The Pepi Tree App: An Interactive, Educational Tool that Teaches Kids About the Environment
The Pepi Tree App: Educational “Game” for Kids
As a parent, you want your child or kids to engage in learning activities to prepare them for school and for life. I mean, what parent would want their child to struggle to learn? Educational games for kids at an early age are important for their growth and development—age-appropriate materials of course. The Pepi Tree app provides one such learning experience. This educational app is a highly visual, interactive tool to help your kids discover amazing facts related to science and the environment–specifically creatures in and around trees.
Brief Description of Pepi Tree
The educational app uses visuals, movements, and sounds related to this ecosystem. The Pepi Tree app is not really a game in the sense of scoring points and that sort of thing–at least in the free version. The app includes:
• an owl,
• a caterpillar,
• a spider
• squirrel, and
• moles
The goals of Pepi Tree at least from testing the app are as follows:
- To provide young children with a fun learning tool that teaches them what animals live around trees
- To show them the activities of these creatures
- To help kids understand the importance of preserving nature
- To provide a memorable experience for them
- To keep children occupied
The recommended age range for Pepi Tree is 2 to 6, but I also came across the suggested 3 to 7 age bracket. The app probably will work best for the latter category of children.
Helpful Features of the Learning Activity
This app is educational with excellent images, demonstrations, and sounds. For example, when clicking on the owl, the sky turns dark with stars and a bright circle appears where you can “catch” certain critters moving in the darkness. You click on the creature and drag it to the matching shape in the “owl’s collection.
My wife and I tried the app with my son who is two years and four months old. He was fascinated with the images including the owl on the nighttime screen and one of the caterpillars eating an apple. He pointed to the owl and the apple. However he does get distracted at times, as might be the case with other toddlers. The app would probably work best for kids who are ages 3 to 6, as that is probably the age range when they become even more curious about the environment. I remember around my early years in school, science was my favorite subject. I wanted to learn about various animals.
Suggestions for Improvement
I do think Pepi Tree could have a more organized, clearer guide with instructions and labels particularly on the activity screen itself. For example, clicking on the spider to build a web, you’ll see multiple kinds of flying creatures. Including a guide on the same screen that explains more about each creature and activity would make the learning tool more user-friendly. In addition to labeling the creatures at the bottom of the screen, an explanation of what is meant by the “owl’s collection” and its purpose would assist in teaching the kids what is happening. They do provide a guide, which briefly describes each activity, but a further clarification within the “game” itself would make it easier to follow.
Summary
Overall, Pepi Tree presents quality visual and interactive learning opportunities for young children. However, the creators of the app can certainly make improvements and add further clarifications. Pepi Tree is a go-to learning tool for parents who want to introduce their young children to how ecosystems work.
Conclusion
I recommend giving the app a try at least on the free version. Also, you can find other educational mobile apps related to science and the environment. As I come across and test out similar educational apps, more information will be provided with comparisons of each of the activities.
