Do you get much rain this time of the year? Usually during the season change time, it is a good time to talk about water cycle, as you might see rains or fog, in the morning dew drops, and these are good examples of water cycle in the nature. I recently find a good app about water cycle. It is the winner of 2014 American Association of School Librarians Best Apps for Teaching & Learning in the STEM Category. I like apps or other digital learning materials with multimedia options. With various materials right at your finger tip, it makes the learning more fun and easier.
There are two modes in the Water Cycle app: learning mode and testing mode.
To learn about the water cycle, from the app home page, kids can pick any stage of the water cycle to start. For each stage, they will see photos and videos along with text and audio explanations of the cycle and its impact to life on earth.
For each stage of the cycle, kids will see a general introduction of the stage, some more relevant information with photos and video, like “Evaporation influences most weather patterns”, “Evaporation is the primary way that water becomes part of the atmosphere”. At the bottom of the screen, kids will see fun facts related with water. Do you know the average US household uses more than 100,000 gallons of water per year? Do you know you have lost at least 1% of your body’s ideal water level when you feel thirsty?
Kids can choose to read the content themselves, or they can choose to have it read to them.
To take the tests, kids can tab the Quiz button on content pages, or the Play button on home page. They are either multiple choices questions, or Yes/No questions. The Yes/No questions usually have pictures and kids will answer questions based on the pictures.
One thing to mention is the quiz not only tests kids remembering or understanding the content, but also application of the knowledge.
If you are looking for materials for kids to learn about water cycle, this is a good option. It is available for iPad and is $1.99 on App Store.
If you would like to check it out or purchase it, please use the App Store link provided below. The cost is the same to you, but iGameMom gets a small percentage. Thanks for your support! Note: The link works for all countries.
Looking for more science apps for kids? Take a look at Best Nature Science Apps for Elementary Kids 
