This post has a review of the National Geographic Puzzle Explorer app. In this app, children create their own mazes which will occupy them for hours and will engage higher level thinking skills. The first geographical area activities are free and takes some time to complete as there are several levels. It helps teach about maze building and how the app works which provides challenge and entertainment.
Please note: Although this is a review, no money exchanged hands and I downloaded my own free version of the app from iTunes.
National Geographic Puzzle Explorer App
National Geographic strives to make excellent educational resources, and this app is no exception. They used a team of educators as well as a team of technical people when designing the activities. It breaks new ground as the children help design the levels as they create their own personalized mazes with pieces that come to life. Such fun! Here is a link to the free instructor’s directions. Here are some of the app directions, as well.
This is the link to the free download on iTunes
The first screen says fingerprint, that is right.
Next there is an official screen.
Then a geographical area game is selected. The Yucatan game is free, so I’m going to select that one. The other games may be purchased one at a time.
As progress is made through the levels, the game records what has been accomplished for mazes and the photo fact cards collected.
This is a view of the photos collected. Additional game puzzles are offered for the student to solve, as well.
Children will work with things like iguanas, barriers that pop up, items to collect, and decorations for their mazes. Of course, as they work they unlock incredible photos and educational facts from National Geographic. It adheres to both Common Core and National Geography standards and helps children develop essential brain-building skills like strategy, planning, critical thinking, and trial and error.
My contact at National Geographic shared the following quote from game developers.
“We know that kids love to play with mazes and wanted to make a maze that would actually come to life for them. We think that’s where the fun and the challenge is. Our Geo Maze Maker technology does this. Players can outrun a lizard or out-smart Yak by luring them with fruit. They can roll giant snow balls that melt to become a bridge over water. We hope the Wise Owl Factory community enjoys making mazes and their children get all the great learning benefits that mazes provide.” – Josh Freeney, Co-Founder, YETi CGI.
“This fun geo maze maker is more than just a game that will entertain children. Not only can you enjoy it as a family or classroom, but it is also a great learning tool to help children with important brain-building skills such as planning, sequencing, strategy, memory, logic, and more.” – Dr. Christine Casey, Congressional Medal awardee and 40-year educator and curriculum author.
My Opinion
I had to be sure I could succeed at all the levels in the free game, and I was only stumped by the highest level with the iguana for awhile. I previously “babysat” an iguana as a class pet for over a year and I couldn’t seem to get over the fact the one in the game can approach and stop the person. Then I realized iguanas have learned to come up to people and try to get food, so over that hurdle in my thinking I was able to complete all the levels. The facts revealed to me were highly interesting. Children love to astound adults with amazing facts, as we all know, so expect to be impressed.
I used to teach gifted education classes, as well as thinking skills. One of the units was actually about labyrinths and mazes. We would show a film the school district owned about that topic. Then the students would draw mazes, we would have them laminated, and they would trade and solve each other’s mazes with dry erase markers. This is a great end of year activity for keeping students engaged before the school year ends. Not that our students ever day dreamed about summer vacation, of course! Having had experiences with the Puzzle Explorer app, this would be a more interesting activity. At the end of the year the computers and iPads and everything are removed from classrooms leaving us with old fashioned learning.
More Fun Resources
The Yucatan mazes caught my eye as last summer I met a blogger who lives in the Yucatan. She used to live in Minnesota. She kindly gave me these souvenirs. This is a link to her short story page about living in the Yucatan.
Thank you for reading, Carolyn
Miss Owl reviewed a high-quality junior microscope with three industry-standard magnification levels, batteries, 2 lights, prepared slides, and other materials.
In this Nat Geo Puzzler app, children create their own mazes which will occupy them for hours and will engage in higher-level thinking skills. Challenges and entertainment!
Montessori Method:
Lower case letters are taught first!
Nell’s lessons are based on the Montessori method of teaching. Many of the lessons you’ll see in the Nell app are used in Montessori preschool programs around the world. It very nicely teaches skills with a calm and sweet approach without loud bells and whistles.
Non-digital, inexpensive mini microscope from GeoCentral. It is important for children to experience the microscopic (and telescopic) worlds when young, according to Montessori education.
This active learning product supports eight languages including English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Korean. So augmented reality cards look like memory game cards (and have passed safety standards).
Free developing reading comprehension skills eBook for parents and teachers of young children. ABCs for parents.
Birthday bingo and coloring pages free printable for children’s parties. The PDF is an instant download available at the post.
Tooth brushing charts free instant download at this blog post — to help parents encourage children to be more independent and routine about tooth care.
A post about preparing your child for first-grade math in daily life without worksheets or flashcards.
A decision-making tool to help parents make decisions is as simple as drawing a chart, adding options, and criteria as explained at the blog post. Free PDF and YouTube video.
Distance, hybrid, and back and forth to classroom learning has been difficult for most families and teachers in 2020.
The Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, MN offers interactive displays, videos, a scuba diving Santa at Christmas, and pure educational fun!
Pint-sized perfectionists carry a painful burden and can cause parental anguish. Understand what is going on.
An anthology: Orphan Train to Modern Day Nonfiction Short Stories of Adoption & Foster Care. Fifteen writers.
Safe at Home coloring pages is a free PDF download in our free eMember area. Discuss pages with children.
Simple birthday color pages for ages 3-7 are an easy activity for birthday parties which include toddlers. Free instant download PDF.
Summer slide can be prevented, although it takes some concentrated effort on the part of parents, students, and caregivers.
Theme baskets for baby include board books, soft baby toys, and musical interactives. These baskets are for a baby about 7 months old. Baby is ready to learn!
If you are traveling with children, plan quiet times during the day and anticipate random hunger or thirst. Plan ahead for children’s needs.
Coloring pages to welcome new babies are included in this post. Free instant download PDF. This post was part of a virtual baby shower.
Do you know about HELLP Syndrome? No, that is not a misspelling. With HELLP, not everyone has the same symptoms.
Actually, children do worry about everything from tying shoes to whether or not they will be able to get lunch.