Daily iPad App: PlayTime Theater
Every parent who has taken a long car trip or flight with offspring in tow knows that the difference between a pleasant journey and a stressful, tiring marathon may come down to one key factor: can you keep the kids entertained (and fed) through it? If so, everyone's happier. This task is dramatically easier in the age of the iPad than it was before, but it's still not easy to find apps that appeal to kids of different ages and interests.
The margin between a good children's app and a great one may be narrow, but when you see kids on a long trip getting engaged with an app for solid stretches -- without flipping back to cartoons, without taking Angry Birds/Peggle/Call of Atlantis breaks, and with a high degree of creativity and enthusiasm -- chances are you're dealing with a great app. The $2.99 PlayTime Theater doesn't have a high degree of visual polish, and its interface can be somewhat quirky and confusing; nevertheless, I think it's one of the most impressive kids' apps for the platform that I've seen in a long time.
The concept of PlayTime Theater is simple, and that's what makes it so effective. The app presents a castle 'set,' complete with drawbridge, catapult and other necessities. You can populate the set with virtual puppets (knights, princesses, dragons, the entire medieval menagerie), assign them props, change their costumes and looks (including custom faces built from your photo library), and position them where you want.
Once your backstage preparations are complete, you start the show. Switching into Record mode and clicking the big red button allows you to populate one of twelve show slots with a two-minute puppet show that you control. Move the characters around the stage as you (and your kid sister) give voice to each role; tap the puppets to activate their props, use the other controls to play sound effects or music, and more. Once the play is done, you can watch it with the voices and sounds perfectly synchronized to the action.
Like I said, it's a simple idea, and there's nothing fancy about the visuals, but I've rarely seen an app that so completely captured the attention of my 10-year-old and six-year-old daughters in a matter of moments. I didn't even introduce it to them -- they found it, and they were off. You might have to clarify the button functions for younger kids the first time through, but they will be composing epic shows in no time. It's not just fun for the younger set, either; the friend who introduced me to the app says he uses it to create mini-epics by animating snippets of business conference calls.
The app thoughtfully includes a link to the developer's YouTube channel with demo videos and sample recordings; these do help clarify the interface. You can read more about the app at the PlayTime Theater website, where it's noted that future versions will offer more backgrounds and additional varied characters.
If your kids enjoy creative play and storytelling, you can't go wrong with PlayTime Theater. There is no bigger bargain to be had on the App Store than trading $3 for hours of peaceful traveling children who will be eager to show you their seatback masterpieces.
Hat tip to Myke L.
