The coolest thing in our house, next to Zombies, of course, are aliens. My 3-year-old and 5-year-old daughters love to pretend they are little green creatures from outer space, here on this planet to collect as many cookies as possible to take to their home planet. This scenario works just fine for the youngest one, but my older daughter is beginning to express an interest in the real outer space, not just the one populated by sugar-crazed, chocolate chip-addicted green creatures. If, like me, you have the beginnings of a future astronaut in your home, try some of these space-themed iPad apps:
Spacebook by Nicholas Hughes
With over 5,000 high-resolution astronomy images, there is sure to be something in this app to catch your little one’s attention and curiosity. All images, captions, and descriptions are sourced from Astronomy Picture of the Day, and include nebulae, planets, moons, meteors, comets, satellites, stars, eclipses, rovers, and more. $2.99, 4+ rating
Britannica Kids: Solar System by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Britannica Kids helps youngsters explore the secrets of the Solar System in a fun and engaging way by combining learning and playing through a variety of games, as well as countless images, videos, and articles. Geared toward the 8-12 crowd, this app covers all the major planets, the sun and moon, asteroids, comets, gravity, and more. $4.99, 4+ rating
Interactive Minds: Solar System by Vosonos LLC
This interactive science book features over 40 pages of space-related content, as well as videos and interactive simulations to help your astronaut-to-be experience how the seasons change as the Earth orbits, the size differences between the celestial bodies, how much a person would weigh on the planets, and much, much more. $2.99, 4+ rating
Kids Discover Space by Kids Discover
Inside this interactive book, your child will have access to over 200 photos, interactive diagrams, hundreds of surprising and fascinating facts, read-aloud narration, a space race memory game, an interview with an astronaut, and so much more. This app is a 3-time winner of the Parent’s Choice GOLD Award. $3.99, 4+ rating
Oobie’s Space Adventure by VHS Design LLC
For the younger crowd, Oobie’s Space Adventure is a story that aims to teach kids about space in a fun and interactive way. Every page is interactive and packed with fun sounds and illustrations. There are 3 reading modes, making this app appropriate for both the reading and non-reading. $0.99, 4+ rating
