My youngest daughter loves coloring apps and is always looking for new color pages to do. This week she took over our iPad to play with Ricky the Toucan. Ricky the Toucan is a coloring app that can be used in English or Spanish. Children learning a English or Spanish as a second language can use Ricky the Toucan as an added resource for their lessons on fruits, vegetables, animals, clothing, vehicles, and toys.
With Ricky as their guide, preschoolers can learn new words and phrases in English or Spanish while coloring or looking for the right object in captivating scenes.
Ricky the Toucan features:
– 2 languages: English and Spanish
– Engaging coloring experience
– 6 word-categories ( animals, fruits, vegetables, transportation, toys, clothes)
– 36 drawings
– 3 object-recognition games with different mechanics for each episode
– Animated pencils
– Voiced-over words and phrases by native children
– Coloring suggestion in each drawing (just flip the right corner!)
– A different song for each episode
– Cute coloring sound to make the experience feel as real as possible.
Ricky, the toucan, is the mascot for the app and is featured on the main menu and within the games. He is cute, and the orange on his feet and beak are bright — his appearance attracts your attention immediately.
While coloring, children are provided with twelve colors and an eraser to fix mistakes. The thickness of the crayon and eraser can be adjusted easily with a plus/minus (+-) slider. If a child decides to change the color and re-color an area that has already been colored, the second color takes the place of the first (no need to erase a color in order to go back over with a new one).
The games available with the app are designed for word/picture recognition. They are simple to play and are not animated. They begin with the narrator of the game speaking/prompting the user to find the picture of the word spoken. The user then selects the item they are instructed to find. Once everything asked is found, the game is over.
Ricky is a free, children-safe app which offers in-app purchases. Third-party advertising is not allowed. Within the app there is no need to use the camera or the microphone or to complete any other information so no data about you or your child is collected or distributed outside of the app.
Mom’s Thoughts:
The drawings featured within the app are cute; the fruits, vegetables, and animals have faces, while clothing, toys, and vehicles do not. They are also moderately detailed and child-like. I think any family who has a child who likes to color will enjoy Ricky the Toucan.
Please visit Ricky the Toucan online or in the app store to learn more.
Find Ricky the Toucan in the Apple Store HERE.
