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18 August 2015

Educational Apps for Kids - Pora Ora Review

 
In a technology based world it's not uncommon for our little ones to play on our phones and tablets from time to time. It can actually be really beneficial when it comes to their education with plenty of fun apps available to improve their reading, spelling, maths and other important life skills. Pora Ora, a collection of inter-connecting games for primary aged children (5-12), has some great downloads which will certainly help when it comes to their learning, often without them even realising!

We've been reviewing a few over the summer holiday too so we can share our thoughts.


Pora Pal HQ is the downloadable virtual world for desktop computers which brings the great features of Pora Ora together into one place. This is where children can personalise their home, play a variety of games, interact with classmates and friends outside of school while collecting Pora Pals (pets) to care for as rewards. It brings learning and socialising together in a safe way.


The games are also available separately for mobiles and tablets to allow play on the move and that's how we have been accessing both Spellfire and Leapfrog.





Spellfire

This is a fast-pace battle style word game where your spellings really come in handy. You find words in the grid, collect mana and then cast spells against your opponent to win. You can block yourself too to prevent being defeated before you gain enough power.
 
The words vary in length and there are three levels of difficulty to choose from so it's great for those just learning to spell and those that are more advanced. You just drag your finger across the letters to create a chain and it lights up green if correct or red if not. There is a tutorial you can try before playing the actual rounds which is useful to get used to game play and each level has a new theme to vary play while increasing in difficulty.
 
Jamster in particular liked this game as he can often be found completing wordsearches and this is fairly similar although the words aren't provided. He also likes battling against someone one on one for a real sense of achievement when he defeats them.
 
 


Leapfrog

This multi-player game is based upon speed and multiplication questions. There are 12 exotic worlds to explore, beginning with Samura Valley, and 13 Pora Pals to unlock along the way. The idea is to answer the sums quickest by selecting from four different answers, which include times tables from 2s to 12s, to reach the end of the tournament. You can again challenge friends or others from around the world in real time which is great to encourage play and learning!

There is no third party advertising in the game and it can be played in safe mode too for a parent's or teacher's peace of mind. Both of the Mini Mes really enjoyed this game as they are rather competitive and I must admit I had quite liked it too for practising some maths. I'm a little rusty!
 
You simply wait for the sum to appear at the top of the screen and click the correct answer to move forward until you reach the finish.
 
 
 
 

 
All of the games from Pora Ora are mapped to the international curriculum and Pora Ora can assess the ability of each and every child and keep both parents and teachers informed via reports. Something that is very useful and enables you to provide extra support where needed.
They are all easy to play an very bright in colour to really appeal.

Each game covers different topics so you can encourage your child to play specific ones that they may need support with. Safety is obviously important when online and its reassuring to know the chats are closely moderated with content filtering in place.

Apps and games are free to try and low cost to fully unlock. The HQ however is £7.95, which enables unlimited access and all future upgrades for no further fee, which I think is good value in comparison to others in the iTunes or Google stores, especially as they are educational and something the whole family can enjoy.
 
 


You can take advantage of their Introductory Offer today by purchasing the full version of Pora Pal HQ.


Have you purchased Pora Pal HQ yet?

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13 comments

  1. This looks super fun! Definately need more games like this for children nowadays! When my neice is abit older I think this would be perfect for her!

    Love Sian | The Tattooed Princess

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  2. This definitely looks like something I would have been into as a kid (I'm hoping my little fella is the same), in particular the competitive side of things would have definitely spurred me on. The reporting sounds like a brilliant idea, will definitely be looking for something like this when he's a little older!

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  3. I'm not an app person really, but carson? Carson is app CRAZY! This would keep him happy for a good long while I'm sure of it x

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  4. I'm not an app person really, but carson? Carson is app CRAZY! This would keep him happy for a good long while I'm sure of it x

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  5. I'm not an app person really, but carson? Carson is app CRAZY! This would keep him happy for a good long while I'm sure of it x

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  6. This looks like the sort of thing I would love playing and the kids wouldn't get a look in ha ha.

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  7. These look great. My eldest is only 4 and not yet into anything like this but as he gets older I can see these being really useful!

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  8. I do not yet have kids but I would definitely love to play with these educational apps and I think in our technologically advanced age we need something educational to keep up.

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  9. I see it's benefits but mine are too young yet for these, I'm fond of my tablet though so I won't be parting with it anytime soon

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  10. I've not tried this one before but I'll definitely be downloading for Oscar when he's a bit bigger. He loves playing on apps now and again but I think this one may be a little too old for him at the mo. Lovely review :)

    Louise x

    With love from Lou

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  11. My niece & nephew would probably love this it might stop them messing with all of my apps too! :P Xx

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  12. I think I might be tempted to have a go myself at this! The good thing about kids apps, is that I'm not to bad at them!

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  13. This looks like fun, I think my Niece would love it!
    I find it so funny how advanced they are with phones & tablets now, my niece & nephew know how to use them and my own mother doesn't!
    #TriedTested

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