Disclosure: AD, this is a sponsored post, however all opinions are 100% my own.

The best way to instil a love of learning from early childhood is to make student learning fun and accessible to all. After the past few years, distance learning and online courses may have taken a little joy out of the classroom but there are still plenty of ways to make different subjects an enjoyable experience for your child.

We've tried a lot of online programmes for mathematics education but have struggled to find a great app with a science curriculum. Something which incorporates science units or a fun equivalent to lesson plans. Giving you a complete curriculum but without too much research yourself. 

We were recently contacted by Vividoo with the option to review the app with our children. We jumped at the chance and here is our practical guide to how we're using it and what we think.

What is Vividoo?

Vividoo is designed for young children aged 7-11. It aims to spark curiosity in your children while they discover the scientific world through visuals, tasks, and stories. This is aimed at all children of any educational background or skill level.

Vividoo uses different strategies to teach areas of learning such as earth science, physical science, climate change, states of matter and the human body. This teaching comes in the form of instructional materials which are grouped into chapters or stories.

A simple course description would be that through visuals, tasks, and the telling of a story throughout, children learn topics from space to dinosaurs using augmented reality, nano learning and paper activity sheets.

It's like having a science classroom at home that provides a general curriculum programme for your children whilst they aren't in school. It's an excellent solution for busy parents who want to stay involved in their children's education and use the app for summer holidays and other times when children are at home but still could enjoy a little learning.

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How does the online application work?

Once you download the app you are directed to choose a name for your Vee Character. This is a little friendly icon which takes you through each story. You can name your 'Vee' and choose a colour for it, making it more personal.

 The stories come in the following format:

• My First Knowledge which includes the creation of the universe.

• Life

• Humans

• Space

Each chapter or story is well explained, has options for help if they don't understand something and creates familiarity with science vocabulary.

Alongside the in-app lessons there are augmented reality-compatible learning sheets and screen-free activity sheets like task cards, which can be easily printed from home.

This is useful for parents as you can see your child's learning outcomes and adapt to their individual needs. Maybe they enjoy some learning experiences over another and you can go over one particular area to help them. In a classroom setting, there might not always be time to notice a learning need and this allows you to top up their knowledge over the school year with additional information.

How did we find it?

 My children loved the format of moving through story chapters. They didn't really seem to notice they were having a lesson; it was definitely more of a fun game for them. I can see them requesting it for when they would like to do some screen time and I can steer them onto this as an alternative where they are also learning something valuable. 

The manner in which the teaching of certain facts is broken down is very easy to remember. I feel like my children took in far more information than in a traditional learning setting or when doing homework. At the end of each story chapter, the Vee character goes over what you've learnt in a very simple and straightforward way. Making it easy to recall what you've just discovered and keep that information in your mind. 

The ability to collect stars and badges was really popular. I'm always amazed how much children love these little rewards and that it spurs them on. My two wanted to go back to their profile every now and again and see how many stars they had and where they were on the journey. 

We particularly enjoyed the environmental science elements which are something that’s a real interest for my son at the moment. These were found in the Life section of the app. 

The innovative augmented reality activity sheets are a great resource which allow kids to blend screen time with off-screen activities. I like this a great deal as I can give them a balance of being on and offline. It's also a real time saver as I don't need to go and find the correct information myself and then create or search for activity sheets. 

If you haven't used these before you print the sheet and then scan them with your phone to have the information come to life in front of you. As you can see below the animals, creatures and other elements come to life with colour and movement. It’s really incredible and an amazing way for them to learn. 

Overall we found the app to be a great way for the children to learn more about science without feeling like it was extra work. The app uses a balance of online and offline activity which really appealed to me as a parent. It’s also simple to use with or without me present and perfectly safe.  

The appearance is colourful, uses movement and video. The pictures are clear and exciting, especially when it shows things like the big bang happening!  We found it to be a lovely way to keep your children happy and engaged with their studies. It also helps parents who aren’t always able to teach their children extra topics outside school. Or would need to research topics themselves to be able to do this. Saving you time and making life a bit easier which is always useful!    

For more information about how Vividoo works, check out their website!

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