Presidents By the Number
What parents need to know
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Presidents By the Number is a simple app with basic biographical information, fun facts, quizzes, and a short poem to help kids learn about the presidents of the United States. There are some political overtones; a video where the presidents' portraits morph from one to the next concludes with "Change Can Happen," and the descriptions of American wars have a mild political slant. The violence described in the war section is generally abstract and historical, but the number of American deaths in each war is listed. Also included are lists of the justices of the Supreme Court and vice presidents and their terms, as well as some facts about the Supreme Court. A book of the presidential poems is available to purchase by email.
What kids can learn
- historical figures
Thinking & Reasoning
- applying information
Engagement, Approach, Support
While the portraits are engrossing and the poems tidy memorization tools, the wiki-style interface and text-heavy quizzes won't keep kids engaged for long if a school assignment isn't involved.
Kids get the opportunity to learn essential facts for citizenship but short multiple choice quizzes are a bit on the dull side. Depth of information and interactivity are lacking.
Simple menu navigation makes a tutorial unnecessary. The main menu links to a booklet that can be ordered by email. The lack of progress tracking limits assessment potential.
What's it about?
The main menu gives kids content choices as well as quizzes. Each presidential topic has a portrait and number in extra large font, a pneumonic ode, and facts such as noteworthy prior positions and supreme court justices appointed. Kids simply read the facts then navigate to quizzes that test them on the facts, which give them scores out of 10 as well as the correct answers.
Is it any good?
PRESIDENTS BY THE NUMBER is a very simple but informative app. The interface is nothing fancy, but it's easy enough to use. The writing isn't pristine, but the poems about the presidents of the United States are cute and probably helpful for kids trying to memorize the presidents. The video with all the presidents' faces morphing into each other is a tad creepy, but harmless and entertaining. Most of the information you'll find here is easily found elsewhere, and it doesn't have the same authoritative tone as, say, a textbook. But it's nice to have it all in one place, kind of like a mini-Wikipedia. Users should note the Andriod version has some bugs and layout mistakes.
Families can talk about...
Seek out kid-friendly videos about the presidents and watch them with your kids.
Get your kids involved during election season. Talk to them about the election process, and share how you gather info and make election decisions.