If you met someone who was interested in what goes on in someone else’s home, you might call him or her nosy. But what about curious? Tinybop founder and CEO Raul Gutierrez realized that his children would scrutinize the differences between their homes and those they visited when traveling. “They want to know how children in other places live, how they play, how they sleep.”
Thus inspired, Tinybop, creator of educational apps, came up with Homes, which allows children four and older to explore different dwellings continents away. A Mongolian yurt, an adobe house in Guatemala, a Brooklyn brownstone, and a tower house in Yemen each offer kids a look into a unique culture, opening up new worlds to investigate.
The app has over 20 spaces to explore; a handy parents’ guide gives hints about what to look for and questions for kids to ponder as they play a lute in Yemen, wash dishes in Guatemala, or drop bread into a New York toaster. It’s not just the inside of the homes that are different; the diverse landscapes, animals, and exterior architecture all offer learning opportunities. There’s even a sheep to shear.
If you want to give your little one a multilingual experience, there are over 50 languages available, so kids can learn common household objects in Spanish, Chinese, French, or German.
Go ahead. Be nosy. The app is available in the iTunes store.