What we love…
the original music and narration as well as the graphics and variety of activities that the characters did while trying to find pieces of their spaceship. As a parent the culture piece was interesting as well.
What we’d love to see…
the ability to “skip” over parts of the introduction if you hear them more than once, the ability to have hints for the mini games and clearer instructions for some of the games such as surfing.
Summary
If you have a child who is working on comprehension, enjoys reading and hidden/find items games as well as mini games this app would be a good fit. I would say it is targeted toward older preschoolers and early elementary school aged children as well as children who are learning English and new vocabulary words.
Our Rating
Gau’s Adventure in Hawaii by Korean based Gau Family Studio is an iPad only app which takes you on a tour of Hawaii where the three bears from outerspace try to find the pieces of their rocketship which landed there in error. Skills practiced in the game include critical thinking, finding an object, culture, dressing in a correct sequence, sequencing, learning colors, shapes, numbers, geography and fine motor skills. The app features a tour of the Hawaiian island as the characters (Bupa, Dupa, Kayla and Sarah) search for pieces of their spaceship. Read our developer interview to learn more about the developer Dang and Gau Family Studio.
The graphics are crisp although they are fairly simple. We liked that the voices moved appropriately with the speaking and followed along with the text. We also liked the feature that if you did not want to see the text, you could “roll it back” at the bottom so you did not have to see it. I also liked the “child lock” which is on the main screen of the app which requires you to hold an item for five seconds. This will help prevent children from getting into external links. The music and narration in the app were clear and helpful to use of the app. My son really enjoyed the “hello” song. As a parent, I liked the rewards feature of the app as well as the explanation of new countries, culture and critical thinking and problem solving skills required.
In terms of enhancements, it would be nice if you could “skip” over parts of the app that you had already been to unless you wanted to repeat the opening sequence. It would also be helpful if there was word highlighting for the spoken text which would help early readers follow along. In the surfing mini game, rather than having to do multiple taps to move the surfer around, I think it would be easier if you could either slide for your finger or perhaps tap on the area where you wanted them to go. Although there were instructions, I didn’t feel they were clear enough until we experimented with this. I also found a couple of instances throughout the app where items should have been capitalized like proper names that were not. I also thought it would be nice to have “hints” within the app for the mini games just in case people got stuck with them as well as the ability to customize the app to different skill levels.
If you have a child who is working on comprehension, enjoys reading and hidden/find items games as well as mini games this app would be a good fit. I would say it is targeted toward older preschoolers and early elementary school aged children as well as children who are learning English and new vocabulary words. The simple but effective interface will have them playing for hours. The app does not include any coins or external purchases in order to play.
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Gau's Adventure in Hawaii (Pro)by TheGauFamilyCategory: Education, Educational, Games, Kids Requirements: Compatible with iPadMini4G, iPad 2 3G, iPad 2 WiFI, iPadThirdGen4G, iPad 3G, iPadFourthGen4G, iPad WiFi, iPadThirdGen, iPadFourthGen, iPadMini Size: 98.92 MB |
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Screenshots for iPad
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NOTE: A fee was received to expedite this review to the top of our waiting list but this payment has not influenced the objectivity of the review and all opinions have been offered honestly.
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Alison
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Alison, Amanda, Grace and Mary are four mothers from different parts of the world dedicated to educating parents about the best digital stories, educational apps, fun games and technology products available for their children. We also offer the latest news in apps for kids, interesting articles, developer interviews, free apps and regular giveaways!
I’m excited to try this app with my preschooler (who happens to be in love with the islands of Hawaii)! Thanks for the review!
With examples and pictures
Watch movies
he dose this with his ipad and the app he has with diffrent languages
Through books, tv shows, museum visits and travel.
My girls haven’t learned a whole lot about that yet because they are quite young but they love shows like Dora and Diego so they’ve learned some things through them so far. I think as they get older and ask questions, the Internet will be such a help to answer questions we aren’t sure about.
We do many field trips. This is main way we learn.
Wow great to have the ability to teach children without the cost of traveling. Would like to see it available un us App Store.
through only books so far
My younger daughter is too mentally disabled to understand. I teach my autistic daughter through food, pictures, books, and movies. We live in the USA.
Thanks for your review and comments. I have the app and we have gotten stuck several times. Could not get past the surfing game, so I agree there should be more hints or a way to bypass pages that are too difficult for kids to maneuver. However, I love the whole concept of the app, especially the vocabulary and how it types in what the kids are saying so kids see the connection between print and text. The social communication aspect was good as well–most kids never learn or attend to introductions so I really highlight that with my students.
I commented on app after reading review. Now for blog entry. Being an slp, I generally highlight differences in vocabulary as a way to introduce cultural differences. I am from the US.
We watch videos & read books.
We travel and have many friends who represent cultures that aren’t native to our kids. Our family itself is blended (between two cultures), so they are quite aware of other cultures and customs.
Thanks!
h4schaffer at gmail dot com
Miri Smith (USA) – We try to attend community events from different cultures. We’re lucky enough to live in an area with lots of different cultures.
I teach them by exposing them to different cultures and taking them to events that embrace different cultures
When possible, we teach about culture through immersion; reading, visiting etc.
I read to them about other cultures and customs. We may watch some television or movies, as well.
We toured museums, have friends of many cultures, and read about them.
We ready; watch TV shows and when on vacation always learn about the history of where we are.
Through talking, pictures, and reading about them
Watching discovery channel,history channel and apps when avail
Mostly books.
Exposure to different cultures and their traditions through books, movies, and internet. Then have open and honest discussions.
Through TV, movies, books, trying different ethnic restaurants or recipes.
we read books and occasionally watch a show on TV
we have alot of phillipino families in our community and love getting together to share our cultures
Through the Internet and books, also our school has cultural day every year.
Through the Internet and books and our school has cultural day every year.
I exposed my son to some movies with different cultures. While watching I’m also explaining to my son the different cultures that other people have.
For my older child we love the discovery and history channel, my younger children love books!
Story books, documentaries, friends from different countries etc
At their elementary school, my kids did a lot of stuff with cultural heritage; each child would do presentations on the home country of one of their relatives. My kids always came home and we would talk more about them.
I would say mostly through books.
Japan-through meeting friends and neighbors from various cultures for playdates and sharing snacks,songs and dances.
*I wish* I could say it is through extensive travel :), but mostly movies, documentaries, and discussions.
With examples and pictures
I lived overseas; I show many pictures of our adventures and try to cook and try different ethnic foods
I lived in Asia and Europe and we have plenty of items from those areas to show and tell stories to our children.
Movies, TV, books, museums, meeting people, community events, vacation
My son and my students get information and activities about other cultures through our Around the World curriculum. It encompasses fine arts, social studies, language arts, and 21st century learning. The cooking is my favorite part.
USA. At my school, we are engaged in project based learning. As part of this, the students are researching various countries and cultures and learning about the different beliefs and lifestyles. Over Christmas, they studied holiday traditions in different countries.
I use alot of books, tv, movies and day to day outtings to teach my kids about different cultures.
We learn about different cultures through books, tv, and movies.
With examples, books, and field trips.
through books, movies, talking to different people and researching for themselves online
from books and museum
Through books and discussion, sometimes tv shows too.
My kids go to a very diverse school and how great having a diverse community is has always been part of our conversations with our kids. Tolerance and acceptance of other religions cultures etc has always be a given in our household
By reading books or watching tv shows!
We live in a melting pot, a mix of cultures within our community and sharing and caring we educate each other. T.V. Movies, books and the internet are all playing a part too. Toothfairy and lost baby tooth tractions vary world wide too! I educate thru my website.
wish to correct typo = Lost Baby Tooth ” Traditions ” vary …not tractions :(
Talk to them so they can ask questions.
going places reading researching checking the internet going to the libary
We watch documentaries focusing on different cultures.
I am from America and I teach them through food.