Must Install

What We Liked:

First, my children ADORE this app. They are always thrilled when a new video comes out each week and are excited to talk to me about the things they’ve learned by watching it. Just a couple of days ago my six-year-old brought me a double-sided piece of paper she’d drawn on. One side included drawings of vertebrates, the other side showed drawings of invertebrates.

She then proceeded to give me a lecture about the differences between the two (all with correct biological terminology) and then showed me the examples she’d drawn. All of this was without ANY prompting on my part. She just watched the Classifying Animals educational movie in the free section of the BrainPOP Jr. app and done the rest out of her own excitement for the subject. I had no idea she was doing this upstairs until she came down with her paper!
While rated for Kindergarten through Grade 3, my younger and older children also really enjoy these educational movies – everyone from the toddler through to my fourth grader. They’re both truly educational – covering the sorts of core/common knowledge that a functioning adult in our culture need to possess – while totally engaging kids. It’s a win-win all the way around.

What We Didn’t Like:

The navigation can be a bit tricky. Even my fourth grader had a hard time finding the permanently free movies that are included in the app. They are trying to fit quite a bit in, and the upper and lower menu navigation just feels a bit choppy and confusing at times. Finding a place to subscribe is also a bit challenging.

Overall:

BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week never fails to interest my children. Each educational short receives repeated viewings each week by many members of the family. This is a stand-by must-install-and-keep-loaded app in our home on all devices. Whether you simply enjoy the new free movie and quizzes each week, or purchase a fairly affordable subscription that gives you access to clearly sorted educational videos to supplement your learning with, this one’s a winner either way!

Appsforhomeschooling.com about BrainPOP Jr., v1.02