Maybe you’re among the 4 million folks who’ve viewed the YouTube clip of the one-year-old girl trying to pinch and swipe her way to new visuals by touching pictures in a magazine.
[View:http://youtu.be/aXV-yaFmQNk]
Judging by comments posted below this popular video, you’d be convinced that quite a few consider it poor parenting to let a toddler touch an iPad. (“This video is everything that’s wrong with the future generation,” says one.) I don’t see it that way. For me, it’s about balance, moderation and age-appropriateness. As for the latter, it’s important to note that the American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents to restrict screen time until the age of two.
Yes, the girl in the video is violating AAP guidelines. I get that. But she’s not that far away from a time in her life in which letting her learn to read with the help of an iPad is probably a good thing, providing that her parents use it sparingly.
When my wife and I were raising our two children, I never envisioned a day in which kids would be able to interact with their “books.” Oh, we had pretty cool early-readers back then, in my opinion. Pop-up books. Books that played music when you opened them due to some cheap Chinese-made gizmo that was activated by turning a page. And plenty of “A is for aardvark” teaching volumes, too.
But at no time was I thinking that touchscreens, voice-activated commands and a world of more than a billion apps would someday dawn. Perhaps, Steve Jobs was imagining this brave new reading world, but I couldn’t see past Green Eggs and Ham.
Which leads me this: I recently discovered an animated, interactive “book” app called Walter’s Flying Bus that has impressed me on a number of levels. I can guarantee you I would have regularly “read” to my kids the story of Walter had this app been in existence back in the early ’90s. I found out about Walter’s Flying Bus by accident, working on another blog (forthcoming) about the ambitious King David film project Day of War that is set to begin production later this year by veteran filmmaker David Cunningham. While emailing David and a staff member for more information about his King David film, I received a link for the WFB app. Curious, I downloaded it to my iPad (it’s now available for $6.99 there, or $4.99 on the iPhone) and became enamored quite quickly.
Walter’s Flying Bus features the art and dreams of real-life Walter in Uganda who was badly burned on his face. In the story, the fictional Walter and his friends fix up an abandoned bus, and then use it to gather other special needs children while unique African animals join in the adventure. I love the music, the artwork (most of it inspired by Ugandan children’s original drawings) and the story itself. The message is simple: All children are valuable—even those who must use a wheelchair for mobility or cannot speak.
I might add that the app was recently awarded a Silver Medal in the Educational Tools for Parents and Children by the National Parents Publications Awards (NAPPA). Okay, I’m not sure what this award really means, but it sounds cool.
Award or no award, Walter’s Flying Bus deserves recognition. Here’s a top-rated app that also channels 100% of the profits back into helping special needs children get adopted. In fact, the app is meant to be a celebratory entry point for families to learn about adoption and special needs. (Learn more by watching this video.)
Whether or not you choose to use electronic devices to help your toddlers learn to read is an individual decision. But if you do go that route, consider Walter’s Flying Bus … and support a great cause in the process.
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