Pup in Cup

An entire weekend of cleaning out old toys and books brought to the surface a few little globules of goodness. The Dr. Seuss series of books is a fantastic way to keep even young children interested in your native tongue. My favourite is ‘Fox in Socks’, and my daughter seems to enjoy watching her father make a mess of the tongue twisters. What I rediscovered on Sunday was the ‘Hop on Pop’ book. What I found today was the ‘Hop on Pop’ iPhone application.

At 350 yen it wasn’t as cheap as some apps, but it’s less than the price of a coffee and I can take it anywhere we go without spilling it. Read the app store blurb here. Hop on Pop is fantastic for early learners because of the simplicity of most of the words. CVC words make up a great chunk of the vocabulary in the book/app. Any child who has learned the phonic alphabet can sound out these simple words by themselves. More complicated consonant and vowel blends are often repeated and therefore very accessible.

The application has three options:

• ‘Read to me’ – a narrator reads each page (American) and the words can be touched to repeat them. Pages are turned forward and back with screen swipes.
• ‘Read it myself’ – as it sounds. Again, touch the words to have them pronounced.
• ‘Auto play’ – The book is read and the pages are turned for you.

A great little application. Well worth the money. I will still continue using the book at home rather than the application, but as with other learning applications it’s great for when you are out and about and waiting for something.