On our second of two days off from school due to snow (last week – not today which is also our second day off for snow), we got to try out a new app from LeapFrog called MyRobot Friend. It was honestly perfect timing as the kids really do go stir crazy when we can’t leave the house.
“Take control of your robot friend, Alpha-1, using logic, puzzle solving and math skills. Use you arsenal of shrink rays, invisibility cloaks, shields, propeller packs and a whole lot more as you program your way through 80 mind-teasing levels. Program a sequence of instructions for your robot to follow, and earn all 3 ribbons per level by creating efficient programs and collecting all the coins.”
Teaches: Problem-solving, Logic and reasoning, Programming skills, Sequencing, Mathematics, SpellingGabbie and I tried out the app first. Gabbie has had her own iPod since I got my iPhone, so we loaded it onto her iPad and my iPhone, so we could both try it. Once it was uploaded (it took awhile – I think the file is a bit large), Gabbie spent a bit of time telling me she didn’t understand, but while I was otherwise occupied she figured out how to play and then explained it to me!
Gabbie quickly passed the first few levels, talking herself through the steps the robot had to follow – turning, moving certain spaces, etc. She also figured out how to move backwards with negative numbers when necessary.
I also played the game on my phone to get an idea of how it worked. I liked it! This level is the first to introduce a rocket, used to blast the frog out of the way. Because of this “violence,” the game is rated 9+, but I don’t think it is really an issue.
Gabbie enjoyed the rewards which allowed her to buy her robot a princess hat, as well as give it a dance party! The dance party is a mini game which is unlocked after passing a set amount of levels. A future mini game is a spelling game – this one takes longer to unlock, but as reviewers, Gabbie was able to try it out. The easy level was too easy for her, but she decided not to try the medium or hard levels yet.
I was not sure Zachary would understand the game and at first he wasn’t interested in trying it, but Gabbie told him about it and he asked her to show him. We also added the game to my husband’s iPod and Gabbie helped Zachary learn the game.
Zachary picked it up quickly and even taught me something I hadn’t realized – I had been instructing my robot through multiple steps at once, but Zachary taught me that I could move him one step at a time. Zachary was able to visualize the next steps the robot needed to take by moving slowly, rather than all at once.
We are all currently stuck at the same level – we’re going to have to remedy that for more robot fun!
You can get the app here: LeapFrog MyRobot Friend. This video also tells more about the game!
I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective but content and opinions expressed here are all my own. To learn more about the app, visit here #CleverRobotFriend #spon