Happy World Oceans Day with Magic School Bus

Today, June 8th, is World Oceans Day. The theme for 2011 is “Youth: the Next Wave of Change." World Oceans Day inspires young people to get involved with ocean conservation efforts.  Scholastic’s recently released iPad app, Magic School Bus: Oceans, has the same goal.  Based on the Scholastic book “The Magic School Bus: On the Ocean Floor” by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen, the app is a tool adults can use to teach children about the precious resource that composes roughly 70% of the Earth’s surface.

(picture from the app)

With Magic School Bus: Oceans, readers age 4 and up take a deep-sea adventure with iconic teacher Ms. Frizzle and her class of young adventurers: a wild ride to the ocean floor.  The highly interactive app engages readers with the story by using Scholastic’s “Touch and Tilt” technology.  By touching animals, characters, and objects on the iPad screen, readers reveal fun animations, and nearly 40 real-life photos and videos of ocean animals and plant life.

Scraps of Life App Review: My now teen kids went through a Magic School Bus phase when they were about 8- and we read all the books several times each. This app is exactly what I came to expect from the books- a lot of science information presented in an engaging and entertaining way, but with the bonus of interaction!

There is a LOT of content here. My 9 year old reluctant reader took his time with it, and it took about half an hour the first time through, and he didn't watch all the videos or play much with the many interactive page features. He is looking forward to going through it again soon. “I learned a lot of stuff!”, was his review.

(picture from the app)

I was impressed with the interactive content and the videos, all set in the familiar format of the traditional Magic School Bus. If you have a child age 5-10 years old who needs to do a report on the subject, or who has a passion for Marine Science, or if you are contemplating purchasing the book, this app is well worth considering!

(picture from the app)

To purchase the app and to check out other Scholastic apps, Click Here!

Thanks to the sponsor for providing the app for our review. Our honest opinions are expressed here.