Matchstick

Category: for 12-year-olds

  • Duolingo

    I often have a desire to better myself, but being extremely lazy I seldom make the time. So it’s good for me every time I stumble across a “life hack” that offers a positive change for minimal investment of time or effort. The first such thing I tried was the “7-minute workout“, which is essentially…

  • The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes

    [amazon_link asins=’031645060X’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’3bed3d53-e9c6-11e8-b087-77bd6bc30883′] What is it ‘The Wild Robot’ and its sequel ‘The Wild Robot Escapes’ is a very charming 2-part (so far) series about a sentient robot surviving in the wilderness, written and illustrated by Peter Brown. Who is it for The official website gives the recommended ages of 8 to…

  • Machinarium – Amanita Design

    What is it Machinarium is a point-and-click adventure game featuring a cute robot solving puzzles in a beautifully-drawn quasi-steampunk city. Who is it for It’s for anyone, young and old, but some of the puzzles are pretty tricky and even precocious children under 7 or so would need some grown-up help. But it’s a great…

  • Holes

    [amazon_link asins=’B00HMCLVQQ’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’48e1314b-b2c1-11e8-a6d7-2b1b88ac6acd’] What is it Holes is a “young adult mystery comedy novel” that was also made into a movie, about a boy working digging holes in what is essentially a juvenile prison camp. There is a parallel story that takes place exactly 100 years earlier, involving some of the characters’…

  • Whoowasit?

    [amazon_link asins=’B00JFWLPRG’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’160a5163-9751-11e8-9a3a-d5b20d3630ad’] What is it Whoowasit? is a board game as well as an app where players work together to win. Unlike most games that are essentially zero-sum (a player can win only when another player loses), Whoowasit? is collaborative and players either win or lose together. The game is a…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 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…