4.8
Where to Buy

MarcoPolo Ocean App Review

App Info

Price: Free

Overview

Don’t just explore the ocean, build your own ocean! Through five different building activities, kids have the opportunity to build a boat, a submarine, a fish, a marine mammal, and a coral reef. As they do, they learn about different elements of the ocean, including 30 different marine species and what boats and submarines do on the ocean. With its simply drag-and-drop interface, kids can easily complete the activities. Once they’re finished building, they get to play, interacting with the silly animations and adorable ocean creatures.

Features include:

  • Five building activities
  • Multiple marine species
  • Discover ocean habitats
  • Ocean-based vocabulary

Quality

While MarcoPolo Ocean features cute animated creatures, not actual ocean images, it still makes kids feel like they’re able to travel to the depths of the actual ocean. The high quality, intuitive design makes it easy for kids to complete the five different activities and gives them plenty of freedom to explore in the free play section. As they explore, kids can stay in the shallow waters or dive deep to explore the creatures below, even using the spotlight on their submarine to illuminate the creatures hiding in the dark ocean waters.

Education

Rather than presenting kids with loads of facts and information about the ocean, the app takes a more subtle approach. As they complete the building activities, kids learn about the different habitats within the ocean and the marine life found within each habitat. While building boats and submarines, kids also learn about engineering and physics, learning how different materials function individually and together. After completing the building activities and playing around in the animated ocean, kids may be inspired to find more books, websites, and other resources about the ocean. The parent section even suggests book titles and activities to help extend the experience.

Entertainment

As kids complete activities and play with the different fish, coral reefs, and boats found in the ocean, they have the freedom to make choices. While some activities, such as building the boats, require kids to put pieces together in a particular, others allow them to make choices, such as what types of fish to include in the ocean or where to place the coral reefs. After building their creations, kids have the opportunity to play around with them. This opportunity for creative freedom and free play helps keep kids entertained.

Value

Parents and teachers will be hard-pressed to find something that allows kids to explore the ocean in such a creative, entertaining way for less. Both the variety of activities and the quality feel make MarcoPolo Ocean stand out.

Child Friendliness

The intuitive design makes it easy for kids to figure out how to complete the building activities and play with the ocean life. Parents will appreciate that controls and other info is hidden behind a parent screen which requires swiping right with two fingers to access. Even if kids access the parents section, all they’ll gain access to is information about the app and a support e-mail.

MarcoPolo Ocean
MarcoPolo Ocean
Kids can dive deep and explore the ocean while interacting with marine life and creating their own ocean habitats.
Quality
Education
Entertainment
Value
Child Friendly
4.8
Where to Buy