ThePolyglotsattheCircus

Some of the playful animations reinforce the language related to body parts that is used throughout the app as well as numbers in the chosen language and expressions such as ‘Delicious’ and ’Yum!’ from app 4.

The Polyglots at the Circus playspace is an inviting introduction to the many fun activities that this circus has to offer. It features food common to the culture of the chosen language, performers for children to play with and a range of interactive experiences. Tapping has an impact in the high striker (strong man) game, on the balloons in the foreground and on the character with the camera. Polyglot Min is dressed in a costume from the chosen culture; tapping will make this character move. The lights react to tapping and reinforce the numbers learnt in app 3.

The language focus is on body parts. Children will also hear supportive language such as ‘Great!’, ‘Wow!’ and ‘Yay!’ in the chosen language. The written word for each item is included on each of the cards.

This learning experience is based on the game of ‘Concentration’ or ‘Pairs’. A magician lays a set of cards on a table. Children tap to turn over two cards, one at a time, which triggers the chosen language. The cards contain images of body parts and the chosen language script for that body part. An image from the culture is also part of the game. Children find the matching pairs. As they develop proficiency, the game gets harder, with more cards appearing on the table. The cards are patterned with the traditionally inspired design that has featured in other apps.

This fun activity reinforces the words for various parts of the face and revises the words for colours learnt in app 2.

In this creative activity students can select from a blank page or two stencils, or photograph their own face in preparation for face painting. There are paintbrushes in the colours that children are familiar with from app 2. Children launch the camera by tapping it and take a photo by tapping the screen. They can select items such as the nose from the menu at the bottom and drag them onto the canvas. Children will hear the words for colours, size and body parts as these items are selected. They can tap the body parts to animate them (the eyes move and blink, the nose twitches and sniffs, the ears wiggle and flap, and the mouth moves). Tapping the body parts increases their size. There is an eraser on the side menu.

The vocabulary for body parts is the focus of this learning experience.

Inside the Big Top, children can flick the spinning wheel to find out what body part will form the core of the acrobats’ balancing act. They will hear the name of the body part in the chosen language and see the two acrobats modelling the correct pose. Children then repeat the word, to encourage the clown to follow suit. The level of play changes, as an increasing number of body parts appear while children are playing.

The language focus reinforces the words for body parts as well as revising the words for colours. Descriptive language such as ‘big’ and ‘small’ is also used.

In this learning experience, children interact with a picture board divided into three zones: top, middle and bottom. A Polyglots character provides the face. Children swipe each zone until they are happy with the way the character is dressed and the body parts that have been assigned to it. On each swipe, the character will react to the action in the chosen language; for example, ‘I’ve got big feet!’ or ‘I have red hair’. Occasionally, the face of the character will also respond. It is also possible to dress the character in the traditionally inspired costume.

In this experience, children hear the words for body parts as well as words and phrases such as ‘ouch’ and ‘My arm/leg hurts’.

A Polyglots character has become hurt at the circus and children must diagnose and remedy the problem. After meeting a Polyglots character on a stretcher, children can ‘scan’ the body to locate the injury (marked by a red spot). There are five possible injury sites and four potential injuries (including cuts, prickles, insect bites and a broken bone). Children experiment with the correct method of treating the patient (each issue demands a different response). Once the character is well, he says ‘Thank you’ in the chosen langauge.

This song focuses on the vocabulary for body parts.

This activity references the familiar ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’ song. Children can launch this song by tapping the loudspeaker at the right of the circus playspace. Body parts include ‘head, arms, knees and feet’ and ‘eyes, ears, mouth and nose’.