6 Sensational Science Apps for Kids and Adults

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The Wonder of Tech is glad to welcome Erik Winther as a new guest author for The Wonder of Tech. He shares exciting science apps that are fun and educational for both children and adults.

Learning about the world around us is a fun and necessary activity, both for children and adults. As adults, we’ve all been taught a few things about the physical world in our classes, but it’s much easier to remember things when you do them on our own. Plus, without constant practice, it’s very likely science skills will go rusty.

With these science apps, you can encourage your children to develop their interest in science and discover new things. And you’re sure to have fun and learn a couple of things as well alongside them, and maybe discover your own passion for the natural world, or rekindle your curiosity and enthusiasm.

Solar Walk

A great app for astronomy aficionados is Solar Walk (available for both Android and iOS). It’s a more serious learning tool, which provides detailed descriptions of the planets in our solar system, plus a 3D model you can navigate through. You can also zoom out and see our entire galaxy from afar.

With a simple, basic telescope, you can chart the sky yourself, and then go more in-depth with the Solar Walk app. Though it’s a very fun app to use on its own as well.

The app is free to install but requires in-game purchases to unlock all its content. The price of the upgrades from $0.99 to $2.99. The app is regularly updated, as new images and data on our solar system emerge.

The high-quality visuals are sure to make both children and adults appreciate the beauty of our solar system, and the detailed information is going to give them a better understanding of the world around us.

iSeismometer

As the name suggest, this app turns your phone into a pocket-size seismometer. A seismometer is a device that measures the earth’s movements, like the waves cause by earthquakes or volcano eruptions.

The iSeismometer app is available both for iOS and Android. This tiny app is free and looks just like the real thing. It’s very easy to use and can be an excellent way to encourage kids to study science since it looks and feels just like a professional seismometer.

The creator of the app offers an extensive explanation of how the app works, which is interesting in and of itself. However, while the app can be quite accurate, you shouldn’t use it as a means of predicting actual earthquakes. There are plenty of other disaster apps that are designed specifically to help you in the case of an emergency.

Star Chart Infinite

Star Chart Infinite is an app for iOS and Android devices. It’s the ideal tool for every aspiring astronomer. It uses the latest GPS tracking system to determine your position and give you an accurate representation of the night sky. It might not have the same feel as looking through your own telescope.

Since the app uses GPS to determine your location and the relative position of the stars, you can see a map of the stars above you even during the day! It can also help you identify stars and constellations. Just point your smartphone towards to star you want to know more about, and the app will give you a lot of useful information.

In time, you can even use this app to navigate a path, just like explorers did back in the olden days. Though you should have a backup plan. The app costs $4.99. All subsequent upgrades are free.

ChemCaper

Who doesn’t like a good role-playing game? With a visual style inspired by old-school RPGs, ChemCaper is an educational video game that takes both aspects quite seriously. It costs just $2.99, and has a fun and immersive storyline, with intuitive game mechanics. But it’s also a great way to learn the basics of chemistry.

The game is aimed at children between 10-14, but adults can have just as much fun learning and playing the game.

The developers managed to blend the game’s features and story seamlessly with the chemistry lessons. The whole game takes place in a world inspired by the periodic table. The young alchemists create small creatures, called Petticles, by using the chemical bonding. They can also craft potions using the rules of chemistry and learning the properties of various elements.

Smart Tools

Every scientist needs the right tools if they are to perform their work. Smart Tools (also available for iOS) is like the Swiss Army Knife for scientists. Smart Tools Pro has a total of 15 tools available. These include a ruler, that can measure angle, slope, and level, as well as length, an app package that helps you measure distance height and width, a compass, a metal detector and a GPS. Plus a flashlight, magnifier, and mirror.

You can start doing research whenever curiosity strikes. And with all of these features, it’s just handy to have around, even if you’re not doing research. Kids can have a blast, switching from one tool to another, to collect all of the data they need for their science projects. Or just get a better understanding of the world around them.

The app costs just $2.99, which is way less than you would have to pay for each of these tools, if you bought them as physical objects.

Gravity Launch

Gravity Launch is a fairly simple game. The graphics might be a little bit off-putting at first, but the core mechanic makes it addictive enough to make up for the unappealing visual style.

This cute little game helps both adults and children understand the way in which gravity works. The players control the launch of a rocket. Each trial has a set of objectives. You can control launch thrust and the angle of the rocket. Each celestial body you encounter has its own gravitational pull you need to account for when trying to achieve your goals.

Their website gives a simple, short explanation of how gravity works and how you should calculate your strategy. You can play the game from your desktop browser, or on your iPad or Android tablet.

Kids can really have a lot of fun while they’re learning since the game is deceptively easy. But figuring out the right trajectory and amount of thrust to achieve your objectives is going to teach them a lot, not just about gravity, but geometry as well. And it’s a fun pastime activity for a 10-minute break. If you can play it for just 10 minutes.

Your Thoughts

Do you like learning while having fun? Do you enjoy educational apps? Which science apps are your favorites?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.

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Erik Winther is very into technology. He was a geek since he was a kid. Erik loved chemistry, astronomy, and physics. He later discovered his passion for movies and became a video producer. You can find him on Twitter at @erik_winther11.

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Science blocks image (edited) courtesy of Animated Heaven via Flickr and Creative Commons

Planet image (edited) courtesy of DasWortgewand via Pixabay and Creative Commons

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