Ansel & Clair’s Adventures in Africa App Review

Roo and Jasper are iPad hogs. They like the iPhone, too, but the big touchscreen is totally irresistable to them. The saving grace of their obsession is the steady stream of quality apps that are as educational as they are entertaining. Yes, they spend way too much time watching potentially inappropriate videos on YouTube, but they also like the read-along books and learning games.

One of the best apps we've encountered is Ansel & Clair’s Adventures in Africa, which lets kids explore the continent at their own pace and in their own style. The eponymous characters, an alien and a robot, lead children on a learning safari that takes full advantage of the iPad's functionality with audio, video, and game elements that can be accessed independently. The illustration and design of the app are fantastic but what I find most impressive is that it completely engages both of my kids, even though Roo is 7 years old and a proficient reader while Jasper is just shy of 4 and still learning his alphabet. Both of them have spent hours immersed in Ansel & Clair’s Adventures in Africa without having to ask for help or instruction. In fact, sometimes they'll even play it together!

There are innumerable interactive functions to discover, some of our favorites are the spinning globe, the tilting pyramid maze, the photographic travel log, the wipe-away raindrops and sand. You really have to see it in action to understand how different it is than its competitors. This video will give you a great overview:



Ansel & Clair’s Adventures in Africa is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.

We're hoping Ansel & Clair have more travel planned for the near future… maybe to Asia next?


In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received a complimentary download code to facilitate this review. As usual, though, all thoughts are my own.

Play With My Underwear

Jasper's favorite song of late has been "trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat" with the bonus verse "if you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear!" Yeah, he's THAT kid. On the bright side, his obsession with underpants has finally led to the sudden decision to potty train. Seriously, he's been anti-underpants, anti-potty for months now but in a single day, he decided he was done with diapers. Weird kid.

Fittingly, we were asked to review a new app for iPhone and iPad, My Underwear. The bold, colorful illustrations might look familiar, since Todd Parr has produced about a zillion great kids' books.

My Underwear is the app equivalent of a giggle. It's bright and silly, relentlessly cheerful and fun, with four different game options. Jasper immediately went to work finger-painting underpants, with no need for me to explain. It's incredibly intuitive and easy for kids to play by themselves. I also like how it sneaks in the learning stuff, like having kids match undies to critters by color or shapes. Jasper is predictably fond of the game that lets you feed monsters with falling underpants, kind of a preschool laundry basket version of Tetris. The matching game is also chock full of adorableness, including robot among the critters, monsters and ubiquitous underwear.

It should be noted that 6 year old Roo loves playing with My Underwear, too. That does not sound right at all, does it?

Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that we received a free download of My Underwear in order to review it. I would pay $2.99 for it in a second, though.