Matchstick

Author: Matt

  • Puzzlescript

    What is it PuzzleScript is an open-source HTML5 puzzle game engine. Open-source here means that it is completely free and all code is visible to anyone who wants to learn from it. HTML5 is what we used to call DHTML back in the day, and essentially means it’s made with JavaScript, and runs in a […]

  • The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian

    What is it Finn Caspian is a free, weekly podcast about the adventures of a boy and his friends in outer space. They work with (and against) robots and aliens on board spaceships and strange other worlds. The podcasts are usually 20-25 minutes long, with about 15 minutes of storytelling and the rest devoted to […]

  • RoverCraft

    [amazon_link asins=’B073RDQZFS’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’6221a3d5-5ddc-11e8-8a0c-81a1530e854b’] What is it RoverCraft is an app that lets players build “space cars” and drive them along bumpy alien landscapes, collecting coins and avoiding crashes. Who is it for The game is simple enough for kids as young as 4 to have fun with it, although only older kids […]

  • The Fixies

    What is it The Fixies is a Russian cartoon series about a family of tiny (1cm tall) fairy-like creatures who repair everyday items, and in the process teach about physics, electronics, and other useful DiY knowledge. Who is it for The show is a big hit with our 4-year-old but a lot of the content […]

  • Bloxels

    [amazon_link asins=’B01FUFJ4ZQ’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c15763e9-5acf-11e8-9873-efc5257a865a’] What is it Bloxels is a free make-your-own videogame app that lets kids (or adults) create 8-bit style sprites and levels for 2D platformer games without needing any coding. The Bloxels kit includes a 13×13 grid with colored blocks so that younger kids can manipulate ‘pixel blocks’ (bloxels) physically […]

  • Spaceflight Simulator

    Every week we try out at least 5 different apps, either on an Android phone or the iPad. They are all free except for the rare occasion when we decide that the paid version will be worth it (e.g. in the case of Plants vs. Zombies). The apps are free usually because they have ads, […]

  • The Little Penguin: Pororo’s Racing Adventure

    [amazon_link asins=’B00IEMRIAG’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’16021301-427d-11e8-9286-d51a2aec847a’] IMDB and other review sites don’t seem to like this movie much, but the kids and adults in our family thought it was great, exciting, well-paced, and very entertaining. It was made by a Korean company, and has a slightly different feel to it compared with Japanese animations, and […]

  • Slingball

    [amazon_link asins=’B06XH36HFP’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’445435d2-427b-11e8-9784-65fb46f3a333′] This was a gift from Grandma. She found it for $4.99 at a drugstore or somewhere like that. It was not meant to be a Major Gift (the way Lego sets are, for birthdays and Christmas) but the Slingball set ended up being the Essential Toy that went with […]

  • His Shoes Were Far Too Tight

    [amazon_link asins=’0811867927′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c0441397-39b9-11e8-a61c-73c330317c8c’] This book is a collection of absurd poems by Edward Lear, selected from his two books of nonsense literature, “A Book of Nonsense” (1846) and “Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets” (1871). The most famous of Lear’s poems is “The Owl and the Pussycat”. Many readers who don’t know […]

  • Hop on Pop

    [amazon_link asins=’039480029X’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9de91507-2eb0-11e8-bfe1-dff3343c1440′] Not all ‘classic’ children’s literature ages well, and not even all of Dr. Seuss’s books have aged well. Some have racist or sexist imagery that was mainstream in the ’60s and ’70s but not now. Hop on Pop, however, has aged well. And not just from its visuals, but […]