Lumi’s Book of Eyes

  Come play with Lumi as he goes on an “eye” spy adventure with a variety of animals.  Originally designed as a hardcover book by author Jr M.D. Robert Abel.  Lumi’s Book of Eyes was recently launched for your apple device at the end of June.  This educational app will provide your preschool to pre-kindergartner a few new ways to “look” at creatures that they may see in the sky, on land or just in books. Did you know that dragonflies have 30 thousand lenses in each eye? This is just one of the new facts your little one might share at the next family gathering. With new found facts also comes a wonderful message at the end for all children.

Easily navigated for the youngest of fingers, Lumi’s Book of Eyes offers both a storybook option and mini game. While reading the storybook, user options can be altered.  For example, in the top left hand corner is a blue speaker.  By simply tapping the speaker, users can scroll through three reading options.  By providing this option, readers of all levels can feel successful.  For the younger children, set it to speaker only.  The focus here is on Lumi and having the ability to interact with various parts of each page with a few taps here and there.  To extend a users independence, Applicable2U might suggest having the green triangle flash or even enlarge, indicating that it is time to turn the page.  For those just learning to read, set the reading option to speaker with text. Within this mode, a scroll box is added at the bottom of each page, allowing up and coming readers the ability to follow along. In a future update, it might be nice to see words being highlighted as Lumi is reading.  Finally, the third reading option is for the reader to read to Lumi.  This mode offers language development, reinforcement of sight words and the ability to be in the spotlight for those listening.  Regardless of which reading option your little one chooses, Lumi’s Book of Eyes exposes the user to animals as it relates the importance of their eyes and the connection between human eyes with a little twist.

Not interested in starting with the storybook, jump right into the mini game – Eye Spy.  Within a magnifying glass, Lumi will show a small object, your job is to decide if what you are looking at is an eye or not.  With very clear directions, users will be timed as they answer the question “is this an eye?” Simply tap the yes or no at the bottom of the screen.  With every right answer, additional time will be added to the clock. In terms of feedback, users will be provided both positive and negative feedback.  Lumi will verbally reward as well as correct answers will flash green and incorrect answers will flash red.  The only addition that we see being added to this mini game is naming each object as it expands outside of the magnifying glass.  It would be great to either hear what each object is and in addition even see the word somewhere on the screen.  This would encourage further language development skills of all types of readers.

Overall, Applicable2U is pleased with their recent download of Lumi’s Book of Eyes.  If you would like to learn more about Zephyr Games, please visit their website here.  As I am sure in the early elementary years, the study of the eye is a part of the science curriculum.  It might be interesting to begin this unit of study with this interactive book application and have children extend the book to additional animals of the world.  Set the challenge of researching a particular animal and their eye and present their findings to the class as an “added” page to this newly found book.  If you would like to begin downloading Lumi’s Book of Eyes to your iTunes library, simply click here.