Dunno if you noticed but Independence Day is fast approaching, and this means only one thing: FIREWORKS. (Okay, so it means a lot more than that but we’ll save the politics for the ‘grown-up’ blogs.) For some kiddos, the 4th of July is a fun night spent watching elaborate fireworks displays. For others, it’s an intolerable sensory nightmare.
My son falls into the latter category. He was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder at 18 months, followed by an autism spectrum diagnosis at 5 years old. For him, fireworks have always caused him a lot of anxiety – so much so that we have to use sound-dampening headphones indoors if he’s still awake when the local shows start.
Even without any sensory diagnoses, experiencing fireworks for the first time can be dicey for toddlers and preschoolers. Cowly Owl released an app today just in time for this weekend’s holiday to help introduce the concept to your young friends, aptly called Fireworks Lab.
Fireworks Lab is ubiquitously Cowly Owl in that the game play is designed to be frustration free and open-ended. Kids simply customize fireworks lineups with silly shapes and vivid colors, line them up and set them off in the night sky when the sun goes down.
Like other Cowly Owl apps, there’s no written directions, time limits, in-app purchases, or other features that could cause distraction. Game play creativity-fueled and kids can design and redesign their personal light show as many times as they want.
This is such a perfectly-timed release of a seasonal app, and at $0.99 it’s the perfect way to help your toddler, preschooler, or special needs learner explore fireworks before the big show on Saturday night. (PS – It’s also available for the same price for Android devices)
