As the proud mama of a shiny new iPad, I’ve managed to keep my kidlets’ touch screen-seeking fingertips off. Now I’m not sure I want to. Blame it on What Should I Draw? an HD iPad app that brings together Mad Libs and drawing in an epic mashup.
Not only does this one give kids drawing media, but suggestions on what to draw. Four splotches of paint in the first screen reveal a suggestion in adjective, color, animal and verb form–we got smart, yellow, whale, flying a kite. The third screen offers up a blank canvas with a rainbow of paint buckets that let kids make colorful, one-fingered doodles to their heart’s content. The app then takes that doodle and saves it in a website gallery where you can save, upload or see how your offspring’s artistry looks on a mug or tee.
And anything that nixes all that but-moooom-I-don’t-know-what-to-draw whining right off the bat gets props from me. –Pilar
You can purchase What Should I Draw? in iTunes for $2.99 (worth it!) and access the artwork website for free.
Cute! I am always looking for new apps for my son.
I’m sorry to throw a bucket of water on this one, but this app sounds AWFUL!!! At least that first screen you describe, where 4 splodges of paint direct the child what to draw. When a child wonders what to draw (also when a child complains of feeling bored)is the moment when their imaginations can be nurtured and developed. Instead, this app offers instant gratification and sidesteps the crucial step of activating the imagination. Next time your child “whines” that she doesn’t know what to draw, tell her to open her open her eyes and ears to the world around her and find her inspiration there!
One of our favorite ever art assignments is turning a splodge or a scribble into something else. The way we see it, inspiration comes in many forms. Your suggestions are lovely too.