Zcooly Time Ranch

App Info

Price: $5.99
AppStore User Rating:

Overview

Down on the ranch, the farmer needs a helping hand. While he’s busy planting, there are still animals that need to be fed. Kids are invited to come help him out. To feed the animals, kids must set the correct time on the clock. The more clocks they set correctly, the more food and coins they earn. The end result is a fun game for kids that also helps them build their time-telling skills.

Features include:

• Digital and analog clocks
• Fun farm theme
• 10 different levels
• Ability to earn coins to buy animals

Quality

When kids first open the app, they’re taken through a tutorial that introduces them to the different components of the app. Kids can also return to the tutorial at any time by tapping on the rancher’s icon. A settings section outlines what the various icons within the __app mean and also helps kids navigate through the __app if they feel confused, but they probably won’t. The app itself is fairly easy to navigate and, once kids start, they’ll be able to work their way through all ten levels without much of a problem. The one area where the app lacks in quality is the graphics. While generally clear, they move a bit slowly and lack a bit of the same polish that you’ll find from larger developers. This won’t prevent kids from playing the game though.

Education

Zcooly Time Ranch is, not surprisingly, an app designed to help kids learn to tell time. Kids can play the game using digital clocks, analog clocks, or a combination of both. Before kids start to play, they can practice setting the clock in the Practice section. There, they’re shown a clock and guided through the process of setting it to the correct time. When kids get into the actual game, they’re shown a clock and expected to set it themselves. As kids advance through the levels, the difficulty increases. For example, during the first few days, kids simply set the clock to a given time, but they’re quickly asked to set the clock to half past a specific time or two hours ahead of a particular time. Each individual sub-level tends to focus on one or two ways to set the clock. The app also uses slightly more advanced clock-setting language. For example, instead of saying it’s 12:45, the app will ask kids to set the clock so it is at a quarter to one.

Entertainment

While this app teaches kids how to tell time, it also gives them the chance to have a little fun. Every time kids set the clock correctly, they earn coins. They also earn food to feed the animals that can lead to more coins. If kids earn enough coins, they can purchase new animals for the farm. These animals range from typical farm animals to more unusual animals, such as a dinosaur. The more animals kids have, the more quickly coins add up. Some kids may want to save up their coins to purchase a bigger animal right away, but they may do better to buy a few smaller animals first.

Value

The app is priced higher than many of its counterparts. It does offer 10 levels with 7 sub-levels within each level and the ability to earn coins to purchase animals for the farm. For teachers or parents looking for a new way to teach kids how to tell time, the price may be justified.

Child Friendliness

When kids first open the app, they’re asked whether they want to allow the app to send them notifications. On the main screen, kids will also see an icon for another app and can tap to open a general info screen. This section encourages users to rate the app, but access to the links on the screen is protected, so kids will stay within the app.

• NO in-app purchase
• NO 3rd party ads
• YES rate us (protected, but visible)
• YES more apps (protected, but visible)