Age: 6-8 years old

Category: Astronomy

What It Is: Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System is an educational and entertaining app that offers a close look at the sun and each of the eight planets in the solar system using fun facts, graphics and infographics, games and activities. It’s based on a series of books starring the playful Professor Astro Cat.  The app is available in iOS, Android, and at Amazon Apps.

Why We Like It: This app provides outstanding coverage of topics related to the solar system, sun and planets. Each section features facts about the planet, an “unzip” feature where players can open up the planet and see what’s inside, fun activities such as birthing a new star or calculating your age in Mercury years, and a game to encourage memory for the information presented. The Jet Pack Challenge quizzes, with their True or False format, are a fun way to test kids’ new-found knowledge. Correct answers are rewarded with stars, medals, and pieces that can be used to construct a massive rocket ship. Questions can be easy or more complex and challenging, which suits a range of ages.

Note To Parents: Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System is a great educational resource. There’s a lot of information for kids to absorb, but it’s presented as manageable bite-sized chunks of text, peppered with fun graphics and interactive learning exercises – such as a diagram that shows the different phases of the moon.

Kids should have no trouble finding their way around Professor Cat’s Solar System with minimal help from you. We also love that the app is personalized, meaning kids see their names in the text, and they’re really made to feel like they’re taking part in an adventure rather than reading a textbook of outer space facts.

You can check out Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System here.