woollen rug and wood to contend with. To make matters more difficult, there are series of walls that act as obstacles to placing the ball in the hole.

For both games, the longer you take the fewer stars you receive (which means that you have to practice longer in order to get the prize!).

The third game, “Make Believe” you work with your prizes in order to create pictures of the characters in a setting (house, country, town, field). You can also save your picture in order to share with friends and family.

We really enjoyed this app, the illustrations are beautiful, the characters are cute and it is a very comprehensive app that should be on the shopping list of parents and Early Learning teachers.