Candy Count – Learn Colors & Numbers
Written by Heather Leister
|
Screenshots
|
I have a sudden urge to go raid the gummy bear bag in our pantry after playing around with the Candy Count app. Why? This colorful iPad app uses candy to teach sorting skills, colors, counting, number order and the concept of comparing quantities. Candy Count is a free download and it comes with one candy, jellybeans. If you purchase the advanced version you’ll find gummy bears and gum drops. More on the other advanced features later.
After your child picks a bag of candy the first thing they’ll be asked to do is sort that candy by color, placing the correct colors into the matching jars. As they drag and drop the candy they’ll hear sound effects that make it seem like they really are filling jars with sweets. Once the candy has been sorted it’s time to count it up and see how much is in each jar. This is done by tapping on the pieces of candy while the app’s narrator counts. When each jar has been counted children will go through several different exercises where they are asked which jar has more, which has less. Each time they answer correctly they’re rewarded with enthusiastic feedback and an explosion of stars on the screen. If they make a mistake the narrator will gently ask them to try again. One of the final things your child will do is place the candy jars in the correct numerical order so that the jar with the smallest number goes on the left and the jar with the most candy goes on the right. This is good practice for putting numbers in the correct order. The entire time that children are working with the candy their time is being recorded. After they finish they’ll be asked if they’d like to try again to beat their time. The candy colors are shuffled and they can start over.
The free download includes jelly beans, candy amounts that add up to ten and five colors of jars. If you purchase the advanced version you receive the gummy bears and gum drops and candy amounts that work with the numbers six to twelve. You also get five more colors. This will add more variety to the activities.
I thought Candy Count was a terrific app, just right for older preschoolers and Kindergarteners. It teaches skills in a fun and entertaining way and children always seem to love using manipulatives. Here they get to play with the candy on the screen and come away without sticky fingers or a sugar rush. Awesome!
*This is an iPad only app.*
Price when Reviewed: Free with $2.99 in-app purchase
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
Seller: Camigo Media, LLC
