One Present, Please? by Rain Boot Media LLCis a bright app written by Rebecca Pashia and illustrated by Noelle Stoffel. This seven-day countdown to Christmas is an imaginative, engaging story-activity book where in this behind the scenes segue to Christmas the main character, Jake is pestering his mom for an early opening of gifts prior to the big day. In order to proceed, Jake needs your help to begin unwrapping some early-bird Christmas presents. But beware, your child may need your assistance along the way as this app certainly can be challenging. Children will be prompted with a challenging Where's Waldo type of find a rhyme in the very hidden pictures throughout the different rooms in the house. In addition, each day has a different mini-game hurdle to test planning, problem-solving, and memory skills to unlock the puzzle and enable Jake to open the gifts. Several tricks must be tried in order to help Jake gain access to unwrapping - try turning, pinching, zooming, or shaking to advance. This is a great app to pair up a younger player with an older sibling or friend.
Wish List: Our testers were a bit frustrated by some of the activities, especially the musical mini-games. The developers may want to consider leveling the challenges within a settings menu for an adult to oversee.
Don’t miss the bonus app at the end that allows kids to create and give presents!
The developers have even supplied an extension activity by asking kids to submit a photo of their own artwork: If you have played our One Present, Please? book app, you have seen a lot of the rooms inside Jake's house. What does the outside look like? WE WANT TO KNOW! Paint or draw Jake's house and email the image to gallery@rainbootmedia.com.
Jayne Clare is dedicated to being in the forefront of the ever-changing digital landscape. She has been working directly with students and startups and recognizing what works and what doesn’t, along with the why behind both. Jayne co-founded Teachers With Apps in 2011.